This data point captures whether your company used any carbon offsets to compensate for greenhouse gas emissions within the reporting year. CO₂e offsets refer to verified carbon credits (or equivalent certificates) that neutralize or balance emissions by supporting external mitigation projects, such as renewable energy, afforestation, or methane capture. You must report the total amount of offsets used (not just purchased or reserved) in metric tonnes of CO₂e.
What to include:
Only offsets actually retired or applied within the reporting year
Projects certified under recognized standards (e.g., Gold Standard, VCS, CDM)
Offsets covering Scope 1, 2, or 3 emissions, as long as usage is clearly stated
Reported in metric tonnes CO₂e
What not to include:
Offset credits that were purchased but not retired or applied
Future-dated or planned credits for later years
Internal reduction efforts (these should be accounted under emissions reductions, not offsets)
Estimation Methodology:
Offsets must be based on actual retirement or application records. If the retirement date is close to year-end but not confirmed yet:
Check whether credits have been officially retired in a registry
Use a cutoff date (e.g., January 10th) to finalize inclusion
If retirement occurs post-cutoff, log them in the next reporting period