BSI (British Standards Institution)
BSI is the UK's national standards body. It develops standards, provides certification and training, and publishes the Kitemark. In carbon accounting, BSI is best known for PAS 2060, the withdrawn specification for carbon neutrality, and its successor Carbon Neutrality verification scheme for ISO 14068-1.
BSI Group, commonly called BSI, is the oldest national standards body in the world. It develops British Standards and contributes to international standards through ISO and IEC. BSI also runs certification, testing, and training services, including the Kitemark product certification scheme.
For sustainability professionals, BSI's most visible work is PAS 2060, the 2010 specification for demonstrating carbon neutrality. BSI verified carbon neutrality claims under PAS 2060 until withdrawing the scheme in 2025. It now offers a Carbon Neutrality verification scheme aligned with ISO 14068-1:2023.
BSI also publishes standards and guidance relevant to carbon accounting, including standards for energy management (ISO 50001), environmental management (ISO 14001), and lifecycle assessment (ISO 14040/14044). Its verification services are used to provide independent assurance of carbon footprint and neutrality claims.
Frequently asked questions
What is BSI? +
BSI is the British Standards Institution, the UK's national standards body. It develops standards, certifies organizations and products, and is best known in carbon accounting for PAS 2060 and ISO 14068-1 carbon neutrality verification.
What is the BSI Kitemark? +
The BSI Kitemark is a product and service certification mark. For carbon claims, BSI offers a Carbon Neutrality Kitemark verified against ISO 14068-1, giving consumers and stakeholders confidence that a neutrality claim has been independently checked.
Related terms
PAS 2060
PAS 2060 was the BSI specification for demonstrating carbon neutrality. It required organizations to quantify greenhouse gas emissions, reduce them where possible, and offset the remaining footprint with verified carbon credits. BSI withdrew PAS 2060 in 2025; ISO 14068-1 now supersedes it.
Carbon Neutrality
Carbon neutrality means that an organization's net greenhouse gas emissions equal zero, achieved by balancing emitted carbon with an equivalent amount of carbon offsets or removals. Unlike net zero, carbon neutrality does not require deep absolute reductions first and can be achieved primarily through offset purchases.
Assurance and Verification
Assurance (or verification) is an independent third-party assessment of an organization's GHG emissions data and reporting processes. Limited assurance provides moderate confidence that the data is free of material misstatement; reasonable assurance provides a higher level of confidence similar to a financial audit.