Our Carbon Offsetting Projects for 2024
Each year, we partner with Climate Impact Partners and Nature Positive (an RSK company) to assess and offset the carbon emissions that remain after our internal emissions reduction processes.
We first achieved annual CarbonNeutral® company and fleet certification in January 2019. This means that 2024 will be the 6th consecutive year of us operating as a carbon-neutral company.
To achieve this esteemed certification, we must implement internal emission reductions, making sure that our intensity-based emissions are on the decline. Our greenhouse gas report, which is created by Nature Positive, assesses and details all our emission sources required by The Carbon Neutral Protocol. We publish the full report on our accreditations page each year so our customers have full transparency into our carbon footprint.
This year, the requirements of The Carbon Neutral Protocol have changed to make terms like “net zero” and “carbon neutral” easier for consumers to understand and to ultimately hold businesses more accountable for the emissions they produce. For example, a business could not throw caution to the wind in terms of its internal emissions, offset everything, and then be given a shiny CarbonNeutral® certification. Reductions must be made and organisations now must set verified science-based targets to ensure a sustainable future.
There are some activities, like powering industrial shredders in trucks, that will always produce some emissions. The CarbonNeutral Protocol allow these unavoidable emissions to be offset through the purchase of carbon credits from stringently vetted and verified offsetting projects.
Our offsetting projects for 2024
In previous years, we have supported multiple renewable energy projects in China and India – two of the world’s largest polluting countries. We have also supported a community reforestation project in Uganda. This year, we are supporting both renewables and afforestation.
Wind Power Portfolio, Turkey
The first project we are supporting is a wind power portfolio in Turkey. Turkey is taking positive steps in its efforts to use greener energy. Part of this process involves increasing its reliance on renewables.
Across the Wind Power Portfolio in Turkey, there are over 120 wind turbines. These turbines generate around 575,000 MWh of clean energy each year.
By supporting this project, which collectively employs over 40 people, we support four of the Sustainable Development Goals:
- Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- Goal 13: Climate Action.
Degraded Grasslands Afforestation, Uruguay
The second project we are supporting is the Guanare Afforestation Project in Uruguay. Through this projects, trees are being planted across several towns in Uruguay including Cerro Chato and Valentines. These serene regions were, unfortunately, extensively grazed by cattle. Now, the land will be multi-use, combining sustainable forestry with cattle grazing. Trees are being planted on the higher and more degraded grasslands to prevent further soil degradation in the most affected areas.
With this project, 22,000 hectares of trees are being harvested on a 22-year rotation. This will ensure a continuous supply of sustainable woodland, reducing the demand for illegal and unsustainable logging. Certified by the FSC, this project is balancing timber production with habitat creation. As a result, wildlife in the area is thriving and biodiversity is being restored.
This project supports three sustainable development goals:
- Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Goal 13: Climate Action
- Goal 15: Life on Land
We are delighted to have achieved CarbonNeutral® company and fleet certification once again.
We are also very pleased to share the news that this year, we also became a lifetime carbon-neutral business.
A huge thank you to Climate Impact Partners and Nature Positive for all their guidance, and an even huger thank you to our customers for continuing to support us on this journey.
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