Zero carbon generally describes a situation where no net carbon dioxide emissions are produced by a defined activity, process, building or source. However, the term does not have one universal meaning, so its context and the emissions being measured are important.
For example, a building may be described as zero carbon in relation to the energy used during its operation, while this does not necessarily mean that no emissions were generated when the building materials were manufactured or during construction.
Zero carbon is also sometimes used interchangeably with terms such as carbon neutral or net zero carbon, which can cause confusion.
Net zero normally refers to reducing greenhouse gas emissions substantially and balancing residual emissions with removals. Carbon neutral usually describes balancing a defined carbon footprint, which may involve the use of carbon credits.
A business should therefore avoid assuming that zero carbon, carbon neutral and net zero automatically mean the same thing. When making a zero-carbon claim, it should clearly state the activity or emissions covered and how the claim has been calculated.
