# Helping Clients Take Action With Carbon Credits
The conversation around carbon credits often stops at theory.
Clients want to act, but the options feel complex, the data uncertain, and the risk of greenwashing too high.
Accountants are uniquely placed to turn that uncertainty into a plan.
Helping clients take action does not mean telling them what to buy or how to claim neutrality.
It means helping them make informed, transparent decisions that align with both science and sound financial judgement.
This is the space where our profession adds real value.
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## Why Action Matters
Every credible climate framework agrees on the same order of operations:
**measure, reduce, then contribute.**
The longer a business waits to start, the harder and more expensive the transition becomes.
Accountants can make progress possible by embedding structure, evidence, and accountability.
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## Step 1: Measure With Credibility
Accurate measurement is the foundation of all climate work.
Encourage clients to start where they are, not where they wish they were.
Recommend carbon-accounting tools that integrate with their financial systems, such as:
- **Sage Carbon Accounting**
- **Sumday**
- **NeoEco**
- **Trace**
Each supports data integrity, audit trail creation, and ongoing improvement.
The goal is not a perfect footprint on day one, but a repeatable method that stands up to scrutiny.
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## Step 2: Reduce What You Can
Reductions come first.
Work with clients to identify the material emissions in their operations — often energy, travel, and procurement.
Focus on actions that deliver measurable outcomes.
Efficiency gains, renewable-energy procurement, and supplier engagement can all reduce emissions while improving cost control.
Accountants can quantify these benefits, proving that sustainability is not a cost centre but an investment in resilience.
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## Step 3: Contribute Responsibly
Once measurement and reduction are underway, clients can support wider climate action through **verified removal projects**.
At Thrive, we do this through **[Ecologi](https://ecologi.com/)** for carbon credits and **[Veritree](https://www.veritree.com/impact-hub/thrive)** for reforestation and restoration.
Encourage clients to see these purchases as **climate contributions**, not offsets.
Explain that contribution means funding credible projects beyond their own value chain while continuing to cut internal emissions.
Guide them to focus on:
- **Quality:** Credits aligned with the **ICVCM Core Carbon Principles**.
- **Verification:** Transparent data and independent certification.
- **Disclosure:** Clear reporting without implying neutrality.
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## Step 4: Introduce a Voluntary Carbon Price
A simple but powerful way to formalise contribution is to set an internal or **voluntary carbon price**.
This can be as straightforward as assigning a cost per tonne of CO₂e and ring-fencing those funds for verified removals.
For example:
- £30–£50 per tonne for small businesses building toward net zero.
- A percentage of annual profit or revenue dedicated to climate finance.
This approach converts goodwill into a measurable line item — a **voluntary carbon tax** that signals accountability and intent.
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## Step 5: Report With Integrity
Communication is where credibility is won or lost.
The **Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)** and **Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)** continue to challenge unsupported carbon-neutral claims.
The EU’s **Green Claims Directive** will raise the bar even higher.
Encourage clients to:
- Publish data and methods.
- State clearly that they *contribute* rather than *offset*.
- Share verified project details and progress updates.
- Avoid equivalence language like “net zero” unless formally validated.
Transparency builds trust faster than perfection.
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## Step 6: Build the Business Case
Responsible climate action strengthens long-term performance.
It enhances reputation, supports employee engagement, and aligns with investor expectations.
The return is not speculative; it comes through risk management, cost reduction, and future-proofing.
Accountants can quantify these benefits in the same way we evaluate any capital investment.
By doing so, we move sustainability from aspiration to financial strategy.
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## Our Experience at Thrive
At Thrive, we treat climate contribution as part of our duty of care — to our team, our clients, and the wider economy.
We measure our footprint, reduce where we can, and invest in verified removals.
We do not claim neutrality; we claim accountability.
Sharing that journey has inspired clients to start their own.
Each one does it differently, but all begin the same way — with data, structure, and honesty.
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## Final Thought
Helping clients take action is not about perfection or publicity.
It is about integrity.
When accountants lead with evidence and empathy, they make credible climate action achievable for every business, not just the largest ones.
That is what responsible financial leadership looks like in the age of climate accountability.
📘 *Catalyst* explores practical ways to build this thinking into everyday accounting.
👉 https://jameslizars.com/book
🔗 Follow me on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslizars/) for future insights and resources on climate contribution in practice.
