Increasingly, companies are seeking to demonstrate that they are meeting these challenges by using ‘carbon neutrality’ as part of their response to a lower carbon economy. Yet there is no commonly agreed definition of the term ‘carbon neutral’ and there is evidence of this being exploited for PR purposes.
In addition, there has been little debate by business and the investment community about the role and relative efficacy of ‘carbon neutrality’ compared to other carbon management strategies, or its relevance as applied in different business sectors. The motivation of Standard Life Investments and the Environment Agency in sponsoring this research was to promote a timely discussion of these key issues by the business and investment community, and we look forward to a lively debate which leads to better awareness, understanding, and disclosure of carbon management strategies by FTSE listed businesses