When a company or product states that they are "carbon neutral," what exactly does that mean?

It actually can mean a wide variety of things. There is no specific standard to being carbon neutral. Technically, it means to offset your carbon producing activities with an equal amount of offset or sequestered carbon. Unfortunately, there is minimal transparency in much of the process today. Whether it be companies that make no internal efforts to reduce carbon emissions before offsetting them or individuals that write a check to attemp to absolve themselves of the sin or carbon, there are ways to "game the system." However, if climate consciousness is one of the factors you utilize in making a purchasing decision, there is a way to assure that you are getting what you pay for. We require that the process begin with making operational reductions where possible. No company that uses the ClimateSafe mark can just "write a check" for the marketing benefit. We assure that all offsets are real and additional (activities that would not have otherwise been undertaken).The ClimateSafe certification mark assures that the company, product or service that you are supporting is having a real effect on climate change. For more information or to obtain a list of companies that are currently certified ClimateSafe, please contact us.