There are many different certifications and frameworks for companies to choose from when taking climate action. The purpose of CLIPOP is to be the most ambitious climate standard in the world. This short blog will set out our unique position amongst the crowd and state how high we set the bar for climate action.
CLIPOP is here to add an extra rung to the ladder of corporate climate action, showing that companies can go beyond net-zero and giving consumers the confidence to know when a company is taking real action. While aiming for net zero is better than nothing, achieving net zero does not guarantee that irreversible tipping points will not be triggered. Nor should net zero be seen as synonymous with achieving the 1.5°C Paris Goal.
The table above shows how the existing Climate Positive criteria from CLIPOP require more specific measurements and more ambitious reductions than existing standards, while also adding the requirement to finance carbon credits to at least 110% of value chain emissions. By other standards, such as SBTi, not requiring the financing of carbon credits today, the cumulative GHG emissions in the atmosphere will grow unmitigated. Accepting that carbon offsets will be required in the future begs the question, why not now?
The CLIPOP criteria are based on what needs to be done to achieve the 1.5°C Paris Agreement Goal, rather than what companies can do to achieve it. By approaching the situation from a different angle, the requirements become more demanding. But if our home planet demands we take action in order to keep living here, the demands need to be met.
Joining CLIPOP takes three basic steps:
1. Measure
Measure all three emissions scopes of the organisation or calculate the emissions of the whole value chain of the product, from cradle to grave. This is to understand where all emissions are coming from and indicate where strategic changes can be made to reduce emissions.
2. Reduce
Create, Implement, and work towards reduction goals that are at the required speed to achieve the 1.5°C Paris Agreement Goal. Goals should be long term (10-15 years) with multiple short-term goals (maximum 3 years) nested within them to give clarity about how long-term goals will be achieved.
3. Offset
Finance carbon credits to the value of at least 110% of the entity’s overall climate footprint. These credits must come from an independent project setting standard and be able to robustly demonstrate additionality and permanence.
Companies are made up of smart, dynamic, and intuitive people, they solve complex problems every day and there is no reason why they can’t do the same when it comes to climate change.
For more information or to register your company as Climate Positive, please contact info@clipop.org