Carbon Neutral Certification – A Qualitative Study of Antecedents and Communication Strategies

This Thesis explored the motivations of Australian firms to voluntarily adopt Carbon Neutral Certification and how they communicated their carbon neutral status. The researcher conducted a qualitative project and interviewed 32 senior decision makers in Climate Active certified carbon neutral firms across Australia. The findings from the study indicate that firms were mostly motivated by the economic benefits of CNC status and because they believed it was the right thing to do. The researcher also discovered that many firms did not communicate their carbon neutral status, an emerging phenomenon called Greenhushing.