Certification · carbon reduction
Planet Mark certification: the levels and the rules, in Planet Mark’s words
Planet Mark certification is a private, commercial certification whose Net Zero Certification Programme runs in four levels, from a measured baseline to Net Zero Achieved.
Planet Mark’s certification reports set the reduction test as 5% of Scope 1 and 2 emissions a year from year 3, measured against the previous year.
It is voluntary, and it discharges no UK legal duty.
The certification
A private certification with a numerical reduction test
Planet Mark is a private, commercial sustainability certification: an organisation joins as a member, submits its data, has it assessed, and receives a certificate and a logo.
No statute creates it and no regulator supervises it; the terms are Planet Mark’s, and this page states them from Planet Mark’s own documents, with the date each was read.
Planet Mark’s programme page says its measurement methodology “is fully aligned to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol” and that “all data is verified with evidence provided by the Member”; its certification reports say the data “is reviewed with evidence provided by” the member.
Certification is awarded on a measured reduction against the previous year, under rules set out in the certification report Planet Mark issues to each member.
Its programme page directs organisations needing statutory compliance — SECR and ESOS — to separate Planet Mark services, which reflects the position in law: the certification does not discharge either duty.
The GHG Protocol and carbon accounting guides explain the measurement the certificate rests on.
The programme
Four levels, and what each involves
Planet Mark describes its Net Zero Certification Programme as guiding members “through four certified milestones to complete Planet Mark Net Zero Certification”.
Level one, Planet Mark Certified – Business: Planet Mark supports the member to measure its carbon footprint, which becomes its net zero baseline.
Level two, Net Zero Committed: near-term and long-term net zero targets, and a transition plan.
Level three, Net Zero Aligned: annual progress reports track progress against the near-term targets.
Level four, Net Zero Achieved: the long-term targets are met and residual emissions are neutralised “with carbon removal offsets”.
Planet Mark’s pages describe the scope of level one in different ways: the programme page says “Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3”, while the get-certified page describes Business Certification as measuring Scope 1 and 2, with Business Certification (Advanced) for the full footprint including all Scope 3 categories.
The certification reports describe core Scope 3 sources as measured but not certified on; across all three, the certificate is awarded on Scope 1 and 2.
The tool beside this text sets out what Planet Mark’s documents say for a given level and membership year.
What a level and a year involve
Pick a level, a year or both to see what Planet Mark’s own documents say applies.
Planet Mark sets and can change these terms; each line names the Planet Mark document it comes from.
Nothing you choose is saved.
The reduction rule
Five per cent of Scope 1 and 2, from year 3
| Planet Mark document | What it says | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Business Certification Report | “Members are now required to make an annual 5% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions to recertify (from year 3 onwards).” | Year ending 2024 |
| Business Certification Report | “Members will not certify on reductions to core Scope 3 emissions.” | Year ending 2024 |
| Business Certification Report | “Annual reductions are based on the previous year’s emissions (a rolling baseline), with certification awarded based on a minimum normalised reduction requirement or the emissions banking approach.” | Year ending 2024 |
| Service Statement | “Members must reduce their carbon footprint by at least 2.5% every year but targeting a 5% annual reduction in carbon emissions is recommended.” | 2023 |
The operative rule is set out in the certification report Planet Mark issues to each member; the same four-point statement appears word for word in reports published by two different members.
Planet Mark’s 2023 Service Statement words the requirement differently, as at least 2.5% of the carbon footprint every year with 5% recommended, so a reader may meet both figures.
The reports also record three further changes: by 2030 members must identify all material emission sources and measure a full inventory footprint across Scope 1, 2 and extended Scope 3.
The default display basis for Scope 2 moved from location-based to market-based, the two methods set out in the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance.
Members now receive two data quality scores, one for Scope 1 and 2 and one for Scope 3.
