Carbon Trust

What Carbon Trust does

Carbon Trust is an independent, private UK-based climate consultancy and certification body founded in 2001, headquartered in London, and operating through six offices (London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Singapore, Johannesburg, Mexico City). Structured as a private company limited by guarantee with no external shareholders, the organisation reinvests profits into its mission of accelerating decarbonisation and employs 350+ consultants, policy specialists, engineers, and other experts. Over its 20+ year history it has supported 3,000+ organisations globally on climate action planning, carbon footprint verification, and Net Zero transition advisory. Its customer base spans large enterprises (Amazon Devices, GlaxoSmithKline, Kellogg Company, Virgin Media O2, Carlsberg Group, Bentley Motors, Siemens, FIFCO), national and local governments, and financial institutions.

The company delivers its services through three complementary revenue streams: (1) advisory and consulting services covering decarbonisation strategy, footprinting, target setting (including Science Based Targets), supply chain engagement, sustainable finance, TCFD reporting, and implementation planning; (2) certification and verification services using recognised methodologies (PAS 2050, ISO 14067:2018, PAS 2080, BES6001), including the Carbon Reduction Label, Carbon Neutral verification, and the Route to Net Zero Standard; and (3) government-funded programme management, including the Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator for the UK's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Proprietary assets include the SUSJIP carbon footprinting methodology for offshore wind, the FASTA MRV system for sustainable agriculture (delivered with UK Agri-Tech Centre), and the Net Zero Intelligence Unit research function. Recent product launches include world-first carbon labelling for CEMEX UK cement and verified lower-carbon beef for Tesco/Kepak. CEO Michael Rea was appointed in August 2024.

Carbon Trust distributes its services via direct enterprise sales through its six offices, through flagship joint industry programmes and R&D consortia (Offshore Wind Accelerator, Floating Wind JIP, SUSJIP, ORJIP, Coal Asset Transition Accelerator), and through partnerships with multilateral bodies (IFC), telecoms (Vodacom), and other consultancies (BrownGreer, Osborne Clarke). Customer segments are hybrid across size (large corporate, enterprise, government) and vertical (energy, built environment, transport, agriculture, finance). Pricing is custom and quote-based with multi-year contracts; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Marketing combines direct expert engagement, policy briefings, the Net Zero Intelligence Unit research outputs, event presence, and earned media coverage. The organisation generated no publicly disclosed revenue but shows multi-year expansion in geography, vertical, and programme breadth through 2024–2026.

Name

Carbon Trust

Legal name

The Carbon Trust

Website

https://carbontrust.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Carbon Trust is an independent UK-based climate consultancy and certification body, founded 2001, providing carbon footprint verification, Net Zero advisory, and market transformation services to 3,000+ businesses, governments, and financial institutions across six global offices using PAS 2050, ISO 14067, and proprietary methodologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Advisory and Sustainability Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Carbon Neutrality/Claims Strategy & Communications (claims substantiation, greenwashing risk) (EUABAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Assurance, Audit & Attestation (ISAE 3000/3410, SOC, Chain-of-Custody) (EUABACAJ), GHG Monitoring Plans & Sampling Design (Field Protocols, QA/QC) (EUABACAE)

Keywords

• Climate advisory services
• Carbon footprint certification
• Sustainability consulting
• Carbon labeling programs
• Climate transition strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Advisory & Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for climate action planning, decarbonisation strategy, target setting, footprinting and reporting, and supply chain sustainability
2. Certification & Verification Services: Carbon footprint certification, labeling, and verification services including Carbon Reduction Label, Carbon Neutral verification, and organizational footprint labels
3. Government Funded Programmes: Management of government-funded initiatives including IEEA (Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator) on behalf of DESNZ, and various market transformation programmes

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Carbon Trust is a climate consultancy that provides advisory services, carbon footprint certification and labeling, market transformation programmes, and collaborative R&D initiatives. It helps organizations measure, reduce, and certify their carbon emissions and supports the transition to a low-carbon economy through expert advisory engagements and standards-based certification products.

Product overview

The Carbon Trust operates as a climate consultancy and certification organization offering a portfolio of advisory services, certification/verification programs, and industry collaboration initiatives. The core offerings include carbon footprint labelling and certification services (product carbon footprint labels, organizational labels, carbon neutral verification), advisory services for Net Zero transition planning (decarbonisation strategy, footprinting, target setting), and market transformation programs (Offshore Wind Accelerator, Floating Wind JIP, ORJIP, SUSJIP). The organization also runs venture acceleration programs like FASTA for agri-tech innovators and produces research through the Net Zero Intelligence Unit. These services work together to help businesses, governments, and financial institutions navigate the transition to a decarbonised economy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FASTA (Food Agriculture System Technology Accelerator): A programme delivered by the Carbon Trust in partnership with UK Agri-Tech Centre to accelerate adoption of MRV systems for sustainable agriculture.
• Net Zero Intelligence Unit
• Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA)
• Floating Wind Joint Industry Programme
• Coal Asset Transition Accelerator (CATA)

