Let’s Be Clear: Net Zero Includes Unavoidable Emissions    

When we talk about net zero, there’s a common misconception that it means eliminating all emissions.  

But that’s not how the science defines it, or how businesses can realistically achieve it. 

The official definition of net zero, as recognised by the UN, SBTi, and the GHG Protocol, is this: 

🔍 Net zero means reducing emissions as far as possible and then removing or offsetting any unavoidable residual emissions. 

So yes, offsetting has a place in your journey. But only after you’ve done the hard work of reducing what you can. 

What Are Unavoidable Emissions? 

Even the most efficient, forward-thinking businesses will always have some emissions they can’t eliminate entirely, at least not with current technology. 

Examples include: 

• Freight or air transport where no alternative exists 

• Manufacturing processes that rely on heat or chemical reactions 

• The embodied carbon in essential materials (e.g. concrete, steel, IT equipment) 

• Emergency backup power (e.g. diesel generators) 

These are your residual emissions and you are allowed to offset them in a legitimate net zero pathway. 

Offsetting: What It Is and What It’s Not 

Offsetting is a way to balance out your residual emissions by investing in projects that remove or prevent the equivalent amount of CO₂ elsewhere. 

But offsetting is not: 

• A substitute for reducing your own emissions 

• A loophole to keep polluting 

• An excuse for inaction 

Done responsibly, offsetting can:
✅ Support vital environmental restoration (e.g. reforestation, peatland protection)
✅ Fund clean technology in developing nations
✅ Create co-benefits like biodiversity, water protection, and local employment 

How the Carbon Offsetting Process Works 

1. Measure your residual emissions (typically after reductions to Scope 1, 2, and 3) 
2. Choose verified offsetting projects from trusted registries (e.g. Gold Standard, Verra, Puro.Earth) 
3. Purchase carbon credits: one credit equals one tonne of CO₂ removed or avoided 
4. Retire the credits publicly to avoid double-counting 
5. Document offsets transparently in your carbon reporting and net zero strategy 

Offsetting Is Part of a Net Zero Framework, Not a Shortcut 

Let’s be clear: offsetting is not a way to delay reductions. 

The official sequencing of net zero is: 

1. Measure your emissions 
2. Reduce everything you feasibly can 
3. Offset what’s left: the unavoidable emissions 

Offsetting without reductions? That’s greenwash.
Offsetting as part of a verified, time-bound reduction plan? That’s leadership. 

How to Approach Offsetting Transparently and Responsibly 

When it’s time to offset, here’s how to do it right: 

• ✅ Choose high-quality offsets from trusted registries 

• ✅ Look for projects with measurable, additional, and permanent impact 

• ✅ Document your offsetting in your annual report, not buried in marketing materials 

• ✅ Make your offsetting consistent, not a one-off PR exercise 

• ✅ Be upfront about why you’re offsetting, and how it fits your wider reduction strategy 

Offsetting with NCZ

At Neutral Carbon Zone, we support your offsetting process through: 

✅ Expert guidance on calculating residual emissions
✅ Access to high-integrity, independently verified carbon credit providers
✅ Support for communicating your strategy clearly and credibly
✅ Integration of offsets into your annual NCZ Certification
✅ Digital badges to showcase responsible action, not just emissions numbers 

 

Get in touch today and book in a call here: 

https://zcal.co/t/csm/nczexploratory 

Contact us: jacob@neutralcarbonzone.com