The Charity Commission is assessing concerns raised at an environmental charity following reports that a former employee complained to the regulator.
A former employee of Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) wrote to the Commission last month to accuse the charity of acting against its mission, according to reports by Reuters.
The employee reportedly said that trustees of the charity, whose guidance major companies use to set their net zero goals, had acted “recklessly” by announcing plans in April to allow companies to use carbon credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.
SBTI had previously rejected companies’ use of carbon offsets in its guidance but in April said it would consult on the “responsible use of environmental attribute certificates in target setting”.
Some employees of the charity raised concerns about this move at the time, with some reportedly calling for its former chief executive Luiz Amaral to resign.
Amaral stepped down earlier this month for personal reasons.
Now, the Commission has confirmed it is assessing concerns raised at the charity.
Charity has not seen complaint
According to Reuters, the anonymous complaint alleges that SBTI’s trustees had breached company rules and ignored expert opinion by announcing they would consider allowing carbon offsets.
An SBTI spokesperson said it had not seen the complaint made to the Commission and reported by Reuters so it was “hard to comment”.
“The SBTI’s charitable purpose includes research and the development of standards,” they said.
“The work we are doing reflects that and there have been no changes to the Corporate Net Zero Standard.
“We will be providing more detail on this in due course, including an extensive consultation process, and we look forward to the contributions made from civil society, business and governments.”
A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “We are assessing concerns raised about Science Based Targets Initiative to determine if there is a role for the Commission, and any next steps.”
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