Products and services

• Climate Advisory Expert consulting engagements that help organizations set climate strategy, measure emissions, identify reduction opportunities, and execute decarbonization roadmaps across operations and supply chains. Aimed at corporate sustainability, ESG, and strategy leaders.
• Carbon Footprint Certification Independent third-party certification of an organization's or product's carbon footprint, providing verified measurement against the Carbon Trust Standard. Used by companies seeking credible assurance of emissions performance.
• Carbon Trust Certification Mark / Carbon Label Recognized consumer-facing label and certification mark (including the carbon footprint label) licensed to brands to communicate certified reductions in product or organizational carbon footprint. Targeted at brand owners in consumer-facing industries.
• Market Transformation Programmes Multi-stakeholder programmes that convene corporates, public bodies, and industry players to accelerate decarbonization at sector or supply-chain level. Designed for industry groups, governments, and large buyers seeking systemic change.
• Collaborative R&D Initiatives Joint research and development activities with partners to develop and demonstrate low-carbon technologies, products, and business models. Targeted at corporates, innovators, and public-sector partners seeking applied climate R&D.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3000+ organisations globally supported with climate action planning
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• MicrosoftminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2026Mentioned as participant in AI Carbons Market analysis, indicating involvement in carbon accounting technology ecosystem.
• GoogleminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2026Mentioned as participant in AI Carbons Market analysis, indicating involvement in carbon accounting technology ecosystem.
• EcoActminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026Mentioned alongside Carbon Trust in Eco Scoring Platform Market analysis as key players in the sustainability certification ecosystem.
• EcoScoreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026Mentioned alongside Carbon Trust in Eco Scoring Platform Market analysis as key players in the sustainability certification ecosystem.
• Vodacom GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 April 2026Technical support provided by Carbon Trust for Vodacom's white paper 'Decarbonizing Africa's ICT Sector' examining challenges Africa faces in reducing carbon emissions while expanding digital infrastructure, citing weak grid infrastructure, financial constraints, and regulatory complexities.
• Osborne ClarkeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 19 March 2026Osborne Clarke featured as speaker in Carbon Trust webinar on EU regulations and environmental labelling, providing regulatory compliance expertise alongside Carbon Trust.
• Amazon DevicesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 19 March 2026Amazon Devices featured as speaker in Carbon Trust webinar on EU ECGT Directive, sharing perspective on regulatory compliance and environmental labelling best practices.
• Innovate UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2026Carbon Trust and Innovate UK's Net Zero Living Programme developed guidance to help councils design and implement community energy support programmes, highlighting examples such as the Swansea Community Energy & Enterprise Scheme.
• UK Agri-Tech CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Partnership to deliver the Food Agriculture System Technology Accelerator (FASTA), helping UK-based innovators scale technologies supporting sustainable farming. Focus on MRV systems for tracking emissions and validating sustainability claims in agriculture which accounts for approximately 10% of UK greenhouse gas emissions.
• BrownGreerflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2024Carbon Trust and BrownGreer selected to lead the design and development of Offshore Wind Fisheries Compensation Fund on east coast of US. Joint leadership of this significant offshore wind environmental compensation initiative.
• IFC (International Finance Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2024Partnership to cut emissions in emerging markets. IFC and Carbon Trust join forces to help companies in developing economies measure, reduce, and report their carbon footprint, supporting climate disclosure and Net Zero transitions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EcoAct: France-based carbon consultancy providing carbon footprinting, Net Zero strategy, and climate advisory services. Explicitly mentioned alongside Carbon Trust as a comparable player in the sustainability certification and eco-scoring ecosystem.
• South Pole Group: Global climate consultancy and project developer offering carbon advisory, footprinting, target setting, and Net Zero strategy services to enterprises and governments. Closely comparable in service mix, customer segments, and revenue model to Carbon Trust.
• Anthesis Group: Global sustainability consultancy offering Net Zero strategy, supply chain decarbonization, and climate advisory to large enterprises. Comparable in target customer base (large corporates), service portfolio, and consultancy delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• SGS: World-leading testing, inspection, and certification company offering carbon footprint verification, GHG inventory assurance, and sustainability certification services. Direct competitor in the product carbon label and ISO 14067 verification market.
• DNV: Global certification, assurance, and verification body with deep climate and energy transition services including carbon footprint verification and ISO 14064/14067 assurance. Broader incumbent that competes for the same third-party verification mandates as Carbon Trust.
• TÜV SÜD: Global testing, inspection, and certification firm with established carbon footprint verification, ISO 14064/14067, and sustainability assurance services. Competes with Carbon Trust for product carbon label verification mandates across multiple industries.
• Schneider Electric Sustainability Business: Global energy management and sustainability services arm of Schneider Electric, offering carbon reporting, energy efficiency, and decarbonization advisory to enterprises. Broader incumbent with overlapping advisory and reporting offerings.

Emerging players

• Persefoni: Climate management and accounting platform serving enterprises with carbon footprint measurement and decarbonization planning. Comparable in target customer base and partially overlapping with Carbon Trust's target setting and disclosure work.
• Watershed: Enterprise carbon accounting and climate platform serving large corporates with measurement, reporting, and disclosure tooling. Comparable customer segment to Carbon Trust and increasingly overlapping scope in climate disclosure and target setting.
• Greenly: Carbon accounting SaaS platform focused on SMB and mid-market footprinting, with adjacent advisory services. Emerging software-led competitor that pressures Carbon Trust's footprinting and certification offering at the lower end of the market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thecarbontrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/thecarbontrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-carbon-trust

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments24 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carbon Trust