Climate Active certification is ending: what it means
The Australian Government has decided to stop certifying voluntary climate claims through Climate Active. The term carbon neutral goes too. The final decision and transition details are due before the end of 2026, so nothing here is the last word.
What is Climate Active?
Climate Active is an Australian Government program that certifies organisations, products, services, events, buildings and precincts as carbon neutral against its standards. The government announced in July 2026 that it will close it. Certification, trade marks and the term carbon neutral will end after a transition. The proposed end of certification is 30 June 2027, with final details due by the end of 2026.
Certified Organisations And Products
Certification for events, organisations, precincts, products and services runs through the department. All licence agreements and certifications end after the transition, under either option.
Buildings Certified Through Partners
Building certification is delivered through NABERS and the Green Building Council of Australia, using a Climate Active standard. Those bodies will decide their own path, with the options differing on whether the government keeps the Standard for Buildings.
Head Contractors And Trade Partners
Certification is voluntary, so no one on a project has to hold it because the program exists. If a tender, contract or client relies on it, check how that requirement will work once certification ends.
Applicants And Registered Consultants
Transition arrangements will cover applications already received and new applications. The register of consultants closes, though consultants can still prepare inventories and verification for other purposes.
What Climate Active asks for.
What you report, and when.
Carbon Emissions Report
To Climate Active, DCCEEW
Licence Close-Out Obligations
To Climate Active, DCCEEW
- Emissions Inventory And Boundary
- Activity Data For Fuel, Electricity And Travel
- Emissions Reduction Actions
- Offset Purchase And Surrender Records
- Third-Party Verification Report
- Licence Agreement And Trade Mark Use Register
Promising Certification Past The End Date
A tender or client commitment that promises Climate Active certification may become impossible once the program closes. Word new commitments around the emissions outcome, and raise existing ones with the client once the end date is confirmed.
Assuming Building Ratings End The Same Way
Decisions on the buildings pathway rest with the Green Building Council of Australia and NABERS under their own governance. Check with them instead of assuming a Green Star or NABERS pathway follows Climate Active's timing.
Losing Access To The Guidance
The department says it would close the Climate Active website under both options, with a timeline to come. Save the standards, tools and your own submissions while they are available, because only some might be retained.
How Catchment manages Climate Active.
Set Up As Your Own Framework
GovAssureClimate Active has no ready-made template in Catchment. If you still report to it during the transition, you set it up as your own framework in the Policies & Frameworks library, with your own targets and documents.
Project Activity Data That Outlasts The Label
EnviroTrackA Climate Active inventory starts with activity such as fuel, electricity and travel. EnviroTrack holds commitments and monthly entries with emission factors for energy, fuels and lubricants, water, waste, materials and transport, and that record stays useful whatever replaces the certification.
Certificates And Licences With Their Dates
GovAssureFile your certificate, licence agreement and verification reports in the Document Register, which keeps every revision with its date. When the end date is announced, you can see what was current and when, which helps as you withdraw claims.
Trade Partner Emissions Data
EnviroTrackWork packages submit monthly free of charge, and a reviewer accepts or sends back each section. The department notes that smaller businesses may be asked for data by larger customers with climate disclosure duties, so this gives you the record to report from.
Catchment has no ready-made template for this one. You build it in the Policies & Frameworks library, then adopt it on each project.
Climate Active questions.
Is Climate Active closing?
Yes. The government has decided to close the program and stop certifying voluntary climate claims. It consulted on whether to close fully or keep some voluntary standards and guidance, and expects to announce a final decision before the end of 2026.
When will Climate Active certification end?
Climate Active's website says certification is proposed to end on 30 June 2027. The department's consultation paper proposes a 12 or 18 month transition, and the end date will be confirmed when the final decision is announced. Treat the date as unconfirmed until then.
Can I still say carbon neutral?
The department says use of the term carbon neutral for voluntary claims will cease under the closure, and the ACCC will continue to look at environmental claims. Trade marks can no longer be used after certification ends. Take legal advice on any claim you plan to keep making.
What happens to products already printed with the Climate Active logo?
Products manufactured and packaged with a printed trade mark before certification ceases can be sold until supplies run out, and do not need to be repackaged or recalled. Websites, email signatures and other materials must drop the mark and any claim of active certification.
What about Climate Active certification for buildings?
The department is working with the Green Building Council of Australia and NABERS on the path forward. Under one option the government keeps the Standard for Buildings and the two bodies take on certification, though the final decision rests with them. Under the other, the standards end after a transition.
What can replace Climate Active?
The department points to international frameworks such as the GHG Protocol, ISO's Net Zero Guidelines, the Science Based Targets initiative and VCMI guidance, as well as other Australian pathways. Large entities also now face mandatory climate-related financial disclosure, which may drive requests for data from suppliers.
- Consultation on the Climate Active program: Consultation paper, July 2026 (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)
- Climate Active (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)
- Consultation on the Climate Active program (2026) (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)
- Climate Active certification is ending, have your say (Climate Active)
Reviewed 5 November 2026. General information to help you plan reporting, not legal advice. Policies change, so check the current version with the policy owner before you rely on it.
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