Abstract
This chapter investigates whether certification can lead to greater credibility in carbon claims. Using the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) as a case study, it highlights some of the legal issues around making false carbon claims. An overview of the organisational structures and key documents underpinning the certification industry is then provided including the ISO 14064 and the GHG Protocol. This is followed by a brief summary of several well-known existing Australian and international carbon certification schemes including carboNZero, Certified Carbon Neutral Global Standard, PAS 2060:2010, Carbon Neutral, Climate Friendly, NoCO2, Carbon Neutral-ICLEI and NCOS Carbon Neutral Program. The role of government and leadership is highlighted as an important factor in enabling such schemes to work well.
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Notes
- 1.
The voluntary market has evolved considerably since it began and is now is relatively heavily regulated.
- 2.
See ‘Saab “Grrrrrreen” claims declared misleading by Federal Court’ (available at: http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/843395).
- 3.
See ‘When green wash won’t wash: Avoiding misleading environmental claims’ (available at: http://www.edo.org.au/conference/2010/2010michael_terceiro.pdf).
- 4.
- 5.
For more information, see http://www.carbonzero.co.nz.
- 6.
- 7.
The Australian Carbon Neutral company has no affiliation with the UK’s CarbonNeutral® Company.
- 8.
The first being New Zealand’s CarbonZero discussed previously.
- 9.
No academic studies were found on this specific topic. Research was limited to information available in English.
- 10.
Though this area is rapidly evolving with new players entering this space frequently.
References
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Rauland, V., Newman, P. (2015). Certifying for Carbon Neutrality. In: Decarbonising Cities. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15506-7_10
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