A carbon footprint is defined by the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions associated with any specific activity or transaction. The carbon footprint is often broken down into 3 scopes of emissions:

(i) scope 1 emissions are direct emissions and cover GHG emissions by an organisation. This could be the emissions that are directly generated by manufacturing goods. It also includes fuel combustion, company vehicles, and fugitive emissions.

(ii) scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions from consumption of purchased electricity, including heating, steaming, or cooling.

(iii) scope 3 emissions are all other indirect emissions (or value chain emissions) related to the company’s activities, including emissions caused by vendors within the supply chain, outsourced activities, employee travel, and commuting. In many industries, Scope 3 emissions account for the largest amount of GHG emissions.

Carbon offsetting enables individuals and businesses to balance their carbon emissions by paying for equivalent carbon savings made by specially designed projects around the world. Offsetting one tonne of CO2 will result in one tonne of CO2 less in the atmosphere. For example, projects may support rainforest protection or may advance low emissions cook stoves and energy efficiency projects in developing countries. Carbon offsets are issued by independent carbon certification bodies once a project has demonstrated it has removed, reduced, or avoided carbon, following the guidance of the respective carbon certification body it is certified or registered with. Carbon offsets need to meet basic principles: be additional, be measurable and auditable, be permanent, and be unique. Offsetting provides financing to accelerate carbon savings that would not have happened without it, and is one important element on the journey to net zero emissions.

Reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions also requires investment in and scaling of solutions that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and from the carbon cycle. Carbon removals refer to projects and technologies that do just this. Carbon removal methods are diverse, and range from nature-based solutions (leveraging reforestation, soil, mangroves), to biomass-based pathways (biochar), to technologies like Direct Air Capture (DAC). It is important to note that different solutions have different levels of "durability" or "permanence" – referring to the length of time for which these solutions sequester the carbon.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is an alternative to fossil-based conventional jet fuel that has significantly lower life-cycle carbon emissions. SAF is designed to meet the same strict quality standards as conventional jet fuel so that it can simply be mixed into existing aircraft and fuel infrastructure. SAF is made from renewable sustainable sources such as used cooking oil or household waste that would have gone to landfill. When the lifecycle emissions of SAF are calculated, they result in around 80-95% less CO2 emissions compared to conventional jet fuel.

Emission reductions enabled by project activities and certified to a credible carbon certification body must adhere to the principle of “additionality” to be materialised and monetised as carbon offsets. This means that the projects are being implemented as a result of the (expected) proceeds from the sale of carbon offsets, enabling project developers to overcome the difficulties they face. In other words, organisations are not supporting a project that would have been carried out anyway.

The carbon offsets are funding additional carbon mitigation. Often, projects are not financially attractive to investors without the sale of these carbon offsets and would therefore not materialise. The additionality case is checked by third-party auditors and the respective carbon certification body at project inception.

Science is clear: a quantity of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions emitted in one place has the same global warming potential as the same quantity of GHG emissions emitted anywhere else. It is the same thing for a quantity of GHG emissions reduced or avoided. Climate change is happening due to the increasing concentration of GHG emissions in the atmosphere and it is of the utmost importance to reduce the pace at which GHG emissions enter the atmosphere. One way to do so is to support low-carbon and modern project activities that displace high-carbon and traditional alternative activities. In many sectors and countries, these low-carbon activities are uneconomical and face barriers that prevent them from taking place. As a result, they are allowed to sell carbon offsets, which enable projects to take place and reduce emissions. By offsetting its carbon emissions, an organisation is outsourcing emission reductions and mitigating climate change by supporting relevant project activities.