What are they?
The Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting provide a science-based framework for actors who want to set and meet voluntary net zero commitments, and enable scaling of high quality carbon markets.
The four key principles
- Reduce emissions and offset residuals — Cut emissions while using high-quality offsets, and adapt strategies as best practices evolve.
- Transition to carbon removals — Over time, shift from offsets based on emissions reductions to offsets that actively remove CO₂ from the atmosphere.
- Prioritize long-term storage — Move from short-lived storage to durable storage solutions (e.g., geological storage) to ensure CO₂ stays removed.
- Support development of carbon markets — Drive the growth of a high-quality offset market by adopting long-term agreements, forming alliances, supporting ecosystem restoration, and promoting science-based standards.
Why removals matter
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) takes CO₂ out of the air and stores it permanently. Unlike emissions reductions, removals actively reduce atmospheric CO₂ levels. Organizations must increase their share of carbon removal offsets over time, reaching 100% by mid-century to align with the Paris Agreement goals. Supporting carbon removal projects today signals demand and drives investment for scalable solutions.
What does this mean for CDR buyers?
- Reduce your own emissions — Benchmark your reduction efforts against peers or formal frameworks, and revisit your strategy frequently as technology evolves.
- Your net zero-aligned offset strategy requires removals and long-lived storage — Move from offsets with temporary storage (e.g. reforestation) to permanent removals (e.g. BECCS/DACS). Gradually increase your share of verifiable removals to offset your residual emissions.
- Support the development of scalable CDR solutions — Invest in early-stage CDR technologies to drive long-term cost reductions and secure availability, even though it might not be the cheapest solution today.
How suppliers align with the principles
- Permanent CO₂ storage — Utilizing geological storage sites with continuous monitoring to prevent leakage.
- Transparent and accountable operations — Providing verifiable data (MRV), disclosing methods and risks, ensuring additionality and providing long-term monitoring.
- Fair and sustainable development — Ensuring operations benefit local communities and avoiding environmental harm.
Why Carbon Centric?
At Carbon Centric, transparency and integrity are at the core of all our projects. We collaborate with trusted third-party organizations for methodology and verification, ensuring that our solutions meet the highest standards. We continuously stay informed about new standards and best practices to ensure quality throughout the entire value chain.
Carbon Centric ensure net-negative emissions through measures such as inclusion of LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) and third-party verification.
Carbon Centric follow the do no significant harm principle, and prioritize sustainable solutions, including the use of sustainably sourced biomass.
Our projects are additional, meaning they go beyond standard practices and provide additional environmental benefits.
In accordance with existing frameworks and best practices, we only work with storage operators who can ensure secure storage for centuries.
In essence
When buyers in the voluntary carbon market adhere to the Oxford Principles and CDR providers align with the same criteria, the market becomes more credible, effective, and future-proof. In essence it means:
- Higher integrity & trust
- More stable and scalable market
- Better regulatory & investor alignment
- Reduced risk of offset devaluation
- Accelerated innovation in CDR technologies