Standards & schemes
ISO
In brief
ISO 14068-1:2023 is the international standard for carbon-neutrality claims, published as the successor-in-spirit to PAS 2060. It sets a hierarchy for achieving and demonstrating carbon neutrality for entities and products: reduce emissions first within a defined management plan, then compensate residual emissions through credits meeting defined quality criteria, with requirements for documentation, reporting and the substantiation of the neutrality claim itself. Its arrival matters because "carbon neutral" is legally contested territory in the EU and elsewhere; ISO 14068 provides the internationally agreed baseline for what such a claim must contain. Conformity does not override jurisdictional restrictions on neutrality wording in consumer marketing. The standard requires a documented carbon-neutrality management plan with interim targets, and restricts which credits may be used as the entity approaches its net-zero date — removals with permanent storage gain priority over time. Claims must specify the subject (entity, product, event) and the reporting period. Using this framework does not by itself verify data accuracy, legal compliance or sustainability performance.
Conditional relationships
A relationship does not mean that the standard proves or validates every use of a claim.
Recognition & legal context
No reviewed law references are published.
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