The Net Zero Initiative framework offers organizations a way to describe and organize their climate action in order to maximize their contribution to global carbon neutrality.
The framework is based on several key principles:
The term "carbon neutrality" (or "net zero") refers only to the goal of balancing emissions and removals on the global scale. This term does not apply to an organization.
Organizations can only contribute to the trajectory towards global carbon neutrality.
Emission reductions and negative emissions (also called "removals") are rigorously distinguished and counted separately.
The concept of "contribution to global neutrality" is extended to the marketing of low-carbon products and services. The "avoided emissions" are separated into two families: those that correspond to a real absolute decrease in the level of emissions, and those that are only a "lesser increase" compared to the initial situation.
Carbon finance can trigger avoided or negative emissions, but cannot "cancel out" the company's operational emissions. It is counted separately.