For enterprises, organisations and individuals the reduction of their Carbon Footprint is an important step to more sustainability and on the way to climate neutrality. But in most cases, CO2 emissions cannot be entirely avoided.
By investing in carbon credits you offset your Carbon Footprint and help to fight climate change and to improve the living conditions of people in the project areas for example by increasing living standards, allowing access to education, creating jobs, improving health conditions or infrastructure and further more.
Most of the projects adhere to internationally recognised standards, e.g. the Gold Standard.
Carbon credits frm these Projects are registered with a unique number so that every involved party can check the status of their credits. Public registries ensure transparency, and that carbon credits are not double counted and are attributed to one single owner at any point in time.
We recommend - as required by PAS 2060 - that only carbon credits from projects that meet the following criteria should be used for offsetting:
More information on our projects you find on Carbon Offset Projects.
We will be happy to assists you in reducing your carbon footprint and in choosing projects eligible to your business to offset your CO2 emissions.
Due to increased enquiries regarding CO2 offsetting via projects within the EU (e.g. forest protection, reforestation, etc.), we take the liberty of referring to the relevant information provided by the German Emissions Trading Authority of the German Federal Environment Agency. Excerpts from this information page: "..If a domestic climate protection project achieves emission reductions – e.g. in forests or peatlands – this takes place on an area that is reported in the German greenhouse gas inventory and thus counted towards meeting emission reduction targets target. If these carbon sequestration were now to be used by a private individual to offset their own emissions and justify climate neutrality, this emission reduction would be double counted without the national ambition level having been increased. Double counting is still the case if the climate protection measure takes place on land owned by the stakeholder since the emission reduction or carbon sequestration achieved on that land is reported in the German greenhouse gas inventory regardless of land ownership. This double counting problem makes offsetting in Germany very complex. ‘Corresponding adjustments’ could also be shown in the German balance sheet to prevent double counting, or extra projects, project or sector areas could be set aside for use within the framework of a voluntary offsetting approach. However, no corresponding mechanisms have yet been envisaged for Germany (or the EU) that would allow domestic or intra-European reductions to be released to the voluntary market and removed from the national inventory. Due to the holistic German climate protection strategy across all sectors, there are also no possibilities to implement projects outside of the German NDC and use them for voluntary offsetting." " ....there is an alternative. Both national and international climate protection projects within and outside an NDC, can still be supported financially – without any risk of double counting. The alternative is to use the credits in a different way and communicate this correspondingly. The reduction result can be better identified and communicated as a contribution to the host country's emission reduction target instead of striving for a neutral position. This communication emphasises the climate protection contribution made as a joint effort to the emission reduction target (‘contribution claim’). For example, statements such as ‘Together we are helping Germany to achieve climate protection contribution’ or ‘On the way to mutual climate neutrality’ can be made. Instead of emphasising their own separate neutrality, a company or public administration may declare that they have made a financial contribution to the project country’s emission reduction target amounting to the emissions to be offset."
Contact: claudia.rosmanith@eecaustria.at
