Integrity statement following The Guardian publication | Melbourne 20/01/2026
Aetium wishes to publicly respond to The Guardian regarding their article published on Tuesday 19 January 2026.
Aetium’s goal is to actively accelerate Australia’s transition to Net Zero by mobilising broad, credible community-led climate action.
What we are doing is NEW, and it has never been done before like this.
We exist to support people and businesses who take measurable climate action by owning solar, driving electric vehicles and protecting Australian forests.
We believe the best way to drive down net CO2 emissions is by rewarding participation, engaging the people that care and making it ‘personal'.
Before Aetium, there was no way to securely do this, and genuine change was needed. Previously, the cost of certifying CO2 reductions was way too high, making small-scale certifications impractical.
Aetium solved this issue by using technology to measure, calculate and record the results with a very high degree of accuracy and accountability, at a low price.
So far, Aetium has generated CO2 estimates for more than 4,000 individuals and small businesses and we have been working diligently with multiple organisations, regulators and government to explore the best path to report, reward and monetise these climate actions.
Prior to the Guardian contacting us, Aetium was not informed of any formal complaint lodged with the ACCC. To date, no carbon reductions have been certified by Aetium, no fees have been taken, no credits have been sold or retired, and no payments have been made (due to the minimum 12-month certification period).
Aetium is simply a technology company that measures and documents genuine CO2 reductions. If these CO2 reductions can be sold (which is still unknown), our hope is this will encourage more awareness and more investment. At the very least, people and businesses registering with Aetium are informed about the CO2 benefit of the investments they make.
For Australia to achieve Net Zero by 2050, we need more people involved and we need to do things differently. At any time, Aetium welcomes open discussion about the innovation needed to meet Australia’s climate targets.
Aetium formalised its vision in a 2024 White Paper, please contact us if you wish to receive a copy.
We would like to thank our existing members who have signed up with us, 80% of whom have committed to making further improvements. Much like maintaining good health, this is exactly the kind of consistent, positive behaviour that moves the dial on reducing CO2 emissions.
The registered charity, Climate Integrity, does not dispute that actions such as installing solar, driving electric vehicles, or protecting forests reduce net CO2 emissions. Their position is that current ‘additionality' rules do not allow these smaller, voluntary projects to be formally recognised.
That is precisely Aetium’s point: voluntary actions that materially reduce CO2 emissions should be recognised, encouraged, and supported. Please see below examples where ‘additionality’ meanings are evolving:
1. In 2021, the Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee (ERAC) stated: "The Committee does not believe that the additionality standard is intended to be interpreted as a strict financial additionality test. If a strict interpretation was applied, projects with financial co-benefits could be excluded”
2. In 2023, the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF), which sets the integrity standards for Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) took an approach that prioritises participation and administrative simplicity over rigid financial or technical tests. The ERF does not impose a strict financial additionality test, nor does it require projects to provide detailed financial evidence showing reliance on carbon credit revenue.
3. In December 2025, Verra issued the first CCP-labelled carbon credits under its VM0045 improved forest management methodology, marking a shift away from rigid interpretations of additionality that have historically excluded managed forests from [Family Forest Carbon Program].
4. In December 2025, Stellantis Korea announced that owners of its electric vehicles could convert the mileage they have accumulated into carbon credit rewards. The "Korean Electric vehicle program and unit reduction project" has been approved by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Bangsil, CEO of Stellantis Korea, stated, "For the first time in Korea, we are applying a virtuous cycle structure that connects each customer's eco-friendly actions to economic value, even for individual passenger car customers." Additionality resides at program level, it is anchored in avoided tailpipe emissions from EV use vs ICE use and confirmation through an official certified project.
5. Since 2013, the Alberta province in Canada has enabled small-scale solar systems to generate verified carbon credits for the clean electricity they produce. From 2022, the program has become accessible to households and small businesses by measuring actual solar output, converting avoided emissions into carbon credits, and selling them into Alberta’s regulated carbon market [Alberta Emission Offset System]. Additionality is established at the protocol level, not assessed individually for each household. Rather than proving financial additionality for each system, Alberta applies a standardised, rules-based additionality test. This approach recognises that while individual installations may be economically viable, the emissions reductions themselves would not occur without the underlying policy and crediting framework.
Solar | Driving quality and system efficiency
“Aetium's work will be essential in driving broader understanding and acceptance of the CO2 emissions reductions delivered by rooftop solars.” - John Grimes, CEO Smart Energy Council
"Aetium is a great product and service for the renewable energy industry, it will help customers keep their solar systems clean and well maintained through the value of certificates generated by the emissions offset by the solar itself." - Leigh Storr CEO, RESINC Solar
EV | Empowering consumers
“Aetium is driving real innovation in Australia’s EV ecosystem. Their solutions strengthen infrastructure, empower consumers and align perfectly with our mission to accelerate electrification and sustainable transport.” - Julie Delvecchio, CEO - Electric Vehicle Council
Nature | Protecting standing trees
"In a world where too many people say what can't be done - Aetium just get on with it. The Aetium platform has essentially democratised carbon measurement and sale. Its truly visionary and exciting. We're thrilled to be collaborating with the team." - Source - Monique Dawson, CEO Healthy Forests Foundation
As always, thank you for your ongoing support and we look forwarding to playing our part in tackling climate change.
The Aetium Team