What is Net Zero (Really)?

Put simply, Net Zero means reducing your greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible—ideally by over 80%—and then balancing out the small amount of unavoidable emissions by removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere. This can be done through natural processes like absorption by forests and oceans, or through carefully managed Carbon Offset projects.

_{(United Nations. (n.d.). Net Zero Coalition | United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition)}

The UK was one of the early adopters of this initiative, committing in June 2019 to reach Net Zero by 2050, using 1990 levels as a baseline.

But let’s clear something up: Net Zero doesn’t mean Zero Emissions. Unless you’re a company run by solar-powered robots with a zero-waste fairy godmother, eliminating all emissions is nearly impossible. And that’s okay—because that’s not what Net Zero is about.

What Net Zero actually means is reducing emissions as much as feasibly possible without compromising your business’s core operations. Once you’ve done all you realistically can to cut down emissions, the remaining unavoidable emissions—those that come from activities you simply can’t operate without—must be balanced out by offsetting. This means investing in efforts that remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, like reforestation projects, renewable energy programs, or advanced carbon capture technology.

However, it’s crucial that these offsetting projects are credible, transparent, and independently verified. Using dodgy offsets or skipping the reduction effort entirely and just buying your way to a “green” label is called Greenwashing. That’s when companies claim to be Net Zero without actually doing the hard work—and it’s not only misleading, it’s a major problem.

So in short, reaching Net Zero is a practical and powerful goal that balances ambition with realism. It’s not about perfection—it’s about progress, accountability, and making sure that what we take from the Earth, we also give back.

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