Carbon positive

Carbon positive, confusingly also called carbon negative, describes a company or activity that removes more CO₂ from the atmosphere than it emits. The idea is to go beyond zero and actively take carbon out of the air.

It sounds simple, but the term is used in very different ways. Some companies call themselves carbon positive after buying carbon credits for more than their own emissions. That doesn't take away their own emissions, and under new EU rules, claims of neutral or positive climate impact based on offsetting are being banned in marketing to consumers.

What is carbon positive?

To be carbon positive in a meaningful way, a company first has to cut its own emissions as far as it can, for example by switching to renewable energy and phasing out fossil fuels. Only then can carbon removals, like biochar or forests, take out more than what remains. That's a high bar, and it's why the term is worth questioning whenever you see it.

At ClimateHero, we don't use the term about ourselves or our customers. Instead, we help people and companies calculate their footprint, cut what they can, and fund verified climate projects, including long-term carbon removal through biochar, for the emissions they can't yet avoid.

Carbon neutral or climate neutral?

Carbon neutral usually refers to CO₂ only: the emissions released are matched by the same amount reduced or removed elsewhere. Climate neutral is broader and covers all greenhouse gases, including methane and nitrous oxide. Both terms are often backed by offsetting, which is why they're under growing scrutiny.

A stricter term is net zero, which requires deep cuts first and uses removals only for what can't yet be cut. Read more in our climate fact on net zero.

United Nations climate action

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement aim for a climate-neutral future. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the UN suggested six climate-positive efforts to help rebuild economies: investing in green jobs, no bailouts for polluting industries, ending fossil fuel subsidies, considering the climate in all decisions, working together and leaving no one behind.

Sources: United Nations