Definition
Net Zero — Reducing emissions by ~90% then offsetting only the unavoidable residual.
Net zero is a stricter standard than carbon neutral: the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) requires a company to cut absolute emissions by at least 90% across all scopes by its target year before offsetting the small residual.
In practice this means net zero is about transformation (electrifying, redesigning supply chains, switching to renewables) — not about buying credits. A "net zero" claim resting on heavy offsetting is not credible under the SBTi standard.
Sustainability language is largely unregulated, so the useful question is always what evidence sits behind the word. Here is how Net Zero is treated across the site, and what a shopper can check independently.
| Claim type | Evidence required | Scored? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third-party certification | Live registry entry with scope and expiry | Yes — Brand & Trust | GOTS, B Corp, Leaping Bunny, FSC |
| Measurable specification | A number on the spec sheet or listing | Yes — Quality, Value, Experience | Recycled content %, warranty years |
| Regulated claim | Legal definition in the market of sale | Yes, where it applies | Organic (food), cosmetics testing bans |
| Unregulated adjective | None | No | Eco-friendly, green, natural |
| Future pledge | A published target, not a result | No — shown as context | Carbon neutral by 2040 |
Distinguish the brand's own wording from a third party's assessment. If the only source for Net Zero is the brand, it is an intention rather than a verified fact.
Quantified claims survive scrutiny; adjectives do not. A percentage, a certificate number or a warranty term is something you can actually check.
Most overstatement lives in scope: one certified line implying a whole catalogue, or a footprint figure that excludes the largest emissions source.
A claim only matters in proportion to how you will use the product. Longevity and repairability usually outweigh a single headline attribute.
Reducing emissions by ~90% then offsetting only the unavoidable residual.
Net Zero has no single legal definition in most markets. We treat it as descriptive language and only credit the underlying, measurable attributes behind it — such as recycled content, repairability or a named certification.
Only indirectly. Unverifiable wording is never scored. Where Net Zero maps onto something measurable in the product data, that measurable attribute is what moves the Quality, Value or Experience pillars.
Find the issuing body or the underlying number, then confirm it independently: a certificate on the certifier's registry, a stated percentage on the spec sheet, or a warranty and spare-parts policy you can read. If nothing resolves, treat the claim as marketing.
On product pages where the attribute is present, in category and use-case rankings as a filter, and in the methodology page where the scoring weights are published in full.