WHAT ARE CARBON OFFSETS AND DOES YOUR BUSINESS NEED THEM?

Over the years, there’s been mounting emphasis on environmental sustainability, and many businesses are taking note. But, despite the continued conversations, smaller businesses are often slower to implement sustainability practices.

WHAT ARE CARBON OFFSETS?

Even if you’re mindful and environmentally conscious, doing business requires a certain amount of carbon emissions—from manufacturing products to transporting them to their final destinations.

Think of carbon offsets as a form of trade. A carbon offset is a way of balancing or “cancelling out” the emissions of your business by investing in projects, activities, and initiatives that work to reduce carbon.

In fact, only 38% of small businesses have invested in environmental adaptation, even though they account for 90% of businesses worldwide and make up more than 50% of global emissions.

Small businesses don’t have access to the same capital and resources that large organisations do when it comes to making environmentally

Basically, it’s the more formalized version of planting a tree for every truck of products you ship, as just one example.

SO... WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CARBON NEUTRAL?

You may have heard the term “carbon neutral” used in various sustainability conversations.

If it’s caused head scratching and confusion in the past, here’s the gist: When a company is carbon friendly changes. However, there’s still good news: Businesses don’t necessarily need a huge budget, a dedicated sustainability team, or a ton of know-how to make a positive impact. neutral, they’ve achieved a perfect balance between how much carbon they’re eliminating and how much carbon they’re emitting. They’ve counteracted the bad with the good. It’s a status that’s gaining more and more steam and prestige, especially among larger businesses.

What is one way that you can reduce your emissions and contribute to a healthier future for the planet? Carbon offsets.

A reported 23% of Fortune 500 companies have made a public commitment that they’ll be carbon neutral, using 100% renewable power, or meeting a Science-Based Target (or a combination of those three initiatives) by the year 2030. Even Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has pledged that the company will be carbon neutral by 2040.