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The questions below cover the topics NCZ customers ask most often. If you cannot find what you are looking for, contact your Customer Success Team or reach us at neutralcarbonzone.com/contact-us.

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Getting started

The quickest way to begin is to book a call with the NCZ team at neutralcarbonzone.com/contact-us. From there, your dedicated Customer Success Manager will onboard your business, set up your company account in the portal, and guide you through the initial data collection steps.If you want to get a sense of your emissions before speaking to the team, you can model your emissions for free using the carbon insights tool available on the NCZ website.
The data you need to provide depends on the certification level you are working towards, but typically includes:
  • Energy bills — electricity and gas consumption figures for your premises
  • Fuel records — mileage or fuel volumes for company-owned vehicles
  • Travel data — business travel by air, rail, and road
  • Waste figures — volumes and disposal routes for operational waste
  • Procurement information — spend data for purchased goods and services (required for Scope 3 and supply-chain reporting)
Your Customer Success Team will provide guided data collection forms in the portal for each category. NCZ can also help you estimate figures using benchmark data where exact records are not yet available.
Once you have submitted your data through the portal forms, your NCZ Customer Success Team reviews it for completeness and accuracy. They may contact you with follow-up questions. Once the data is confirmed, NCZ calculates your carbon footprint and produces your report. Depending on your certification level, the report then goes through independent third-party verification before your certificate and media pack are issued.
NCZ recommends updating your emissions data annually, using the same 12-month reporting period each year so you can track progress against your baseline. Your Customer Success Team will prompt you when your annual renewal is due and help you gather the updated figures efficiently.If your business changes significantly — for example, you open a new location or add a major new service — it is worth updating your data sooner so your footprint report stays accurate.

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Emissions and scopes

The three scopes are defined by the GHG Protocol and divide emissions by where they occur:
  • Scope 1 — direct emissions from sources you own or control (for example, fuel burned in company vehicles or natural gas used for heating)
  • Scope 2 — indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heat, or cooling
  • Scope 3 — all other indirect emissions across your value chain, including business travel, supply chain activity, employee commuting, and waste
Most organisations find that Scope 3 represents the largest share of their total footprint. The NCZ certification programme helps you measure all three scopes progressively, starting with Scope 1 and 2 at Silver level and extending to full Scope 3 reporting at Gold and Platinum.
Yes. NCZ offers standalone measurement for both events and specific services:
  • Carbon conscious events — NCZ measures all emissions associated with your event, including venue energy, catering, contractors, and delegate travel. This is available from £500 for a benchmarked prediction up to £2,500 for a full Platinum-level event certification including supply-chain emissions.
  • Carbon measured services — NCZ uses a Lifecycle Assessment to calculate the emissions associated with delivering a specific contracted service, producing a per-unit or per-hour emissions metric.
These options are available independently of the main organisational certification programme.

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Certification

The timeline depends on the certification level and how quickly you can gather and submit the required data. As a general guide:
  • Silver — typically a few weeks once you have completed the initial questionnaire
  • Gold — usually 4–8 weeks, as it requires full data collection across all emission sources and independent verification
  • Platinum — longer, because it includes establishing a supply-chain compliance programme and engaging suppliers
Your Customer Success Team will work with you weekly during the Gold and Platinum process to keep data collection on track.
At each certification level you receive:
  • A certificate confirming the level achieved and the reporting period
  • A media pack including logos, badges, and draft social media and communications content so you can share your achievement publicly
  • A verified carbon footprint report detailing your emissions breakdown and, at Gold level and above, targeted reduction recommendations
NCZ also lists certified companies in the NCZ Partner Directory, giving you visibility among like-minded businesses.
At Gold and Platinum certification levels, your completed carbon footprint report is reviewed by an independent qualified verifier who is separate from the NCZ team that helped you collect the data. The verifier checks that:
  • All emission sources have been identified and included
  • Recognised emission factors and calculation methodologies have been applied correctly
  • The data underpinning each figure is evidenced and traceable
This process meets the requirements of ISO 14064 and gives your report credibility with external stakeholders. NCZ team members hold ISO 14064:2018 Lead Verifier qualifications.
Once you reach Silver level or above, NCZ can list your business in the Partner Directory. To activate your listing, ensure your company profile in the portal is complete — including your business name, sector, and a short description. Your Customer Success Team will confirm when your listing is live.The directory is visible to other NCZ clients and partners, so it is a useful tool for demonstrating your sustainability credentials to potential customers or suppliers who share your values.

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Your account and team

Yes. The NCZ Portal supports multiple locations under a single company account. Each location can have its own emission data, and the portal consolidates the figures into your overall organisational footprint. To add a new location, navigate to Locations in the portal or ask your Customer Success Team to set it up for you.
Navigate to Users in the portal sidebar. From there you can invite colleagues by email address and assign them an appropriate role. Different roles control what each user can view and edit. If you need guidance on which role is right for a team member, your Customer Success Team can advise.

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Carbon credits

A carbon credit represents the verified removal or avoidance of one tonne of CO2 equivalent from the atmosphere, achieved by a certified project (such as a renewable energy installation, reforestation programme, or clean cookstove project). When you purchase credits equal to your remaining emissions, you achieve carbon neutrality for that reporting period.NCZ provides access to credits from hundreds of projects worldwide, all certified under Gold Standard, Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), or UN CDM schemes. Carbon credits are intended to complement — not replace — genuine emission reductions. NCZ’s approach is to reduce emissions at source first, then use credits to balance what cannot yet be eliminated.

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Data and privacy

Yes. Your emissions data and business information are stored securely and are not shared with third parties without your consent. The only exception is the independent verification process at Gold and Platinum level, where your verifier reviews the data as part of their audit — but this is governed by strict confidentiality agreements.Your data is used by NCZ solely to calculate your carbon footprint, produce your reports, and support your certification journey. For full details, refer to the NCZ privacy policy available on the NCZ website.
Have a question that is not answered here? Contact your Customer Success Team directly or reach NCZ at neutralcarbonzone.com/contact-us.

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More resources

Carbon glossary

Plain-language definitions for every carbon term you will encounter in the portal.

Webinars

Browse and book NCZ learning sessions on carbon management topics.

Certification overview

Understand the NCZ award and certification programme in full.

Carbon credits

Learn how NCZ carbon credits can balance your unavoidable emissions.