Carbon offset programs have come a long way from the days of planting a few trees to offset your round-trip flight to New York. Nowadays, there are an increasing number of companies in this space with a huge selection of varied projects around the world that not only capture carbon but look to reduce the demand and production of carbon emissions.
A large number of these projects actually go beyond this and provide welfare and boost economies in developing nations around the world. Since the Kyoto treaty in 1997, companies began reducing their carbon by purchasing carbon credits to finance carbon reduction schemes or CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) projects. These credits were only available in developing nations leading to a large number of projects in these countries.
Although there has been harsh criticism of the CDM, there are now independent certified standards that approve certain projects so we know we are buying carbon credits for the right reasons. Some of the most regarded standards include Gold Standard, QAS, Verified Carbon Standard and Plan Vivo.
These newly created projects, often located in developing nations work two-fold by reducing carbon emissions as well as providing a socio-economic boost. This means that when donating to these projects, you can offset your carbon whilst also promoting your company's social responsibility.
Whether it’s providing fuel efficient cookstoves in Nigeria or delivering carbon-reducing clean water in Haiti, there are some really innovative projects out there to suit any company looking to boost their CSR programme. If you’re interested in learning more, drop us an email at hello@zentiveagency.com.