• New certification pathway converts product-level emissions reductions into tradable Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs).
• Framework aims to unlock financing and scale for low-carbon materials such as green steel, low-carbon concrete, and sustainable aviation fuel.
• Provides a governance structure to prevent double counting while enabling buyers to claim verified climate benefits globally.

Absolute Climate has introduced a certification framework designed to translate the emissions benefits of low-carbon products into verified, tradable environmental claims. The pathway enables climate benefits embedded in materials such as low-carbon concrete, green steel, and sustainable aviation fuel to be issued as Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs), allowing organizations to claim verified emissions reductions even when they cannot physically source the products.

The initiative targets a core bottleneck in industrial decarbonization: access. Companies face regional supply shortages, procurement constraints, and project timelines that limit their ability to specify low-carbon materials. By separating the physical product from its verified climate benefit, the framework creates a parallel market channel for emissions reductions tied to real industrial production.

“Demand for low-carbon products and services is real, but access isn’t,” said Peter Minor, CEO of Absolute Climate. “This pathway turns measured, product-level climate benefits into something companies can actually use, even when direct sourcing isn’t possible, without diluting integrity or blurring the line between reductions and removals.”

How the Certification Works

Under the framework, climate benefits are calculated using facility-level production data combined with rigorous life cycle assessment methodologies. Certificates are issued only after the product has moved through its standard supply chain, ensuring the emissions benefit reflects actual production and delivery.

Each certificate represents a single claim tied to measured emissions reductions. Partner registries track certificates to prevent double counting and ensure claims are exclusive. The physical material continues through its local market, while its associated climate benefit can be purchased and claimed elsewhere.

This approach creates a compliance-ready mechanism for companies seeking credible decarbonization claims in sustainability reporting, procurement policies, and Scope 3 emissions strategies.

Distinguishing Reductions from Removals

Absolute Climate emphasizes that low-carbon products reduce emissions within industrial systems rather than removing carbon from the atmosphere. The certification rules are designed to maintain clarity between emissions reductions and negative emissions.

The company draws on its experience in life cycle assessment and carbon removal verification to ensure claims remain scientifically grounded and transparent. Certificates are structured to reflect atmospheric impact accurately and prevent overstated climate benefits.

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Unlocking Capital and Supply Expansion

Beyond corporate climate accounting, the framework aims to address financing barriers faced by low-carbon material producers. By monetizing verified climate benefits separately from physical product sales, suppliers may gain additional revenue streams that improve project bankability and attract investment.

This could accelerate the scale-up of low-carbon industrial processes, particularly in sectors such as cement, steel, and aviation fuels where capital intensity and thin margins have slowed adoption.

Implications for Corporate Climate Strategy

For procurement leaders and sustainability executives, the framework offers a new tool to advance decarbonization targets when direct sourcing is constrained. It complements existing strategies such as renewable energy certificates and carbon removals by enabling participation in verified emissions reductions tied to industrial production.

“Decarbonization won’t happen when limited data makes it difficult to make strong, credible claims. The reward isn’t enough to overcome the risk,” Minor added. “Our certification approach fixes that by tying every claim to measured evidence and making sure it’s used once, and used correctly.”

Governance and Market Integrity

The emergence of product-level climate certificates reflects a broader shift toward traceable, verifiable carbon accounting frameworks aligned with evolving disclosure regimes and investor scrutiny. As regulators and voluntary standards bodies tighten requirements around claims credibility and double counting, frameworks that combine measurement rigor with transparent registries are likely to gain traction.

By expanding access to verifiable climate benefits while maintaining strict accounting controls, Absolute Climate’s certification pathway introduces a market mechanism that could help bridge the gap between corporate climate commitments and industrial decarbonization realities.

If adopted at scale, the model may play a role in mobilizing capital, strengthening supply chains, and accelerating emissions reductions across hard-to-abate sectors worldwide.

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