Newsletter: Greenhouse Friendly™ is changing

From 1 July 2010 Greenhouse Friendly™ carbon neutral certification will be replaced with certification under the Government’s National Carbon Offset Standard.

The implementation of a national standard will provide consistency for the voluntary carbon offset market and ensure the integrity of offsets and carbon neutral products available for consumers and businesses alike.

The National Carbon Offset Standard Carbon Neutral Program is being administered by the Australian Carbon Trust on behalf of the Australian Government.

The Guidelines for the Carbon Neutral Program are available on the Department’s web site.

What does carbon neutral mean?

Under the National Carbon Offset Standard carbon neutrality means that the emissions associated with a product or with an organisation’s activities are measured, reduced, and the balance of emissions offset by acquiring an equal amount of eligible offset units.

A product, organisation, or a part of an organisation can be certified as carbon neutral under the National Carbon Offset Standard.

Under the Greenhouse Friendly™ initiative, many Australian companies undertook these steps and have been certified as carbon neutral.

What should I look for?

Consumers of Greenhouse Friendly™ carbon neutral products and services will be familiar with the current Greenhouse Friendly™ trademark.

The NCOS Carbon Neutral Program will be represented by a new trademark, to reflect the fact that carbon neutral certification will now be underpinned by a national standard.

From 1 July you will start to see National Carbon Offset Standard Carbon Neutral branding appearing on carbon neutral products.

Like the Greenhouse Friendly™ brand, this trademark will represent Australian Government-backed certification of the carbon neutral status of products or organisations.

You will continue to see products with the Greenhouse Friendly™ brand available for sale, and this will continue for some time, depending on the shelf life for each product. These products have been certified under the rigorous requirements of the Greenhouse Friendly™ program and their carbon neutral status is assured and permanent.