Communicating CarbonNeutral certification guidelines Bravington House, 2 Bravington Walk, Regent Quarter, Kings Cross, London N1 9AF T +44 (0)20 7833 6000 10 E. 40th Street, Suite 3110 New York, NY 10016 T: 1 646 367 5800 www.carbonneutral.com
Table of Contents About your CarbonNeutral certification... 2 Compliance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol... 2 Communication of CarbonNeutral certification... 3 Examples of how to position your CarbonNeutral programme... 4 Referring to The CarbonNeutral Company... 5 Examples of communicating your work with The CarbonNeutral Company... 6 Communications about climate change and carbon offsetting... 7 Carbon offset project communications... 7 Recommendations to ensure you get value from your certification... 8 Certification format, layout and legal requirements... 9 The Certification roundel... 10 Clearance zone, minimum size, colour, format and translations... 11 Usage controls for specific CarbonNeutral certifications... 13 CarbonNeutral packaging... 13 CarbonNeutral usage... 13 CarbonNeutral electricity... 13 Where to display your certification... 14 Artwork approval... 16 Required legal use of CarbonNeutral certification... 17 Who can use CarbonNeutral certification... 18 The CarbonNeutral Company CUSTOMER BRAND GUIDLINES
About your CarbonNeutral certification Used by thousands of clients in 32 countries, CarbonNeutral certification makes a clear and credible statement about the action a business or organisation has taken on climate change. Displaying the CarbonNeutral logo clearly differentiates a brand, engages key stakeholders and enables an organisation to enhance its reputation. These brand guidelines advise on how to communicate your CarbonNeutral certification effectively and layout the requirements for correct usage and placement of all CarbonNeutral certifications. CarbonNeutral certification is granted to businesses or organisations which have reduced their carbon emissions to net zero in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. The CarbonNeutral Protocol is the global standard for carbon neutral certification, providing the pragmatic guidance businesses need to build credible reduction solutions and offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero. The CarbonNeutral Protocol guarantees the integrity and credibility of clients carbon neutral certification and enables them to be certified CarbonNeutral. The Protocol is revised and updated annually to reflect the changing requirements of both science and business. You will receive your CarbonNeutral certifications via email or your Getting Started pack from The CarbonNeutral Company s marketing department or your client services manager. Compliance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol As stated in The CarbonNeutral Protocol, all communications relating to a client s CarbonNeutral certification must be factually based and should be clear and transparent in order to avoid confusion or misunderstanding. Communications about the action taken must be consistent with the specific CarbonNeutral certification achieved, using the same name and outlining the emission sources included as stated in The CarbonNeutral Protocol. 2
Communication of CarbonNeutral certification
Examples of how to position your CarbonNeutral programme To ensure you are gaining maximum benefits from your CarbonNeutral certification we have set out below some examples of the types of messaging you can use when communicating your status. CarbonNeutral company Café Bom Dia reduced its CO 2 emissions to net zero in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. As a result, we are one of the world s largest coffee producers to achieve CarbonNeutral status as verified by an independent organisation. CarbonNeutral publication The unavoidable CO 2 generated by the printing and distribution of this report have been reduced to net zero through verified carbon offset projects. CarbonNeutral product We calculate and offset 120% of the emissions created by our raw materials before they reach us, and we do the same for emissions from the transportation of our finished products to the customers. So not only is Isklar CarbonNeutral as a company, so are the bottles we use from cradle to shelf. CarbonNeutral flights Nexans has committed to fully offset the CO 2 emissions generated during its business flights by purchasing guaranteed, high quality carbon offsets from a unique reforestation project in Tanzania. In return, the Group is awarded the CarbonNeutral flights certification, which guarantees and communicates the net zero carbon footprint of its business flights. CarbonNeutral event We are proud to be working again with leading climate change business, The CarbonNeutral Company, to make this year s event CarbonNeutral for the third year running. This means that the CO 2 emissions produced from three days of heating, lighting, waste, supplier and organiser travel have been balanced out by purchasing carbon offsets from two climate friendly projects which reduce the equivalent amount of CO 2. 4
Referring to The CarbonNeutral Company The CarbonNeutral Company is the corporate name of the business and therefore does not need a registered trademark ( ) symbol after it. It should always be capitalised, with CarbonNeutral written as one word with a capital N for Neutral The CarbonNeutral Company - should never be abbreviated to TCNC. The CarbonNeutral Company should always be referred to as a world-leading provider of carbon reduction solutions. If you wish to refer to The CarbonNeutral Protocol please ensure CarbonNeutral is written as one word with a capital N for Neutral and that Protocol has a capital P. There is no registered trademark symbol in The CarbonNeutral Protocol. You can link to the Protocol from your communication materials by using the following link: http://www.carbonneutral.com/about-us/quality-assurance/ If you want to describe The CarbonNeutral Company in more detail please use the following: The CarbonNeutral Company is a world-leading provider of carbon reduction solutions. It works with over 300 businesses in 32 countries to develop offset inclusive carbon reduction programmes which enable companies to increase revenue, manage costs and engage stakeholders. Since 1997, The CarbonNeutral Company has purchased carbon credits from more than 200 projects in 24 countries. CarbonNeutral is the registered trademark of The CarbonNeutral Company and is a global standard to certify that businesses have measured and reduced their CO 2 emissions to net zero for their company, products, operations or services in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. The CarbonNeutral Company has offices in London, New York and Singapore and is a founding member of The International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance (ICROA), which provides leadership and a unified voice in advocating for rigorous offset industry standards. 5