On the mechanism, the rolling baseline means each year’s footprint becomes the next year’s comparison, and the reduction may be met on a normalised metric, such as per employee or per unit of turnover, or through emissions banking.
The report read for this page lists the Scope 3 sources it measured as purchased goods and services (partial), fuel and energy related activities (partial), waste, business travel and employee commuting (partial) — categories 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7.
It describes Business Certification as “the best first step towards the ultimate goal of reaching net zero”, measuring emission sources under organisational control, and says all members “will need to understand and report against their full emissions boundary” to progress.
A certificate on these terms describes a reduction against the previous year on the chosen basis; it is not a statement about total reduction since a fixed base year.
The governing document
The Code of Practice the reports refer to
Every Planet Mark certification report refers the reader to the Planet Mark Code of Practice “for detailed information on the methodology and standards used”; at least one calls it the Business Certification Scheme Rules.
Neither document was found published on planetmark.com when checked on 10 September 2026.
A prospective member can ask for it before signing, together with written confirmation of the reduction test, the scopes it applies to, the display basis and whether the test is absolute or normalised.
Those answers decide what the certificate will say, which is why they are worth having in writing.
Ownership
From Planet First Limited to Veriforce
Planet Mark launched in 2013, founded by Steve Malkin through Planet First Limited, in partnership with the Eden Project.
Its history page records the next step: “We joined the Alcumus family”, in October 2023.
Its announcement of 10 September 2025 describes the business as “part of the UK Supply Chain division of Veriforce” and names Avital Johanan as Managing Director, with Steve Malkin becoming Senior Advisor and Founder.
The history page ends at the Alcumus step, so the 2025 announcement is the more recent of Planet Mark’s own statements.
The legal entity behind any certificate can be checked at Companies House.
- 2013Planet Mark launched
Through Planet First Limited, with the Eden Project.
- Oct 2023Joined Alcumus
“We joined the Alcumus family.”
- 10 Sep 2025Veriforce
Part of the UK Supply Chain division of Veriforce; new Managing Director.
Standards it names
The frameworks Planet Mark’s pages name, and their status today
| Planet Mark’s wording | Where | Status from the framework’s owner |
|---|---|---|
| “Officially recognised by the UNFCCC as a Cooperative Climate Initiative” | Programme page | Registration on the UNFCCC Global Climate Action Portal after a due-diligence review of submitted information for completeness, consistency and coherence |
| “Aligned with the principles of the Science Based Targets initiative Corporate Net Zero Standard” | Programme page | V1.3.1 operative today; V2.0 published 11 June 2026, validations from 1 February 2027; validation is by SBTi Services |
| Transition plans “aligned with the TPT Framework” | Net zero strategy page | The Transition Plan Taskforce’s materials passed to the IFRS Foundation in October 2024; its Ambition, Action and Accountability principles remain |
| “PAS2060 carbon neutral verification” | Service Statement (2023) | BSI stopped delivering PAS 2060 on 1 January 2025 and withdrew it at the end of 2025 |
Each row pairs what a Planet Mark page says with what the owner of the named framework says about it today; neither column is a judgement of the other.
The UNFCCC’s February 2026 document sets three criteria for a Cooperative Climate Initiative: a Paris-aligned climate goal, a capacity to report progress publicly, and an operational structure for public communication.
It describes an “active” initiative as one that updates its information “at least once within a two-year period”, and its rule on single organisations changed between August 2025 and February 2026.
On targets, “aligned with the principles of” describes support in setting targets; a target validated by the SBTi is a separate step, and Planet Mark’s own SBTi page offers support in setting and achieving targets.
A PAS 2060 opinion issued for a past period stays valid for that period, but no new one can be issued; the successor, ISO 14068-1:2023, was itself withdrawn by ISO on 11 September 2026 in favour of ISO 14068:2026.
The SBTi V2 guide, the transition plan guide and PAS 2060 and ISO 14068 cover each framework in full, and global sustainability standards places them in context.
