What are the benefits for an organisation choosing to manage unavoidable carbon emissions through carbon offsets?
12.02.19
Severin Fischer
Non-technical
Tackling climate change at company level can create opportunities to increase its value. Conversely, a poor position can threaten a large share of value. In that perspective, carbon offsets:
• are cost effective action, while evaluating other internal reduction activities that might be more disruptive and costly to the business,
• foster high real impact - with a global requirement of 80% reductions by 2050, most businesses will struggle to make an impact on climate change through internal reductions alone,
• deliver verified emissions reductions, through third party labels and verification processes,
• are simple and immediate to use.
They offer opportunity for an organisation to:
• Be carbon neutral and demonstrate leadership: carbon offsetting is the way to meet a scientifically significant reduction target by compensating for its inevitable, unavoidable emissions.
• Differentiate from less responsible brands: many businesses are now looking beyond their immediate emissions to those created in their supply chain.
• Meet client demand for a strong statement on environmental action and build revenue streams through the development of new product lines which have strong environmental credentials.
• Inspire your workforce to engage with carbon reduction activities in-house as well as retain and attract employees by showing responsibility and action on the environmental impact of the business.
• Prepare for future compliance by demonstrating a robust carbon reduction programme as regulation is evolving quickly on the decarbonisation journey.
• Address investors which show increasing importance to environmental and climate performance, through global corporate rankings such as CDP or frameworks as the TCFD initiative.