Climate Active Transition and Carbon Claim Support
Northmore Gordon supports Australian organisations with greenhouse gas inventories, emissions reduction planning, renewable electricity and carbon credit evidence, and the transition of voluntary climate claims. This page has been updated because the Australian Government announced in July 2026 that Climate Active certification will end.
Climate Active certification is ending
The official Climate Active notice states that certification is proposed to end on 30 June 2027 after a transition period. It also says the brand, trade marks, consultant register, website and current Carbon Neutral standards will be discontinued, although the government consulted on whether some updated voluntary standards and guidance should remain. Organisations should use the latest Climate Active transition notice and any direct guidance from the department when planning renewals, new applications or future claims.
A past or current certification does not by itself define what an organisation may say after the program closes. Claim wording, reporting period, evidence and use of the Climate Active marks need a documented transition decision.
How Northmore Gordon can help
Northmore Gordon's original service covered Climate Active applications and carbon-neutral certification. During the transition, the same underlying disciplines remain useful:
- define the entity, product, service, event, building or precinct boundary;
- prepare or review a greenhouse gas inventory across the required emission sources;
- improve source-data quality, calculation methods and review controls;
- identify direct reduction opportunities and create an implementation plan;
- assess renewable electricity attributes and carbon credits for the intended accounting purpose;
- assemble registry, transfer and retirement evidence; and
- review public claim wording against the evidence and the current framework.
Organisations that need a broader pathway can combine this work with carbon advisory, a net zero roadmap, energy audits and certificate procurement.
Build an auditable claim file
An emissions inventory is a calculation record, not a complete claim. A defensible file should identify the reporting object, organisational and operational boundary, period, source data, factors, estimates, exclusions, renewable electricity treatment, carbon credits, approvals and exact public statement. Keep physical reductions, renewable electricity attributes and carbon credits as separate lines so a reviewer can see what each action changes.
| Evidence area | Useful records |
|---|---|
| Inventory boundary | Legal entities, facilities, products or services, reporting period and consolidation approach |
| Activity data | Fuel, electricity, refrigerants, travel, waste, purchased goods and other included sources |
| Calculations | Methods, factors, assumptions, estimates, version history and reviewer sign-off |
| Reductions | Project scope, implementation date, baseline, operating result and verification status |
| Environmental instruments | Instrument type, registry, serial numbers, beneficiary, vintage, retirement record and allocation |
| Claim | Approved wording, channel, period, limitations and evidence owner |
The buy and retire service can support renewable electricity and carbon credit sourcing, while the certificate guide explains the main Australian and international instruments.
A practical transition plan
- Confirm current status: record the certification type, reporting period, renewal date, licences or mark-use conditions and guidance received.
- Map every external statement: locate website copy, tenders, packaging, reports and customer disclosures that refer to Climate Active or carbon neutrality.
- Preserve the evidence: retain inventories, technical assessments, retirement records, verification files and approval history.
- Select the future framework: decide which reporting or voluntary framework will govern the next period and what independent review is needed.
- Rewrite claims carefully: state the boundary, period and evidence without implying continuing government certification after it ends.
- Keep reducing emissions: use the inventory to prioritise operational projects rather than treating the transition as a branding exercise.
Contact Northmore Gordon with the current certification period, inventory boundary, next reporting deadline and planned public claims so the transition work can be scoped.
Is Climate Active certification continuing?
The Australian Government announced on 24 July 2026 that certification of voluntary climate claims through Climate Active will end. The official notice proposes that certification end on 30 June 2027 after a transition period. It also says the brand, trade marks, consultant register, website and current Carbon Neutral standards will be discontinued, although consultation considered whether some updated voluntary standards and guidance should remain.
What should a currently certified organisation do before the proposed 30 June 2027 end date?
Record the certification type, reporting period, renewal date and mark-use conditions; preserve the inventory, verification and retirement evidence; map every public statement that relies on Climate Active; and obtain current transition guidance from the department. The organisation should then choose the framework for its next reporting period and approve replacement claim wording before the program and trade marks are discontinued.
Can an organisation still prepare an emissions inventory and reduction plan after Climate Active ends?
Yes. A defined greenhouse gas inventory, source-data controls, reduction opportunity assessment and transition plan remain useful regardless of the certification brand. The organisation should select the accounting and disclosure framework that applies to its purpose, boundary and reporting period, and obtain the appropriate independent review where needed.
Are renewable electricity certificates and carbon credits the same thing?
No. Renewable electricity certificates document renewable electricity attributes for a defined consumption boundary and may support market-based Scope 2 accounting under an applicable framework. Carbon credits represent avoided or removed greenhouse gas emissions outside the organisation's inventory boundary. They have different schemes, evidence and claim uses and should be recorded separately.
What evidence should support a voluntary climate claim?
The claim file should identify the reporting object, organisational and operational boundary, period, activity data, methods, factors, estimates, exclusions, reduction actions, renewable electricity treatment, carbon credits, registry and retirement evidence, approvals and the exact public wording. Physical reductions, renewable attributes and carbon credits should remain separately visible.
Can an organisation keep using the Climate Active logo or certification wording after the program closes?
The official transition notice says the Climate Active brand and trade marks will be discontinued. Organisations should follow the department's current transition and mark-use guidance, identify every channel where the logo or certification wording appears and approve replacement wording before the relevant right to use those marks ends.
How can Northmore Gordon help during the Climate Active transition?
Northmore Gordon can review inventory boundaries and calculations, identify data gaps, develop reduction pathways, assess renewable electricity and carbon credit evidence, assemble a claim file and help plan the transition of public statements. The scope should be based on the organisation's current certification period, next reporting deadline and intended future framework.
Does a carbon-neutral claim prove that an organisation eliminated its own emissions?
No. A carbon-neutral claim can combine measured emissions, reductions and eligible retired instruments under a defined framework. It does not mean every Scope 1, 2 and 3 emission was physically eliminated. The claim should state its boundary and period and distinguish direct reductions from renewable electricity attributes and carbon credits.
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