Understanding the Use of Carbon Credits by Companies: A Review of the Defining Elements of Corporate Climate Claims

Abstract

Worldwide, companies are increasingly making claims about their current climate efforts and their future mitigation commitments. These claims tend to be underpinned by carbon credits issued in voluntary carbon markets to offset emissions. Corporate climate claims are largely unregulated which means that they are often (perceived to be) misleading and deceptive. As such, corporate climate claims risk undermining, rather than contributing to, global climate mitigation. This paper takes as its point of departure the proposition that a better understanding of corporate climate claims is needed to govern such claims in a manner that adequately addresses potential greenwashing risks. To that end, the paper reviews the nascent literature on corporate climate claims relying on the use of voluntary carbon credits. Drawing on the reviewed literature, three key dimensions of corporate climate claims as related to carbon credits are discussed: 1) the intended use of carbon credits: offsetting versus non-offsetting claims; 2) the framing and meaning of headline terms: net-zero versus carbon neutral claims; and 3) the status of the claim: future aspirational commitments versus stated achievements. The paper thereby offers a preliminary categorization of corporate climate claims and discusses risks associated with and governance implications for each of these categories.

Keywords: carbon credits; carbon markets; carbon offsetting; climate governance; corporate climate claims.

Figure 1

Proposed analytical framework, where the governance of corporate climate claims both aims at addressing and is informed by the greenwashing risks associated with (in)commensurate corporate climate claims.

Figure 2

Overview of articles retrieved through the systematic component of our review.

Figure 3

Proposed categorization of corporate climate claims and their defining elements.