Does 'carbon neutral' on a label mean anything?
Short answer
Only if the brand publishes the emissions boundary, the reduction achieved, and the specific offset projects with retirement serial numbers. Without those, 'carbon neutral' usually means credits were bought against a partial footprint — often excluding the supply chain, which is where most emissions sit.
The detail
Scope 3 — purchased goods, transport, use and disposal — is typically 70–90% of a consumer brand's footprint. A neutrality claim covering only Scopes 1 and 2 is describing a small slice of the problem.
Regulators have caught up: the EU's Empowering Consumers Directive bans offset-based carbon-neutral claims on products from 2026, and several courts have ruled specific claims misleading. Prefer brands publishing an absolute reduction target validated by SBTi.
At a glance
- Ask
- Which scopes are included? Scope 3 or nothing.
- Ask
- How much was reduced before offsetting?
- Ask
- Which registry and which project, with retirement records?