Deep dive: carbon offsetting

Businesses like XD Connects are taking responsibility for their negative impact on people and planet. By offsetting the carbon emissions (CO2) that we have not (yet) reduced, we compensate negative impact with investment in projects that have lasting positive impact on the environment and the people dependent on it.

Approach to lower impact

 

When businesses look to reduce the negative impact on the environment as a result of their operations, the general approach is to: 

  1. Measure: CO2 emissions (or, footprint) are used to define impact on the environment.
  2. Reduce: this step is key! Not having a negative impact in the first place is much preferred to offsetting. This is what the ESG roadmap at XD Connects is all about.
  3. Offset: this is a last resort, to compensate for any remaining CO2 footprint.

Although offsetting is a last resort, and not an aim in and of itself, it funds impactful projects fighting the (effects of) climate change. Companies have a range of projects they can choose from which operate in the ‘carbon credit market’. It’s important to carry out carbon offsetting within this system to make sure you are offsetting the right amount relative to your impact, and that there is transparency about your offsetting, i.e. your impact.   

Carbon credits

 

Carbon offsetting happens in a carbon credit market. A carbon credit represents one tonne of CO2. A company defines the amount of CO2 it wants to offset and then invests the equivalent amount in carbon credits in a project of their choice. Carbon credits for some projects cost more than others, due to the nature of the project. The type of projects can range anywhere from infrastructure, to clean energy, to agriculture and are local, regional, or global in scale. Good to note here is that, even though the carbon market is global and organisations like Gold Standard and Trees for All operate globally, the project supporting with our carbon credits are implemented by local partners. 

XD Connects supports

 

  1. Wind power in Karnataka, India

By supporting this project we contribute to clean energy in India; energy that would otherwise have been generated using fossil fuels. This is a Gold Standard® Certified Project. The XD Connects credits are visible here, and the details of this project can be found here.

  1. Responsible agriculture in Bolivia

We found our second project via our long-term partner Trees for All. The ArBolivia project enables farmers of the Andes forest to transition from traditional agriculture and cattle (with a large impact on the environment) to sustainable agroforestry. Read all about the project here, or check out the video here.  

 

Want to know more?

 Here are some external resources which provide a great insight into the world of carbon offsetting.