6 levels of accreditation

At Level 3+ ‘Neutrality’ of Airport Carbon Accreditation, airports are required to compensate for their remaining carbon emissions that cannot be reduced by other means by offsetting.



How to achieve it?
To achieve this level of accreditation, an airport has to:

• Fulfil all requirements of ‘Mapping’, ‘Reduction’ and ‘Optimisation’
• Offset its remaining Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions as well as emissions from staff business travel, using internationally recognised offsets

More information
Carbon neutrality is achieved when any residual airport emissions are compensated through the purchases of carbon credits. Carbon offsetting is providing funds to other projects that reduce carbon dioxide so as to make up for the emissions that cannot be completely eliminated by the airport. An airport could, for example, pay for a wind energy facility to replace a coal-fired power-plant.

Airport Carbon Accreditation has developed a bespoke Offsetting Manual based on a study carried out by the environmental consultancy Ecofys. Airports deciding to offset their residual emissions are advised to consult this comprehensive guide to choosing reliable carbon credits.

A key requirement of Level 3+ ‘Neutrality’ is that airports proceed with offsetting only once they have reduced their emissions as much as possible. To help airports assess whether they have already used all their current emissions reduction potential, Airport Carbon Accreditation is providing a dedicated Guidance on Reducing Emissions Before Offsetting.

Airport Carbon Accreditation supports the UNFCCC ‘’Climate Neutral Now’’ campaign