Glossary of sustainability, Net-Zero and Green terms

 

A

• ACC: Anthropogenic Climate Change
• AGW: Anthropogenic Global Warming
• Acidification: Decrease in the pH of the oceans due to increased carbon dioxide.
• Aerial Litter: Litter that is released into the air, such as balloons and sky lanterns.

B

• Biodiversity: Variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat.
• Biodegradable: Capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms.
• Biofuel: Fuel derived from organic matter.
• BPA: Bisphenol A, a chemical used in plastics.

 

C

• Carbon Footprint: Total greenhouse gases emitted by an individual, organization, event, or product.
• Carbon Neutral: Achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions.
• Circular Economy: An economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources.
• Climate Change: Long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place.
• COP: Conference of the Parties – The supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
• CSR: Corporate Social Responsibility – A business model that helps companies be socially accountable to themselves, their stakeholders, and the public.
• Carbon Budgets: The UK has set legally binding carbon budgets, which cap the total amount of greenhouse gases the country can emit over five-year periods. These budgets help ensure the UK stays on track to meet its long-term net zero target.

D

• Decarbonization: Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through the use of low carbon power sources.
• Deforestation: The clearing of trees, transforming a forest into cleared land.

E

• Ecosystem: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
• Emissions: The production and discharge of something, especially gas or radiation.
• ESG: Environmental, Social, and Governance criteria used to evaluate a company’s operations.

F

• Fossil Fuels: Natural fuels such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.
• FSC: Forest Stewardship Council – An organization that certifies responsibly managed forests.

G

• GHGs: Greenhouse Gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, that trap heat in the atmosphere.
• Greenwashing: Deceptive practice where a company exaggerates or falsely advertises its environmental efforts.
• GRI: Global Reporting Initiative – An organization that provides standards for sustainability reporting.
• Government Property Sustainability Strategy: A strategy to make the public estate smaller, better, and greener, aiming to reduce direct emissions from public sector buildings by at least 50% by 2032.

H

• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs): Synthetic compounds used in refrigeration and air conditioning, potent greenhouse gases.

I

• IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a UN body for assessing the science related to climate change.
• ISO: International Organization for Standardization, which develops and publishes international standards.
• ISO 14001: International Organization for Standardization 14001 – An international standard for environmental management systems

J

• JIT: Just-in-Time, a production strategy that reduces in-process inventory and associated costs.

K

• Kyoto Protocol: An international treaty that commits its parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

L

• LCA: Life Cycle Assessment, a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product’s life.
• LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – A green building certification program.

M

• Microplastics: Small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life.

N

• NDCs: Nationally Determined Contributions, commitments by countries to reduce national emissions and adapt to climate change.
• National Adaptation Programme (NAP): Led by Defra, this program aims to improve the UK’s resilience to climate change.

O

• Offsets: Projects that compensate for carbon emissions by reducing or capturing greenhouse gases elsewhere.

P

• Paris Agreement: An international treaty on climate change aiming to limit global warming to below 2°C.
• PCR: Post-Consumer Recycled, materials that have been recycled after being used by consumers.

Q

• QMS: Quality Management System, a framework for documenting processes, procedures, and responsibilities.

R

• Renewable Energy: Energy from sources that are naturally replenishing, such as wind or solar power.
• Recycling: The process of converting waste into reusable material.

S

• Sustainability: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• SECR: Streamlined Energy and Carbon reporting requirements.
• SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals – A set of 17 global goals established by the United Nations to address various social, economic, and environmental challenges.

T

• Triple Bottom Line: A sustainability framework that includes social, environmental, and financial performance.

U

• Upcycling: Reusing discarded objects or material in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original.
• UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS): A framework to create UK-specific sustainability reporting standards by assessing and endorsing the global corporate reporting baseline of IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards

V

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature.

W

• Waste Management: The collection, transportation, and disposal of garbage, sewage, and other waste products.

X

• Xeriscaping: Landscaping that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation.

Y

• Yield: The amount of crop produced in a given area.

Z

• Zero Waste: The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.

 

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