Environmental Outcomes Australia P/L 
Carbon Management
We can help you navigate the complex web of Carbon Management options, including:
- Estimating your carbon footprint
- Recommending ways to reduce energy use and improve your carbon footprint
- Greenhouse Gas Reporting
- Choosing appropriate carbon offsets
- Achieve certification as carbon neutral
- Developing your Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- Preparing Environment Management Programs
- Undertaking Lifecycle Analysis for your products or services
Estimating and reducing your carbon footprint
Our comprehensive and thorough Environmental audits will ensure you have a very accurate estimate of your carbon footprint. We will consider your total energy use including electricity, gas, diesel , petrol or other fuels and will break it down by activity, location or by workgroup. We can also estimate greenhouse gas emissions from waste generation and can do detailed audits if required. Depending on the size of the business and cost we can either undertake a full audit of the site or provide a data sheet for you to complete. Our estimates can be consistent with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the National Carbon Offset Standard.
Are you obliged to report under National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 (
In 2007, Australia introduced the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Scheme
, which requires corporations to report on greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and energy production. The NGER Scheme captures about 60% of Australia’s overall emissions. The NGER data publication is released by the Clean Energy Regulator and are listed on the National Greenhouse and Energy Register. Reporting is undertaken electronically through the Emissions and Energy Reporting System (EERS).
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Determine if you meet the reporting threshold under the NGER threshold under the NGER Scheme.
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Identify which activities must be reported (Scope 1 and 2)
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Locate appropriate emission factors to allow you to accurately complete your report .
Carbon offsets
Carbon offsets are units which represent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, by activities such as re capture and destruction of methane emissions from landfill or livestock manure or removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in soil or trees, for example, by growing a forest or reducing tillage on a farm in a way that increases soil carbon.
Many businesses or individuals choose to buy offsets to cancel out or 'offset' the emissions they generate during their normal course of business or day-to-day life, for example, by consuming electricity or catching a plane. Depending on the type of project, offsetting a tonne of carbon can cost less than $10, while other projects can cost more than $50.
However choosing the best offset program can be complicated and confusing. Not all programs achieve good outcomes and some are much easier to understand. Many are set up in developing countries and there may be little certainty as to their success.
We can investigate all available programs for you, telling you if they are approved and by whom.
Emissions Reduction Fund
In 2014, the Australian Government established the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). Emissions reduction activities are undertaken as offset projects and can generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), representing emissions reductions from the project. Project proponents can receive funding from the ERF by submitting their projects into a competitive auction run by the Regulator. The Government will enter into contracts with successful proponents, which will guarantee the price and payment for the future delivery of emissions reductions. The types of projects in the Emissions Reduction Fund include capture and destruction of coal mine gas, capture and combustion of landfill gas and agricultural waste, increasing soil carbon, reducing livestock emissions, and reforestation as well as energy efficiency projects.
Do you want to become Carbon Neutral ?
Being carbon neutral is when net greenhouse gas emissions of an organisation or a product are equal to zero. This can be achieved by reducing emissions and then purchasing and retiring carbon offsets to match the remaining emissions.
Becoming carbon neutral not only allows you to take positive action to help protect the world's environment, it also is often a way to gain new clients and build the reputation of a business. Sometimes clients demand suppliers become carbon neutral.
The Carbon Neutral Program is a voluntary scheme which certifies products, business operations or events as carbon neutral against the Australian Government's National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS).
Once certified, you are able to use the NCOS Carbon Neutral Certified logo . The Certification Trade Mark signifies that a particular organization or product has achieved carbon neutrality against the NCOS.
Environmental Outcomes can help you achieve certification under this program
Participation in the program requires developing a baseline carbon footprint, an Emissions Management Plan, regular auditing, certification and ongoing management and reporting of emissions.
To achieve carbon neutral certification under the NCOS Carbon Neutral Program, you must measure, reduce and then offset any remaining greenhouse gas emissions. The NCOS Carbon Neutral Program Guidelines provide additional guidance on participating in the program.
We can help you by:
- Calculating a carbon footprint by measuring your emissions
- Developing your Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- Undertake Life Cycle Assessment if needed
- Identify appropriate emission factors, using the National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) Factors for scope 1 and 2 emission factors as well as scope 3 emission factors, where available but also identifying other credible emission factors if none are yet provided.
- Recommending possible reductions you can make
- Prepare your Environment Management Programs
- Assisting in identifying carbon offsets
- Preparing your applications and annual reports
- Assisting you before your initial audit and on going certification audits
National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS)
NCOS is an Australian government standard that verifies claims of carbon neutrality in Australia. Consumers can either buy directly through specialised carbon offset retailers, or choose to offset certain activities, including air travel, through third parties such as the airlines themselves. The purchase of GreenPower™ and the voluntary cancellation of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) generated by accredited GreenPower™ generators (GreenPower™-RECs) is considered to be equivalent to the direct use of renewable energy.
To verify carbon neutral claims, the NCOS specifies that organisations must buy their offsets from projects verified under eligible schemes. These include credits issued under:
- Verified Carbon Standard: The VCS is an international standard that ensures carbon reductions meet quality standards and are independently verified.
- The Gold Standard (GS): Established by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the GS certifies offset projects that demonstrate greenhouse gas reductions and positively impact the economy, health, welfare and/or environment of the community where the project is located.
- Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI): CFI is a voluntary Australian Government carbon offsets scheme that enables farmers and land managers to generate carbon credits by reducing agricultural emissions, such as nitrous oxide and methane, and sequestering carbon in vegetation and soils. These credits can then be sold to individuals and businesses wishing to offset their own greenhouse gas emissions.
Lifecycle analysis
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool for assessing the environmental impact of products and processes. It is most often used for industrial systems but is also useful for the service sector and the end user of products. It relies on the "Cradle-to-grave" approach to analysis which begins with the gathering of raw materials from the earth (agriculture and mining), addresses the manufacture and fabrication of products, considers the impact of the use of the product and ends at the point when all materials are returned to the earth (waste disposal). The impacts at each stage are added together to give an overall assessment of the environmental impact. However the task is daunting, even if just looking for carbon emissions.
Environmental Outcomes can help you put together an LCA, keeping the cost to a minimum and helping you wade through the jargon than makes the task seem impossible. See our overview of the process here.