Cost
From £3,850, set by turnover and package
Planet Mark’s membership page, read on 10 September 2026, says businesses can join “from as little as £3,850”, with the fee set by annual turnover and the package chosen.
Planet Mark quotes after an initial consultation, through its become-a-member page, and publishes no price list beyond that floor.
The five membership packages serve the four levels, with Business Certification (Advanced) sitting alongside the first level to measure the full Scope 3 footprint.
Before budgeting, establish in writing which Scope 3 categories your package measures and whether each is full or partial.
Is it a legal requirement?
Does it satisfy any UK legal duty? No — it is voluntary
Planet Mark certification is voluntary and discharges no UK legal duty.
SECR and the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme are statutory duties with their own qualification tests; a certificate satisfies neither, and Planet Mark offers separate services for them.
Central government bidders on in-scope contracts are asked for a Carbon Reduction Plan under PPN 006 in a prescribed form, which a certificate does not replace; PPN 06/21 still governs procurements begun before 24 February 2025.
Planet Mark does not describe its certification as UKAS-accredited, and assessment is against its own methodology; UKAS accredits conformity assessment bodies, such as those certifying ISO 14001, and UKAS accreditation explains the difference.
How a certificate is described to customers is governed by the misleading-practices rules of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, with the CMA’s Green Claims Code as guidance; the anti-greenwashing rule applies to FCA-authorised firms.
A listed company reporting against UK SRS under the FCA’s final rules does so on a comply-or-explain basis for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027, and the UK SRS reporting guide explains what that involves.
Does Planet Mark certification satisfy a UK legal duty?
No. Planet Mark certification is voluntary, and it discharges none of the duties below.
Choose a duty to see why, and the provision behind the answer.
SECR is a disclosure a qualifying company makes in its own directors’ report. Planet Mark certification is not that disclosure and does not change whether a company is in scope; the guidance adds that there is no statutory requirement to have the environmental information audited.
SI 2018/1155, amending Schedule 7 to SI 2008/410 · SI 2018/1155; Environmental Reporting Guidelines (March 2019) Ch.1 Action iv
Answers rest on the provisions named in each row.
Nothing you choose is saved.
Before signing
Six questions to put to Planet Mark
| Ask | Why, from Planet Mark’s documents |
|---|---|
| May we read the Code of Practice? | The reports refer to it for the methodology and standards used |
| What is our recertification test? | The reports say 5% of Scope 1 and 2 from year 3; the 2023 Service Statement says 2.5% of the footprint |
| Is the test absolute, normalised or banked — and on which metric? | The reports allow a normalised reduction or emissions banking |
| Location-based or market-based? | The reports moved the default display basis to market-based |
| Which Scope 3 categories does our package measure, and in full? | Pages describe level one differently; Advanced covers the full footprint |
| Which level will the certificate name? | The four levels make different claims |
If the certificate will appear in a tender, quote the level and the year as well as the name; tender tooling such as automatic tender response will reuse whatever wording is stored.
Planet Mark’s reports say they also follow the National TOMs framework for social value, which is a separate measurement from the carbon certificate.
Other marks answer other questions: see B Corp certification and the Carbon Trust Standard for their own terms, and sustainability assurance for independent assurance of reported data.
Related guides
The measurement, the targets and the plan
Carbon accounting
How the footprint a certificate rests on is built.
Scopes 1, 2 and 3
The scope terms Planet Mark’s rules use.
Scope 3 emissions
The value-chain categories, and what core Scope 3 leaves out.
Scope 3 under UK SRS
Where value-chain emissions meet the UK standards.
The GHG Protocol
The measurement basis Planet Mark names.
Setting science-based targets
The validation route behind “aligned with the SBTi”.
SBTi net-zero standard V2
The second live version, and its dates.
Climate transition plans
What a Net Zero Committed transition plan is measured against.
PAS 2060 and ISO 14068
The withdrawn standard and its successor.
