Net-Zero Webinar: Decoding the Buzzwords and Practical Sector-Specific Advice

About this update

This dated news record has been reorganised for clear reading and connected to current guidance.

Publication date: September 20, 2021.

Status note: Present-tense statements, market figures, deadlines and program details in the archived record belong to its publication date. Check current official sources before making a decision.

What this article reported

Northmore Gordon is a carbon and energy consultancy in Australia and South East Asia. Over the past couple of years, we have seen a clear trend with more and more businesses developing roadmaps and strategies for moving towards a carbon-neutral operation. With huge global economic challenges and accelerating climate change, the race to Net-Zero has taken a substantial leap in 2021.

Many organisations are setting and announcing net-zero targets, but many are based on kicking the heaving lifting down the road towards 2050; this is relying on future technologies that may or may not happen.

This is a risky approach:

In this webinar, we discuss:

Click here to watch or view below

Watch the video

Our Speakers

Chris Warris - Northmore Gordon
Chris Warris - Principal Consultant

Chris Warris - Chris has over 20 years of experience working in a variety of roles across different industries such as power generation, oil and gas, academic research, sustainability and energy management and consulting.

Chris has worked on a range of energy and carbon management projects including Energy Audits of large industrial & manufacturing facilities, food processing facilities, commercial office buildings, hospitals and aged care facilities; energy simulation modelling for BCA and NABERS Energy assessments; Greenhouse gas assessments and Energy & Carbon Management Program implementation.

Trent Hawkins - Northmore Gordon
Trent Hawkins - Principal Consultant

Trent Hawkins - Trent, B. Eng (Mech), is an experienced sustainability advisor in the food, fibre, and beverage sectors. Trent is passionate about partnering with producers and manufacturers to improve energy performance and decarbonise. Expertise includes energy and carbon strategy development, energy management systems, energy auditing and opportunities assessments, and project implementation support. Trent has a particular interest in decarbonisation of thermal energy systems through electrification, heat recovery, and waste to energy, and is a recognised leader in the industry investigating alternatives to fossil fuel energy systems.

Claire Quy - Northmore Gordon
Claire Quy - Senior Consultant

Claire Quy - Claire joined Northmore Gordon in 2019 with experience developing and delivering energy performance contracts (EPCs) at some of Australia's most iconic buildings, including museums and art galleries, sporting facilities and universities. Since then, Claire has delivered the energy and carbon management activities that cover baseline development, benchmarking, energy audits and opportunities assessments, energy action plans and net-zero strategy development. Claire has supported a range of customers and facilities with their energy and carbon management journeys including farms, commercial buildings, councils, aquatic centres, food and beverage manufacturing, heavy industry and waste management.

How to use this information now

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What are Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, and why does the webinar emphasize understanding them?

Scope 1 emissions come from direct operations; Scope 2 from purchased electricity; Scope 3 from value chains. The webinar emphasizes understanding these categories because they define your carbon footprint boundary and inform strategy. Different reduction strategies apply to each scope—electrification addresses Scope 1 and 2, while procurement decisions affect Scope 3. Properly categorizing emissions ensures targeted, cost-effective reduction opportunities aligned with your business operations. GHG Protocol provides different standards for corporate inventories, value chains, product lifecycles and project accounting, so selecting the correct reporting object is necessary before selecting data or making a claim.

How does the webinar address the risk of greenwashing in net-zero commitments?

The webinar warns that deferring emissions reductions to 2050 while relying on future technologies creates greenwashing risk. Since infrastructure installed today operates through 2050, businesses must implement practical measures now rather than delaying action. The webinar demonstrates that readily available, cost-effective technologies can achieve meaningful reductions this decade, avoiding the appearance of false commitment while genuinely reducing emissions. Ambiguous outcome language like 'carbon-neutral' or 'net-zero' claims require defined frameworks, complete supporting evidence and maintained claim files showing exact wording, supporting calculations and period documentation.

What practical examples does the webinar provide of emissions reduction in different sectors?

The webinar includes case studies from food and beverage, animal processing and industrial sectors showing that cost-effective, readily available measures achieve emissions targets. Food and beverage operations can improve refrigeration, boiler efficiency, compressed-air systems and shutdown practices while protecting product quality. Animal processing can coordinate heat recovery, cooling loads and wastewater integration to identify sequential opportunities. These sector-specific examples demonstrate concrete pathways to reduction beyond theoretical frameworks, providing attendees with practical templates and confidence that their industry can pursue legitimate emissions reduction opportunities aligned with science-based targets.

Why is understanding the anthropological carbon budget important for setting net-zero targets?

Understanding the anthropological carbon budget establishes the scientific foundation for 2030 and 2050 targets by quantifying how much additional emissions the atmosphere can absorb while limiting warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius. This context helps businesses align their targets with global climate science rather than arbitrary timelines, ensuring their reduction pathways are evidence-based and contribute meaningfully to limiting global temperature rise. Transition planning that connects this scientific foundation to practical investment decisions and operational improvements creates credible pathways rather than aspirational statements.

What expertise do the webinar speakers bring to decarbonisation discussions?

Chris Warris brings 20+ years across power, oil and gas, and sustainability consulting, including industrial energy audits and carbon management. Trent Hawkins specializes in food, fibre and beverage sectors with expertise in thermal decarbonisation and heat recovery. Claire Quy has delivered energy and carbon activities across farms, buildings, councils, food manufacturing and heavy industry. Together, they provide cross-sector practical experience spanning diagnostic assessments, transition pathways, feasibility studies and implementation support. This combination ensures discussion moves from buzzwords to operational reality across diverse industrial contexts.

How does Climate Active help organizations demonstrate genuine net-zero progress?

Climate Active certification requires organizations to measure Scope 1, 2 and material Scope 3 emissions, reduce where feasible, then offset remainder through verified instruments like LGCs and ACCUs. Annual reporting is published on the Climate Active website, creating transparent accountability. This government-backed framework prevents greenwashing by requiring documented reductions before offsets and published evidence, ensuring certified organizations demonstrate genuine progress toward carbon neutrality rather than purchasing instruments without implementing physical reductions or managing ambiguous outcome language.

How should organizations approach carbon accounting boundaries when developing a net-zero strategy?

Carbon accounting boundaries must identify which legal entities, facilities and reporting periods are included in the inventory, and distinguish the reporting purpose—whether corporate, product-level or facility-specific. A carbon question begins by identifying the reporting object: organisation, product, project or energy purchase. Boundaries for a product footprint, corporate inventory and facility compliance report can use overlapping data but require different definitions. Write down the entities or activities included, the framework, data sources and any exclusions, then explain whether a result is an inventory total, a project reduction or an instrument purchased.

What role does an emissions inventory play in transition planning toward net-zero?

An emissions inventory provides the baseline and reporting record essential for transition planning. However, the inventory alone does not reduce emissions; operational change, investment and procurement decisions are separate actions requiring implementation and follow-through. A suggested transition workplan should connect each opportunity to its owner, implementation dependencies, capital requirement and operating assumptions. Separate physical reductions from contractual electricity attributes and carbon offsets. Do not subtract purchased offsets from an emissions inventory without applying the relevant reporting framework correctly, ensuring transition planning depends on completed inventory to establish baseline before developing decarbonisation pathways.

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