Glossary of terms related to
carbon footprint measurement

Carbon neutrality means balancing the greenhouse gases an organisation emits with an equivalent amount reduced or removed. A guide to the concept, standards and steps.

Carbon removals capture CO₂ already emitted and store it durably. They are essential for addressing residual emissions on the path to net zero, complementing reductions.

Carbon sinks are natural or artificial systems that absorb and store more carbon dioxide than they emit, such as forests, oceans and soils, helping to offset emissions and slow climate change.

Carbon storage is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) and keeping it out of the atmosphere for a long period, in natural ecosystems such as forests or soils, or through technological solutions such as geological storage.

A label from the independent body Carbon Trust that certifies a product, service or organisation has measured, and committed to reduce, its verified carbon footprint.

Carpooling is the shared use of a private car by several people making similar journeys. It reduces the number of vehicles on the road, lowering costs, congestion and transport emissions.

The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) prices the carbon embedded in EU imports of goods such as steel, cement and aluminium. Its definitive phase began on 1 January 2026, simplified by the Omnibus package.

CDP Water Disclosure is the global voluntary programme through which companies report their water use, risks and management to investors and stakeholders.

Law 21,455, published in Chile's Official Gazette on 13 June 2022, is the country's Climate Change Framework Law. It sets the target of reaching greenhouse gas emissions neutrality by 2050 at the latest and creates the set of management instruments used to pursue it.

The Superintendencia del Medio Ambiente is the Chilean body that inspects and sanctions compliance with environmental qualification resolutions, prevention and decontamination plans, environmental quality and emission standards, and every other environmental instrument set by law. It was created by article two of Law 20,417, published on 26 January 2010, and its inspection and sanctioning powers took effect on 28 December 2012.

Law 20,920, published on 1 June 2016, sets Chile's framework for waste management, extended producer responsibility and the promotion of recycling. It requires producers of six priority products to organise and finance the management of the waste from what they sell in the country.

Chile's green tax on stationary sources taxes air emissions of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide from establishments whose emitting sources release 100 or more tonnes of particulate matter a year, or 25,000 or more tonnes of CO2 a year.

The RETC is the public database of Chile's Ministry of the Environment covering emissions, waste and pollutant transfers. Its Single Window is the portal through which establishments must file all their environmental declarations, and it is the only route available.

Circular design applies circular economy principles to products, services and systems, aiming to eliminate waste and keep materials in use through durability, repairability, reuse and recyclability.

The circular economy is a regenerative model that keeps materials in use for as long as possible, designing out waste and reducing both resource extraction and emissions.

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was the Kyoto Protocol instrument that financed emission reduction projects in developing countries in exchange for certified carbon credits.

Voluntary Mexican certification from PROFEPA that recognises companies which go beyond environmental compliance, following an environmental audit and a plan to prevent pollution and use resources efficiently.

Clean technologies or cleantech are innovations that reduce environmental impact and GHG emissions. Discover their types, benefits and challenges.

What climate adaptation means, how it differs from mitigation, the policies behind it, and concrete examples of how societies are preparing for unavoidable climate impacts.

Climate change is the long-term warming of the planet, driven mainly by human greenhouse gas emissions, requiring both mitigation and adaptation across society.

Law 7/2021 is Spain's framework climate law: it targets climate neutrality by 2050 and underpins the obligation for certain companies to calculate and reduce their carbon footprint.

Climate change mitigation covers the actions that reduce or prevent greenhouse gas emissions, or increase their absorption, to limit global warming. A guide to strategies and policy.

The climate crisis is the human-driven warming of the planet and its cascading effects. Understanding its causes, consequences and responses is the basis for mitigation and adaptation.

Climate finance is the flow of public and private capital towards mitigation and adaptation, central to delivering the Paris Agreement.

Climate impact measures how an activity, product or organisation alters the climate system, primarily through the greenhouse gases it emits or removes.

Climate justice frames climate change as a question of human rights and equity: those who contributed least to emissions often suffer the most. A guide to its principles, examples and business relevance.

Climate neutrality means balancing the greenhouse gases a company or economy emits with the amount it removes, reaching a net-zero impact on the climate across all GHGs.

Climate resilience is the capacity of natural, social and economic systems to anticipate, withstand and recover from climate impacts. A guide for companies building it.

What climate risk is, the difference between physical and transition risks, how it is disclosed under frameworks such as IFRS S2, and the role of carbon footprinting in managing it.

What climate risk disclosure is, the difference between physical and transition risks, and the frameworks that now govern it after the TCFD was absorbed into the ISSB standards.

A time-bound action plan that sets out how a company will align its business model with a 1.5°C and net-zero pathway.

CO₂e is the common unit that converts every greenhouse gas into the equivalent amount of CO₂. We explain how it is calculated and why it underpins all emissions reporting.

Co-incineration uses waste as an alternative fuel in industrial processes such as cement kilns, recovering its calorific value while displacing fossil fuels.

The Colombian Green Taxonomy is the country's official classification system for economic activities and assets that contribute to environmental objectives. Published in April 2022 by the Ministry of Finance and the Financial Superintendence, it covers seven mitigation sectors plus livestock, agriculture and forestry.

Colombia's national carbon tax applies to the carbon dioxide equivalent content of fossil fuels burned for combustion. It was created by articles 221 to 223 of Law 1819 of 2016 and reformed by Law 2277 of 2022. The 2026 rate is 29,070.49 pesos per tonne of CO2e, and a carbon neutrality mechanism can waive up to 50% of the tax.

Commercial waste is generated by shops, hospitality, offices and services. Although it comes from economic activity, its composition is similar to household waste, which shapes how it is managed.

Composting is an aerobic biological process that turns biodegradable organic waste into compost, a stable, nutrient-rich material used as a soil improver and fertiliser.

Consumptive use is the share of withdrawn water that leaves a basin for good, through evaporation, incorporation into products or transfer, and is the part that truly reduces local availability.

The COP (Conference of the Parties) is the supreme decision-making body established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

What Corporate Social Responsibility is, its three pillars, why it matters to companies today, and how it connects with carbon footprint measurement and EU sustainability reporting rules.

Corporate sustainability integrates responsible practices across a company's environmental, social, economic and governance dimensions. The carbon footprint is one of its most relevant indicators.

A model that closes the water loop, turning treated wastewater into a safe secondary resource and building resilience against scarcity and climate stress.

A circularity index gauges how far materials are kept in use through reuse, repair, recycling and recovery, reducing reliance on virgin raw materials.

Clean points are municipal facilities where citizens can drop off special household waste, such as WEEE, batteries or bulky items, that should not go in street containers.

Chemical recycling breaks complex plastics back into their chemical building blocks, complementing mechanical recycling for waste that would otherwise be incinerated or landfilled.

Closed-loop recycling reincorporates recovered materials into the same product or an equivalent one, keeping quality high and minimising the need for virgin raw materials.

A guide to construction and demolition waste (CDW): what it is, how it is managed in Spain, the regulation that governs it and its role in the circular economy.

A controlled landfill is an engineered disposal site designed to stop waste polluting air, water or soil, and the last resort in the waste hierarchy.