CLIMATE NEUTRAL CERTIFICATION
Climate Neutral Certified
A new label will soon start
appearing on products you see in stores: “Climate Neutral Certified.” Climate Neutral, a nonprofit launched in 2019, helps brands measure their carbon footprints, offset them by investing in vetted pollutioncapturing projects, and make long-term plans to reduce emissions. Once a company goes through the process, it can print the label on its packaging—a symbol the nonprofit hopes will become as ubiquitous as the USDA organic label. Because calculating a corporate carbon footprint can be a pricey, complex process for brands, Climate Neutral also created a new digital tool to make it simpler. “We wanted to democratize the process of carbon counting and demystify it,” says CEO Austin Whitman. “For many companies, just starting to understand where their carbon emissions come from is a huge step forward.” The group recruited more than 120 businesses last year, representing nearly $1 billion in annual revenue. Its first round of participants, including Allbirds and Klean Kanteen, are on track to receive their certifications this spring.