Race to zero campaign FAQs

Race to Zero has 26 Partners and 35 Accelerators that collectively unite more than 16,000 members – the largest ever alliance working to halve global emissions by 2030 in line with the Paris Agreement, with transparent action plans and near-term targets.

Planet Mark has been a partner of the race to Zero campaign since COP26 in Glasgow, as a result of our Zero Carbon Tour.

As official partners, Planet Mark supports organisations who make the pledge to take meaningful climate action and disclose progress annually. Planet Mark can provide a suite of supporting toolkits, case studies and templated resources, as well as registering all pledgees on the UNFCCC’s Global Climate Action Portal (GCAP)

By Pledging on this page of the Planet Mark website, you will be officially registered as a pledging to the Race to Zero Campaign.

No, any business can join the Race to Zero Campaign and Planet Mark supports all businesses, whether they are Planet Mark Certified or not.

Any “non-state actors” can pledge to the Race to Zero Campaign. This includes companies, cities, regions, financial, educational, and healthcare institutions.

The Race to Zero is a globally recognised campaign and framework managed by the United nations High-level Climate Champions Team. Alignment to this campaign can set your business apart as one that is taking meaningful action to achieve net zero.

By Pledging to the Race to Zero Campaign, as a business you are committing to develop a net zero transition strategy that aims to halve absolute greenhouse gas emissions before 2030, and achieve net zero emissions before 2050.

Planet Mark Certified businesses who pledge to the Race to Zero, automatically fulfil 2 of the 5 criteria within the Race to Zero framework (Publish & Proceed) through the annual re-certification and certificate publishing process. If you are not certified, then you will need to demonstrate your published progress annually in a different way.

The Race to Zero Campaign is underpinned by a framework of 5 “P”s, which all Pledgees are committed to complying with:

1. Pledge – Pledge at head of organisational level to reach net zero as soon as possible before 2050 and 50% reduction by 2030.
2. Plan – Within 12 months of joining, publish a transition plan for achieving short and long term targets.
3. Proceed – Take immediate, meaningful action toward achieving net zero within first 12 months of joining.
4. Publish – Report progress and action annually by publishing against your targets on a public platform.
5. Persuade – Align external policy and lobbying activities with your net zero commitment, including trade association membership.

Why net zero? The science is clear. We’re already exceeding the safe amount of emissions that can be released into the atmosphere if Earth’s temperatures are to stabilise at a safe level.

Climate change is already impacting business as usual. Inaction could cost 11% to 27% of global economic output – three times global healthcare spending until 2100.

The solutions exist, and global transition across all sectors is already underway. Get ahead of regulations and join a global community building a better future.

Race to Zero members are not only moving faster on reducing emissions, but are also realizing real benefits such as cost savings, higher employee engagement, and alignment with new reporting frameworks.

Net zero means reducing emissions by 90% by an end target date. The UK has set a net zero target of 2050, which has been enshrined in law.  

As well as your final net zero target, each business must also set a 50% reduction target by an interim date, usually 2030.

As established by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, business emissions can be categorised into 3 scopes. Scope 1 are the direct fossil fuels burnt by a business while Scope 2 are emissions produced from purchased electricity. Scope 3 is the wider upstream and downstream emissions produced from business activities. When looking at net zero reduction targets, absolute emission reductions must be made across a business’s full scopes 1, 2 & 3.

By creating a net zero transition plan and implementing incremental short, medium and long term emission reduction actions each year, a business can look to progress towards achieving net zero by 2050 or sooner.

While the UK has set a target of 2050, businesses may choose to set a net zero target date sooner, if they have the ambition and believe it is possible through their transition strategy. Setting a more immediate target may give you a competitive advantage over your competitors.

All businesses, no matter what industry or service they provide, must aim to achieve net zero. If you provide a carbon-reducing product or service, while this is beneficial to the global effort to achieve net zero, you still need to ensure that you are reporting effectively and tracking your own progress towards your net zero target date.

Emissions reduced for other businesses through your services do not offset your own emissions as part of a net zero transition.

Once you achieve your 90% reduction net zero target, carbon offsetting through accredited high-quality carbon removal credits can be used to offset the remaining 10% of residual emissions. You may choose to invest in carbon removal projects while also implementing your net zero transition plan, but these do not contribute to your emission reductions.

Planet Mark recommends purchasing Gold Standard verified carbon removal credits, either direct from the Gold Standard Marketplace or an official reseller

For more information, visit the Race to Zero Campaign website here – Race to Zero

To see all 16,000+ non-state actors who have pledged to the Race to Zero Campaign, visit the UNFCCC’s Global Climate Action Portal (GCAP) here – GCAP UNFCCC – Home Page