We encourage you to share your carbon offsetting journey with your network — inspiring others to take action is one of the most powerful multipliers of impact. When doing so, here are some simple, trusted guidelines drawn from leading international frameworks to help ensure your communication is accurate, transparent, and inspiring. 

Guardrails for Credible Communication

1. Measure carefully, define your boundary.

Be clear about what you measured — whether it’s a single flight, a private event, or your full lifestyle. State exactly what is included. 

2. Reduce first.

Highlight the steps you took to cut emissions before turning to offsets. This demonstrates that offsets are being used for what remains unavoidable.

3. Retire before you claim.

Only make claims once credits are officially retired. Where possible, share the retirement ID or link along with the project, country, and vintage.

4. Use responsible language.

Avoid blanket terms like “carbon neutral” or “net zero” unless you’ve fully covered a clearly defined footprint. Instead, use phrases like “a contribution to climate mitigation” or “balancing the footprint of [X activity]”.

5. Stay clear of double counting.

Add a short note that your credits are “voluntarily retired for this claim and not used in any compliance program or by another party.” (If relevant, also mention whether Article 6 authorization or corresponding adjustments apply — most retail credits won’t have this yet.)

Example Templates You Can Use

These examples reflect best practices: transparency, specificity, and responsible claims. Feel free to copy and adapt them.

A. One flight (personal travel)

I estimated this trip’s emissions to be X tCO₂e using [calculator/method]. I reduced where possible (economy seating, light luggage, rail where feasible). To balance the remainder, I retired X verified carbon credits ([registry] project [name/ID], [country], vintage [year]; [retirement link]).

Why this works: separates measurement vs. action, specifies credits, avoids over-claiming, and links to a registry record.

B. Private event (e.g. wedding or conference)

For our [event] on [date], we estimated emissions at X tCO₂e (covering [details: venue energy, catering, travel]). We reduced impacts where possible through [measures], and retired X verified carbon credits ([registry/project/vintage], [retirement link]) to balance the rest. This reflects a contribution to climate mitigation, while acknowledging not every life-cycle impact is fully neutralized.

Why this works: clearly sets boundaries, shows reduction first, and communicates limitations honestly.

C. Lifestyle over a year

In [year], my household footprint was X tCO₂e (covering home energy, personal travel, food, and purchases as estimated with [tool/method]). We reduced emissions through [actions], and retired X verified carbon credits ([registry/project/vintage], [retirement link]) for the residual. This represents an ongoing contribution to global mitigation alongside continued reductions. We are happy to support real climate solutions!

Why this works: methodical, reduction-first, transparent, and forward-looking.

Guidance for Companies

If your organization is communicating offset purchases, we recommend reviewing detailed guidance from:

Still have questions? Visit Frequently Asked Questions.