Product carbon standards
Footprints of products rather than organisations.
ESG questionnaires
Where a certificate is asked for in tenders.
ESG criteria
What a buyer is scoring.
For frameworks and advice around certification, see ESG frameworks in the UK, ESG reporting, ESG consultants, carbon offset consultants, net zero consultants, carbon reporting and the UK regulation timeline.
The documents
Planet Mark’s pages, and the frameworks they name
Planet Mark’s own pages
- Planet MarkPlanet Mark
- Planet MarkNet zero strategy
- Planet MarkCarbon baseline and target
- Planet MarkSBTi Net-Zero Standard support
- Planet MarkBecome a member
- Planet MarkMembership packages
- Planet MarkNet zero consultant
- Planet MarkBeginner’s Guide to Carbon Footprinting (2023)
Standards and frameworks Planet Mark names
- SBTiScience Based Targets initiative
- SBTiStandards and guidance
- SBTi ServicesGuide for companies in the transition to V2.0
- ITPNInternational Transition Plan Network
- UNFCCCNon-State Actor Zone for Climate Action
- UNFCCCGlobal Climate Action Portal — cooperative initiatives
- ISOISO 14068-1:2023 — catalogue record (withdrawn 11 September 2026)
- UKASISO 14068-1 migration from PAS 2060 (technical bulletin)
- ISOISO 14064-1 — organisational GHG quantification
- Social Value PortalThe National TOMs framework
Accreditation, claims and UK duties
- ISOISO 14001 — environmental management systems
- ISOISO/IEC 17021-1 — management system certification bodies
- UKASUKAS — the UK national accreditation body
- GOV.UK (CMA)Green Claims Code
- CMAMisleading environmental claims — case page
- ASAEnvironmental claims — advertising rulings
- GOV.UK (DESNZ)Environmental reporting guidelines, including SECR
- GOV.UKEnergy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS)
- GOV.UK (DESNZ)Government conversion factors for company reporting
- Cabinet OfficePPN 06/21 — Carbon Reduction Plans (procurements before 24 February 2025)
- Companies HouseFind and update company information
- rfp.questAutomatic tender response
Frequently asked
Planet Mark, answered
What is Planet Mark certification?
Planet Mark is a private, commercial sustainability certification.
Members submit data, Planet Mark assesses it against its own methodology, and the member receives a certificate and a logo.
Its Net Zero Certification Programme has four certified levels.
No statute creates it and no regulator supervises it.
What are the four Planet Mark levels?
Planet Mark Certified – Business, which sets the net zero baseline; Net Zero Committed, with near-term and long-term targets and a transition plan; Net Zero Aligned, where annual progress reports track the near-term targets; and Net Zero Achieved, where the long-term targets are met and residual emissions neutralised with carbon removal offsets.
How much does a company have to reduce emissions to keep Planet Mark certification?
Planet Mark’s certification reports for years ending 2024 state an annual 5% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions to recertify, from year 3 onwards, measured against the previous year on a normalised or emissions-banking basis.
Planet Mark’s 2023 Service Statement worded it as at least 2.5% every year, with 5% recommended.
Ask Planet Mark which test applies to your certificate.
Does Planet Mark certification cover Scope 3?
Planet Mark’s certification reports say core Scope 3 sources are measured but members do not certify on reductions to them, and that by 2030 members must measure a full inventory including extended Scope 3.
Its programme page describes level one as measuring Scope 1, 2 and 3, and its get-certified pages offer Business Certification (Advanced) for the full Scope 3 footprint.
How much does Planet Mark cost?
Planet Mark’s membership page, read on 10 September 2026, says businesses can join from as little as £3,850, with the fee set by annual turnover and package.
Planet Mark quotes after a consultation.
Is Planet Mark UKAS accredited?
Planet Mark does not describe its certification as UKAS-accredited.
Its assessment is against its own methodology.
