Compliance

Regulatory guidance defines principles by which voluntary climate change mitigation efforts can be assessed. This page goes into detail about these principles and our compliance efforts.

Guidance:

“A public claim of voluntary climate change mitigation can be made by an organisation for actions that take place outside of their operations or borders, but which they have funded or otherwise supported.” – Interim guidance for voluntary climate change mitigation. Page 6

Compliance:

Carbon offsets are generated by permanently removing carbon credits from circulation. By purchasing carbon offsets organisations fund carbon removal that has taken place outside of their organisation’s boundary.

This incentivises activity which removes CO₂ from the atmosphere and disincentivises activity which emits CO₂ into the atmosphere.

Guidance:

“Long-standing best practice recommends that before making a claim of voluntary climate change mitigation, an organisation should:

Calculate their own emissions and disclose the boundary for which emissions have been calculated and the types of emissions included in their measurement.

Take as much immediate action as practicable to reduce their emissions and commit to an emissions reduction plan for on-going emissions reductions over time.” – Interim guidance for voluntary climate change mitigation. Page 6

Compliance:

Organisations start by generating their emissions report. Their emissions are calculated automatically from user data, using Ministry for Environment emission factors.

The emission boundary and type is declared as: all scope 1 emissions for the year period. Scope 1 emissions being defined as: “direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the organisation.”²

Organisations declare that they have taken as much immediate action as practicable to reduce their emissions and that they have committed to an emission reduction plan.

Guidance:

“Verified emissions factors should be used for calculating an organisation’s emissions.” – Interim guidance for voluntary climate change mitigation. Page 6

Compliance:

Ministry for Environment emission factors are used for calculating organisation’s emissions.