The unregulated world of 'carbon negative' products – what you need to know

The unregulated world of 'carbon negative' products – what you need to know

04/21/2022

World Earth Day is on the horizon and so you’ll have seen plenty of brands promoting their products because they’re ‘good for the environment’.

Arguably, the best thing for the planet isn’t to buy more stuff.

One term of contention in this field is ‘carbon negative’.

Similar to phrases like ‘clean beauty’, there isn’t a set definition – so any brands can decide what ‘carbon negative’ means to them and make that claim.

Naturally, some carbon negative strides will be better than others.

There’s also the term ‘carbon neutral’, with brands like Mars staking a claim here through a chocolate bar.

The Carbon Trust certifies carbon neutrality, while carbon negativity – also known as carbon positivity – is currently hard to define and make sense of as a consumer.

This could mean we’re more easily impressed by brands using these terms, whose credentials may not stack up.

The lingo you need to know

The definition of ‘carbon neutrality’ 

Emissions released in operations or production processes are balanced by an equivalent amount of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions being removed or avoided via offsetting projects over the same period of time. 

There are regulated standards upheld by The Carbon Trust.

The definition of ‘carbon negativity’ 

In effect, the product, process or company emits less than zero GHGs into the atmosphere (it absorbs more than it emits).

It often involves offsetting more carbon than you emit through carbon capture, sequestration or avoidance. 

There is no regulatory body.

BYBI co-founders Elsie Rutterford and Dominika Minarovic have managed to create a beauty product, Glowcurrant Booster, a facial oil, that achieves genuine carbon negative status – a first for the brand.

It has a negative carbon footprint of -13g of CO2e per product, saving the equivalent carbon emissions created by charging an iPhone11 five times. 

They’ve become invested in pinning down this term so consumers can make more informed choices, and tell Metro.co.uk: ‘At present, there isn’t an official certification for carbon negative.

‘Brands can reach carbon negativity in a variety of ways, such as sequestering carbon along its supply chain, purchasing carbon offsetting credits or investing in carbon capture.

‘Despite all of these methods ultimately allowing a brand or product to achieve carbon negativity, not all methods are equal.’

They don’t believe consumers are necessarily aware of this grey area.

Elise says: ‘The terminology around carbon related definitions can be quite technical.

‘Plus, without looking into the detail, the average consumer wouldn’t always know that there were several different ways to reach carbon negativity, nor that each method has different environmental impacts.’

They both believe the term needs better regulation, adding: ‘It would help if the term was clearly defined and there were parameters laid out by a regulatory body.’

When developing Glowcurrant, they looked at manufacturing, ingredients and packaging.

The brand has a lab in London that runs entirely on green energy, and will only work with third parties who do the same, plus the duo have come up with an auditing system to evaluate the carbon footprint of every step of the creation process.

Elise adds: ‘We love upcycled ingredients at BYBI and use upcycled ingredients in over 50% of the range, including our Strawberry Booster.

‘Our supplier works with juice manufacturers to collect seeds removed from the strawberries before they are juiced.

‘As there’s no place for them in the juice, the seeds would normally be discarded into landfill, but when pressed they produce food-grade quality oil that’s an amazing skincare ingredient.

‘Food waste is accountable for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions so stopping waste at any point in the supply chain has a hugely positive impact.’

As for the packaging of the Glowcurrant Booster, they use sugarcane polyethylene, which is a fully recyclable, fossil fuel free bioplastic, using upcycled material from the sugar industry.

‘For every 1kg of sugarcane grown, 3kgs of carbon are removed from the atmosphere, meaning the production of this material is carbon negative,’ Elise explains.

In the conversation around switching from plastic to glass, it isn’t so straightforward.

While there are many pros to using glass, it’s energy intensive and uses sand, which isn’t a renewable source – so decisions around what’s best for the planet are murkier than it might first seem.

One recurring way Elise sees competitors claiming ‘carbon negative’ with a less holistic approach is through carbon offsetting – something she isn’t as big a fan of.

‘Offsetting involves investing in projects to either remove or avoid carbon emissions,’ she says.

‘We like to use the analogy of running a bath. To us, carbon offsetting isn’t enough because it’s like pulling the plug rather than turning off the taps.

‘In order to make a real difference, we need to actively reduce our carbon footprint across our entire supply chain.’

Carbon negativity isn’t made equal – unless regulations come in to set standards.

What should you look for when shopping carbon neutral and negative?

Take a look at the method(s) in which the brand has reached carbon neutrality/negative status and ask:

  • Are they building a more sustainable supply chain that focuses on carbon reduction and sequestration?
  • Are they offsetting? If so, what projects are they investing in and where?
  • Are they publicly publishing their carbon emissions? This helps brands be held accountable to reaching carbon neutrality and also allows consumers to understand the footprint of the company overall.  

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