Examples of communicating your work with The CarbonNeutral Company (Company Name) has achieved the CarbonNeutral company certification by working with The CarbonNeutral Company, a world-leading provider of carbon reduction solutions, to measure and reduce its CO 2 emissions from (details of emission sources). To achieve CarbonNeutral status, (Company Name) is working with The CarbonNeutral Company, a world-leading provider of carbon reduction solutions. (Company name) has reduced its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol, the global standard for carbon neutral certification. The programme involved an independent assessment of the CO 2 emissions produced from (emissions sources) followed by an offset-inclusive emissions reduction programme. This means that for every one tonne of GHG emissions that (Company Name) produces, it purchases a verified carbon offset which guarantees an equivalent amount of GHG emissions is reduced from the atmosphere through a renewable energy or clean technology project. 6
Communications about climate change and carbon offsetting We provide FAQs to help you give a consistent, clear and accurate message about what climate change is and how offsetting works. These FAQs can be used throughout your marketing materials and to help you define your own messaging. If you have not already received these please contact your client services manager. Alternatively you can link to the FAQs we have hosted on our web site at these links: http://www.carbonneutral.com/knowledge-centre/offsetting-explained/ http://www.carbonneutral.com/knowledge-centre/climate-change-summary/ Tamil Nadu, renewable energy project in India Carbon offset project communications When illustrating your project choices you can use the Project Information sheets supplied by The CarbonNeutral Company or you can link to the project portfolio section of our website. We can provide project shots. However, because the shots are taken by the project operators, they are normally low resolution and we wouldn t recommend using them for print purposes. If you choose to use them online please reference the project name. For high resolution shots we recommend purchasing stock shots from istockphoto.com, please be sure to read the full terms and conditions to ensure there is no copyright infringement. Jinshizi, renewable energy project in China 7
Recommendations to ensure you get value from your certification We have worked with many clients around the world to advise them on creating clear, credible communication plans around their action on reducing carbon emissions and being certified as CarbonNeutral. The tips below are designed to help you create a credible communications plan: Keep it clear. Climate change science and the reduction of carbon emissions can be quite complex. It is advisable to communicate what you re doing in a way that is simple and unambiguous. Clearly state your reduction target, the action you have taken to meet it, and the result. Use senior management. Give your communications credibility and help to integrate what you re doing throughout the organisation by using senior management wherever possible. Use The CarbonNeutral Protocol as a third party, independent endorsement of your actions. Linking to the Protocol on our web site can support and reinforce your message. Avoid heroes and villains. Some businesses choose not to follow the same strategy or take the same action to reduce carbon emissions throughout the whole organisation. If this is the case it is important to ensure that another brand or part of the organisation is not directly conflicting with your message of reducing GHG emissions. Include internal reduction measures. In order to make a credible statement on your carbon management strategy, it is important that you make internal changes, combined with carbon offsets, to enable you to meet a target immediately, cost effectively and efficiently. Use the carbon offset projects you are involved in to help to give your carbon strategy more context and colour. We provide photos of the projects and background information about the technology, region and standard. 8
9 Certification format, layout and legal requirements
The certification roundel There are three versions of CarbonNeutral certification you can choose to use: The main roundel The main roundel with substantiation text landscape version The main roundel with substantiation text portrait version Supplied Available on request Available on request The substantiation text states - CO 2 emissions reduced to net zero in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. If used, this text must not be changed. The preferred format, to be used wherever possible, is the main roundel. All versions of the certification roundel must include the web address, which identifies us as a certification body. CarbonNeutral.com www.carbon Neutral.com 10
Correct clearance space Clearance zone and minimum size A clear space equal to 1/3 of length the web address should be left on all sides of the logo. No other elements should encroach on this space or appear within it. The minimum size at which the roundel may be reproduced is 15mm. Colour 1/3 1/3 1/3 Always aim for maximum legibility when reproducing the roundel. The preferred colour is green but black and white, as well as a pantone colour consistent with your corporate identity, can be used. In the case of a single colour printed piece, the roundel can be reproduced in the same colour as the rest of the material, provided that it is a dark enough colour and tone to maintain legibility. The roundel may appear against photographic backgrounds providing that it is not only visible but legible. Always position the roundel on a neutral area of the image where visibility is high. 11
