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At The Carbon Literacy Project, we believe that education has a vital role to play in building a zero-carbon future. Across schools, colleges, universities, and wider learning settings, educators are helping learners not only understand climate change, but also develop the confidence and agency to act whilst providing them with the green skills, knowledge and mindset to navigate their future and be part of the transition workforce.

That’s why we’re excited to announce the relaunch of the Carbon Literate Educator (CLE) accreditation on 27th May 2026 — with a refreshed framework designed to make the accreditation more accessible, inclusive, and achievable for a wider range of educational institutions and individuals.

What is the Carbon Literate Educator Accreditation?

The Carbon Literate Educator accreditation is an internationally recognised badge which demonstrates that an educational institution is systematically reducing carbon emissions and embedding climate education and action through Carbon Literacy training. It is a tiered scheme reflecting increasing levels of commitment and achievement.

Listening to Our Community

Since the launch of the Carbon Literate Educator accreditation in 2024, we’ve received valuable feedback from educators and institutions across our community.

We not only listened, but in keeping with the mission of The Carbon Literacy Project, we acted.

The refreshed CLE accreditation keeps the same spirit and purpose — supporting meaningful climate action through education — while introducing several important changes to reduce barriers and better reflect the realities of educational settings.

What’s Changing?

A More Accessible Framework

To make the tiered accreditation more achievable for institutions of all sizes and contexts, we have:

• Removed the educator body target requiring institutions to meet both minimum certification percentages across educational audiences and an overall institutional target. Only the minimum percentage targets for each audience now remain.
• Altered percentage targets of learners certified to make these more accessible for the different educator audiences.
• Expanded and clarified our definitions of leadership to be more inclusive
• Reduced the number of actions required at each level

These changes are intended to maintain the integrity and ambition of the accreditation, while making participation more practical and inclusive for a broader range of institutions.

Introducing the New CLE Catalyst Award

We’re also introducing a brand-new Carbon Literate Educator Catalyst Award.

The Catalyst level recognises institutions and individuals who are building momentum around Carbon Literacy and climate action. It recognises and celebrates institutions that are going beyond the requirements of the CLE Standard and showcasing the positive climate action they are taking.

One CLE Catalyst Award will be awarded per annual CLE cohort to an educator at any accreditation level, depending on relative achievement.

The Accreditation Levels Explained

The refreshed accreditation pathway now provides a clearer progression route:

Bronze — Getting Started

Bronze recognises institutions beginning their Carbon Literacy journey, building awareness and establishing initial climate action commitments.

Silver — Training Staff

Silver focuses on equipping staff with the knowledge, confidence, and skills needed to support and deliver Carbon Literacy learning to students.

Gold — Student Roll-Out

Gold recognises institutions embedding Carbon Literacy more widely through student engagement and delivery.

Platinum — Whole Institution Transformation and Beyond

Platinum celebrates institutions demonstrating transformational, whole-system approaches to Carbon Literacy and climate action — influencing not only their own organisation, but also the wider community and sector.

Extended Application Deadline and Early Bird Relaunch Offer

We’re pleased to announce that the application deadline has now been extended until December 2026, giving institutions more flexibility and time to work towards their goals.

To celebrate the relaunch, we’re also offering a limited-time early bird discount for organisations that purchase their CLE package before the end of July 2026.

Importantly, pre-purchasing does not mean you need to start immediately. Institutions can secure the discounted rate now and begin their Carbon Literate Educator journey when they are ready.

Early Bird Discount Packages

Save when you purchase CLE accreditation with certificate applications, ready to certify your people. The more certificate applications you pre-purchase, the greater the discount.

Next Steps

If you’d like to find out more about how to become a CLE, you can:

• Watch the webinar recording.
• Download our CLE Pack.
• Book a call with us at fhe@carbonliteracy.com.