Environmentally friendly element that doesn't react (6-7)

I believe the answer is:

carbon-neutral

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'environmentally friendly element that doesn't react' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'element that doesn't react' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'element' could be 'carbon' (carbon is a kind of element) and 'carbon' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'neutral' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.

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