Format Only the main roundel will be supplied to you when you sign your CarbonNeutral certification contract, however you may request either the landscape or portrait versions (see page 10). We will supply the certification roundels in green in CMYK and RGB and in EPS and JPEG formats. To open an EPS file you will need access to a creative package. JPEG formats will open on most computers. When using your certification online or on screen applications, you will need the RGB format. For print, you will need the CMYK file in an higher resolution format - EPS. Colour References Print PMS347 C85 M11 Y82 K2 Digital R24 G153 B85 Translations The words CarbonNeutral may only be used in English and will not be translated. 12
Usage controls for specific CarbonNeutral certifications A few CarbonNeutral certifications have specific usage controls which are designed to ensure clarity and transparency for all stakeholders. CarbonNeutral packaging The CarbonNeutral packaging certification can, and should be used, on all packaging covered by the scope of the certification, i.e. all the packaging that the end user will need to dispose of. It is important that the certification roundel is large enough to be legible, in order to be clear that it is the packaging which is CarbonNeutral and no other part of the product. The minimum size of the CarbonNeutral packaging certification is 15mm. CarbonNeutral usage An explanation of how the usage emissions were calculated in order to be reduced to net zero must be included in the supporting materials of the product. CarbonNeutral electricity This certification must not be used on the product for which the electricity emissions have been calculated. It may only be used on supporting materials for the product. An explanation of what electricity emissions are included in the CarbonNeutral certification must be included in the supporting materials of the product. 13
Where to display your certification Lapostolle, the Chilean wine producer, has provided its clients with CarbonNeu- EDF have purchased carbon offsets since 2008 Using your CarbonNeutral certification throughout your communication materials is an effective and credible way of getting instant recognition of your environmental credentials. You may use CarbonNeutral certification on any internal or external facing materials. These can include: Website Company letterheads Email signatures Advertisements Point of sale material Packaging Fleet signage Reports and publications Business cards Event displays Presentations Proposals The Irish coffee chain has been working with The CarbonNeutral Company since 2008 In 2008 Hildon became the first bottled water company to become CarbonNeutral 14
Isklar has been working with The CarbonNeutral Company since 2006 In 2009, Ryobi became the first company to certify the usage of its products 15 In the US, UPS has been offering CarbonNeutral shipping since 2009 Crown works to minimise the emissions arising from the manufacturing and distributing of its paint
Artwork approval As part of our quality assurance programme and to ensure consistent and accurate use of CarbonNeutral certification by all clients, all usage of the CarbonNeutral certification needs to be approved along with any written comments stating a company s CarbonNeutral claim or referring to The CarbonNeutral Company. To submit any communication materials for approval please contact your client services manager. When submitting artwork, please let us know the following information: 1. The precise wording and use of the CarbonNeutral certification 2. Where it will be used 3. Deadline for approval Please allow a 24 hour turnaround time for any artwork approvals. If your request needs urgent attention, please make that clear to your client services manager. If a certification is not used in accordance with these guidelines, The CarbonNeutral Company has the right to request removal of the CarbonNeutral certification. 16
17 Required legal use of CarbonNeutral certification
Your CarbonNeutral certification is a registered trademark. It is important that it is communicated in this way, as it indicates that the emissions associated with the certification have been reduced in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. We do not allow the certification roundel to be edited or copied. If the certification roundel is edited or changed in any way it will become invalid. If you are unable to show the CarbonNeutral certification roundel then we suggest you write: (Company Name) has been certified as a CarbonNeutral (status) for the period of (start date) (end date). When writing about the certification that you have been awarded, you should always refer to CarbonNeutral as one word with a registration ( ) symbol following it and the applicable status should always be lower case. For example: CarbonNeutral status CarbonNeutral company CarbonNeutral product Use of the certification must cease once your certification period has expired. Your account manager or client services manager will contact you three months prior to your certification renewal date to ensure your contract is up to date and enable you to continue to be certified as CarbonNeutral and to make use of the certification in your communications. Who can use CarbonNeutral certification To ensure there is no ambiguity about who has achieved CarbonNeutral certification, the certification is only licensed to clients of The CarbonNeutral Company to be used in their own communications and not those of their clients. 18
Bravington House, 2 Bravington Walk, Regent Quarter, Kings Cross, London N1 9AF T +44 (0)20 7833 6000 10 E. 40th Street, Suite 3110 New York, NY 10016 T: 1 646 367 5800 42 Jln Bumbong, Singapore 739927. T: +65 688 444 65 www.carbonneutral.com
Certificate Name of organisation: RGS90 Certified CarbonNeutral company Certification period 1 November 2012-30 October 2015 The certified organisation has measured greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduced them to net zero through internal change and/or externally, through carbon offsetting in accordance with the requirements of the CarbonNeutral Protocol for the stated activity. Greenhouse gas emissions assessment An emissions assessment has been undertaken by an independent third party in accordance with one of the allowable measurement methodologies under the CarbonNeutral Protocol. Emissions reduced through carbon offsetting 13, 878t onnes CO 2 e Puerto Mott Thermal Energy, Chile, VCS (4,164 tco 2 e) Dalian Landfill Gas, China, VCS (5,550 tco 2 e) Light it up Improved Cooking Technique, South Africa, GS (2,082 tco 2 e) Meru and Nanyuki Community Reforstation, Kenya, VCS(2,082 tco 2 e) Certificate number CN2013014132