Climate Active

Climate Active certification, a partnership between the Australian Government and Australian businesses, validates efforts by organizations, products, services, events, precincts, and buildings to measure, reduce, and offset carbon emissions, contributing to Australia’s collective environmental impact mitigation. This certification is pertinent to any entity aiming to validate its climate action initiatives. It evaluates emissions throughout the supply chain, including direct emissions, indirect emissions from purchased energy, and other indirect emissions occurring outside the organization’s control due to its activities.

Key Features

• Encompasses various scopes of emissions, including direct and indirect emissions.
• Mandates annual reporting to communicate progress on emissions reduction and offsetting.
• Requires the development and implementation of a publicly available emissions reduction strategy.

Trustworthiness

Acquiring this certification involves calculating greenhouse gas emissions, reducing them by investing in new technology or operational changes, and offsetting any remaining emissions by purchasing carbon offsets. The certification process is rigorous, requiring independent validation by a third party and adherence to international best-practice standards and GHG protocols. However, certified organizations are not penalized if they do not achieve absolute emission reductions every year, as long as reductions are made where practical and cost-effective.

Duration and Renewal

Certification is ongoing, provided the company maintains an active License Agreement, and requires annual measuring, reducing, offsetting, and reporting of emissions. Certification can be canceled at any time, and independent validation may be required periodically.

Impact and Significance

Obtaining Climate Active certification signifies a commitment to voluntary climate action, allowing organizations to credibly represent their efforts in reducing and offsetting carbon emissions. It mandates transparency through public reporting, ensuring stakeholders are informed of the organization's environmental efforts and progress, and encourages practical and cost-effective emissions reductions, contributing to broader environmental conservation goals.