TY  - JOUR
A1  - Trouwloon, Danick
A1  - Streck, Charlotte
A1  - Chagas, Thiago
A1  - Martinus, Glenpherd
T1  - Understanding the use of carbon credits by companies
T2  - Global challenges (Hoboken, NJ)
N2  - 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.
Y1  - 2023
UR  - https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/63860
SN  - 2056-6646
VL  - 7
IS  - 4
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Hoboken, NJ
ER  -