Climate Neutral Certified

Step 1: Assess Eligibility Review the Climate Label standard on the Change Climate website to confirm your company qualifies — the program is open to businesses of all sizes across most industries, with a focus on consumer-facing brands.

Step 2: Measure Your Carbon Footprint Use The BEE (Business Emissions Evaluator) platform or an equivalent methodology to calculate your full Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. This is the foundation of the entire certification process.

Step 3: Build a Carbon Reduction Plan Develop a credible, time-bound plan to reduce your emissions year-over-year. The plan must include specific targets and actions — not just aspirational pledges.

Step 4: Purchase Verified Carbon Offsets Identify and purchase high-quality, verified carbon offsets sufficient to cover your measured emissions for the certification year. Offsets must meet recognized quality standards (e.g., Gold Standard, Verra VCS).

Step 5: Submit Your Application Submit your emissions data, reduction plan, and offset documentation to Change Climate for review. The team evaluates submissions against the Climate Label standard.

Step 6: Undergo Documentation Review The Change Climate team reviews your submission. You may be asked to revise or supplement your documentation before approval is granted.

Step 7: Earn Certification and Display the Label Once approved, your company is listed on the public registry and receives the Climate Label mark for use on products, packaging, and marketing materials.

Step 8: Renew Annually Repeat the measurement, reduction, and offset cycle each year to maintain certification. Annual renewal fees apply and the label lapses if requirements are not met.

Climate Neutral Certified evaluates three core pillars of a company's climate performance, all of which must be satisfied annually:

1. Carbon Footprint Measurement (Scope 1, 2, and 3) Companies must quantify their full greenhouse gas inventory, including direct emissions from owned operations (Scope 1), indirect emissions from purchased energy (Scope 2), and value chain emissions from suppliers, logistics, product use, and end-of-life (Scope 3). Scope 3 is often the largest and most complex component for consumer brands. The BEE platform is the recommended tool, though equivalent methodologies are accepted.

2. Carbon Reduction Plan Companies must submit a documented plan with specific, measurable targets to reduce emissions over time. The plan is evaluated for credibility and ambition — vague commitments are not accepted. Progress against prior-year targets is assessed at renewal, creating a ratchet mechanism that rewards continuous improvement.

3. Verified Carbon Offset Portfolio Companies must purchase verified carbon offsets equal to their total measured emissions for the certification year. Offsets must be sourced from recognized, high-quality standards (such as Gold Standard or Verra VCS) to ensure additionality, permanence, and third-party verification. The type and quality of offset projects are reviewed as part of the submission.

Together, these three elements ensure that certification represents current, quantified climate action — not future promises. The annual cycle means the assessment is repeated each year, with the expectation that emissions decrease and reliance on offsets diminishes over time.

Climate Neutral Certified (now operating as The Climate Label under Change Climate) occupies a distinctive niche in the corporate sustainability certification landscape. Unlike frameworks such as SBTi, which focus on future emissions reduction targets, or CDP, which is primarily a disclosure platform, Climate Neutral requires companies to take verified action in the current year — combining measurement, reduction planning, and offset purchasing into a single annual cycle. This "current proof over future pledges" positioning has resonated strongly with consumer-facing brands, particularly in apparel, outdoor gear, personal care, and food & beverage.

Since its founding in 2019, the program has grown to over 300 certified companies, with notable participants including Allbirds, Reformation, Klean Kanteen, and hundreds of smaller direct-to-consumer brands. Its integration with major retailers — REI and Target have both publicly endorsed the label — gives it meaningful B2B commercial leverage that few competing certifications can match at this price point. The BEE platform, offered as a standalone tool, has further expanded the program's reach by lowering the cost and complexity of emissions measurement for SMEs.

The certification faces growing competition as the corporate climate space matures. SBTi's Net-Zero Standard is increasingly preferred by larger enterprises and institutional investors, while B Corp certification offers a broader ESG framework that includes climate. Regulatory developments — particularly the EU Green Claims Directive and U.S. FTC Green Guides updates — are raising the bar for all carbon-neutral claims, which may benefit rigorous programs like Climate Neutral while squeezing weaker ones. Demand for credible, affordable climate certification among SMEs remains strong, and Change Climate's focus on accessibility and retail integration positions it well for continued growth in the $1–500M revenue brand segment.

Climate Neutral was founded in 2019 by Austin Whitman and a team of sustainability professionals who identified a gap in the market: while large corporations had access to sophisticated carbon accounting tools and frameworks, small and mid-sized consumer brands lacked an accessible, affordable, and credible pathway to demonstrate climate action. The organization launched as a nonprofit with the goal of certifying brands that could measure, reduce, and offset their full carbon footprint on an annual basis — a model designed to create ongoing accountability rather than a one-time badge.

The program grew rapidly during 2020–2022, riding a wave of consumer and retail demand for verified sustainability claims. By 2023, over 300 companies had been certified, collectively offsetting millions of tons of CO2. The organization subsequently rebranded its certification as "The Climate Label" and evolved its platform offering into The BEE (Business Emissions Evaluator), a standalone carbon management software tool used by thousands of companies beyond the certified cohort. The parent organization also rebranded to "Change Climate" to reflect its broader mission. The program has continued to refine its standard in response to evolving regulatory expectations around green claims, particularly as the EU and U.S. tighten rules on carbon-neutral marketing.