Sustainability Language
Climate positive
A claim that an activity goes beyond net zero by removing more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it emits — a marketing-forward term without a settled technical standard.
Expert review openNo editor-accepted expert review yetDefinition
Broadly, the claim that a product, organisation or activity results in a net removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere — going beyond net zero to create an additional climate benefit. Competing formulations exist: some define it as removing (or offsetting) more than 100% of emissions (e.g. 110%); others reserve it for exceeding residual-emission neutralisation; still others use it qualitatively for "regenerative" net-positive impact including handprint effects.
References
Core definition (beyond net zero, net removal); carbon-negative equivalence; C40 programme and product-claim examples; 110% accounting illustration.
Multiple competing interpretations (110%-style, double-residual neutralisation, qualitative handprint framing); absence of a settled standard.
Overview
What it means
"Climate positive" is the optimistic sibling of "carbon negative" — same arithmetic, friendlier framing — and shares its integrity problems magnified. There is no governing ISO or regulatory definition; quantified variants exist (one scheme operationalises going beyond net zero by neutralising at least double residual emissions), while looser usage extends to any net-beneficial claim.
Historic uses (C40's Climate Positive Development Program for district-scale projects; product claims such as a "climate-positive" burger offsetting 110% of footprint) illustrate the spread.
In an era of tightening green-claims rules (EU Empowering Consumers Directive; proposed Green Claims Directive), unsubstantiated "climate positive" labels face rising legal risk, and integrity guidance steers companies toward precise, evidenced claims over umbrella superlatives.
How it is used
Brands apply the term in marketing and certification schemes; investors and regulators scrutinise substantiation; serious usage increasingly specifies the accounting boundary, the share neutralised and the durability of removals behind the claim.
Why it matters
"Climate positive" is a stress test of green-claim integrity: a genuinely meaningful ambition (beyond net zero) carried by a term loose enough to mean almost anything.
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