carbon neutral

American  

adjective

1. pertaining to or having achieved a state in which the net amount of carbon dioxide or other carbon compounds emitted into the atmosphere is reduced to zero because it is balanced by actions to reduce or offset these emissions.

   Since the administration installed solar panels, the campus has become carbon neutral;

   a carbon-neutral brewery.

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Other Word Forms

• carbon neutrality
  noun

Etymology

Origin of carbon neutral

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

Fewer bottled waters or coffees now offer "carbon neutral" guarantees ahead of an EU directive outlawing them from 2026.

From Barron's • Oct. 22, 2025

It also pointed to its plans to phase out its coal-fired power plants and become carbon neutral by 2040.

From BBC • May 28, 2025

In practice, sustainable fuels are not carbon neutral, because of the energy used in producing, refining and transporting them.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2024

More recent lawsuits have taken aim at bottled water companies' claims that their products are "carbon neutral," or that their bottles are "100 percent recyclable."

From Salon • May 21, 2024

State and local leaders view battery storage sites as an essential part of ensuring that California can meet its goal of being carbon neutral by 2045.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2024