What does climate neutral actually mean?
We need to reduce climate-impacting emissions, significantly and quickly. And the will is there. But in the climate noise, many words are used to describe how we do just that. "Climate neutral" is one of them, but did you know that the term is often misleading? What does it really mean when a product is claimed to be climate neutral?
Is it possible to make a product climate neutral?
When a product is claimed to be climate neutral, the aim is to make it appear that the manufacture of the product has not caused any additional climate-impacting emissions. Or that the corresponding amount of climate-impacting emissions has been compensated by measures elsewhere, for example through purchased emission rights.
In nature, there is basically a balance. It both emits and stores carbon dioxide. It is only when we humans add extra carbon dioxide, by using fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, that the balance is disturbed. The claim "climate neutral" makes it appear that no extra impact has taken place. But, how true is that really?
All production has an impact
The truth is that everything leaves an imprint and that everything we buy has some impact on the climate. When we use energy in production and when we transport raw materials, we affect the balance of nature. This applies regardless of the product we produce. The question we need to ask ourselves is: Where do we draw the line in a climate calculation? Should we include the value of the raw material in nature? Should we include the emissions of the subcontractors and, if so, their subcontractors?
Depending on how you calculate, the same product may appear to be climate neutral, or as highly climate-impacting. It shows how crucial it is to use a common and credible methodology for climate calculations, so that we get figures that are truly comparable, of high quality and, as far as possible, reflect real emissions.
How emissions in other countries affect climate neutrality
Different emissions occur in different places, and therefore it can be difficult to get the whole picture in a so-called "climate report". There, emissions from one's own operations are collected, from purchased energy to consumption and supply chain – in other words, things that happen outside one's own operations. For example, building materials that are used in Sweden but manufactured in another country. These emissions are not visible in Sweden's climate accounts, but the construction project will of course not be climate neutral because of that.
Is carbon offsetting a solution or a shortcut?
Some believe that you can call yourself climate neutral if you carbon offset or buy emission rights. This risks becoming even more misleading." Even if you carbon offset, the product itself is not climate neutral.
In addition, the compensation risks becoming a way to buy one's way out, instead of actually reducing one's emissions. Carbon offsetting can at best be a bonus, not a solution.
Concrete tips for reducing climate impact
At the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, we avoid the word "climate neutral". We focus on what actually makes a difference:
- Lower energy use
- More renewable raw materials, less fossil raw materials and fuels
- Reduced resource use
Concepts such as "climate positive" or "climate neutral" easily risk becoming greenwashing. It is better to be concrete and transparent about what you actually do and have done.