UKAS accredits conformity assessment bodies, such as certification bodies for ISO 14001.
Is Planet Mark the same as SBTi validation?
No. Planet Mark describes its programme as aligned with the principles of the SBTi Corporate Net Zero Standard.
Validation of a target is carried out by SBTi Services against published criteria.
Planet Mark’s own SBTi page offers support in setting and achieving targets.
What does UNFCCC recognition of Planet Mark mean?
Planet Mark states that its programme is recognised by the UNFCCC as a Cooperative Climate Initiative.
The UNFCCC describes registration as an expression of interest, screening, a call, a registration form and a due-diligence review of the submitted information for completeness, consistency and coherence, against criteria about a Paris-aligned goal, capacity to report progress and an operational structure.
Who owns Planet Mark?
Planet Mark launched in 2013 through Planet First Limited, in partnership with the Eden Project.
Its history page records joining Alcumus in October 2023, and its announcement of 10 September 2025 describes it as part of the UK Supply Chain division of Veriforce.
Does Planet Mark satisfy SECR or ESOS?
No. SECR and ESOS are statutory duties with their own tests, and a voluntary certificate discharges neither.
Planet Mark itself points organisations to separate services for SECR and ESOS.
Nor is a certificate a Carbon Reduction Plan under PPN 006.
What is the Planet Mark Code of Practice?
Planet Mark’s certification reports refer readers to its Code of Practice for the methodology and standards used; one report calls it the Business Certification Scheme Rules.
It was not found published on planetmark.com when checked on 10 September 2026, so ask Planet Mark for it before signing.
Does Planet Mark still offer PAS 2060 verification?
Planet Mark’s 2023 Service Statement lists PAS 2060 carbon neutral verification.
BSI stopped delivering the PAS 2060 scheme on 1 January 2025 and withdrew it at the end of 2025, so no PAS 2060 verification can be issued today; an opinion issued for a past period remains valid for that period.
Sources
Primary sources
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner.
Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
- Planet MarkNet Zero Certification Programme (read 1 October 2026)
The four certified milestones, and Planet Mark’s statements on the UNFCCC, the SBTi and the GHG Protocol.
- Planet Mark (©PlanetMark, published by the member)Business Certification Report, year ending 2024
The 5% Scope 1 and 2 recertification rule, the rolling baseline, normalisation, banking and the 2030 inventory requirement.
- Planet Mark (©PlanetMark, published by the member)Business Certification Report (a second member)
The same four-point change statement, worded identically.
- Planet MarkPlanet Mark Service Statement (2023)
The earlier published wording: “at least 2.5% every year”, with 5% recommended.
- Planet MarkGet net zero certified
The membership packages, including Business Certification (Advanced).
- Planet MarkA new chapter for Planet Mark (10 September 2025)
Planet Mark as part of the UK Supply Chain division of Veriforce, and the leadership change.
- Planet MarkDiscover — Our history
The 2013 launch with the Eden Project and the Alcumus acquisition.
- UNFCCCDefinition, eligibility and registration process of Cooperative Climate Initiatives (February 2026)
What registration as a Cooperative Climate Initiative involves.
- SBTiCorporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0
Published 11 June 2026; V1.3.1 operative for submissions until V2.0 validations open.
- IFRS FoundationTransition plans — knowledge hub
Custodian of the Transition Plan Taskforce materials since October 2024.
- BSIBS ISO 14068-1:2023 and the PAS 2060 withdrawal rule
The status of PAS 2060, named in the 2023 Service Statement.
- GHG ProtocolCorporate Accounting and Reporting Standard
The measurement basis Planet Mark says its methodology is fully aligned to.
- GHG ProtocolScope 2 Guidance
Location-based and market-based reporting, behind the change of display basis.
- Cabinet OfficePPN 006 — Carbon Reduction Plans in major government contracts
The procurement requirement a certificate is not a substitute for.