Hey BCorpers
Just wondering who you use for your Carbon Neutral Certification and what functionality they offer? Eg. Can you track your footprint through an online platform and purchase offset credits through them or do they only offer footprint tracking/ creating a baseline etc.
We are currently looking to change things up in this area and wanted to see what our peers are doing.
Thanks
Sharon
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Ive been very unhappy with the options available for this as well for smaller entities. As far as I can tell it is effectively greenwashing that levels the playing field for companies who make no meaningful product, supply chain or operational practices for the environment. I would be interested to know who you use and what you are looking for.
hi @CompassStudio and @NaomiT . This is quite a complex topic and too long to fully address here. However some quick headlines:
There are myriad pathways a business can take to improve their carbon position. In Australia there is only one main authority issuing carbon neutral certification and that is Climate Active - there are a number of businesses offering a ‘badge’ for offsetting to zero, but they are not certifications. So be very careful about what is being offered to you.
There are also a number of organisations and platforms specialising in carbon accounting that have a conflict of interest in offering offsets as a solution after doing your calculations - this is because the vast majority take a clip on the offsets sold. This sometimes disincetivises them from offering meaningful reduction recommendations and jumping straight to offsetting as the solution.
What is most important is to measure your baseline, understand the levers for reduction and adopt a reduction plan. Offsets are a bandaid on a haemorrhage - they are meaningful only if there is an underlying reduction strategy as well.
There’s so much more to consider - like really interrogating the boundaries for what is being measured, how Scope 3 is being calculated (algorithms vs real data), the amount of transparency around the true cost of the offsetting packages being offered, etc. There are some great platforms out there that do a good job - some of my favourites are CarbonClick (great for micro-business without complex supply chains - and also a B Corp), NetNada, and Sustain Life - but I would recommend different platforms for different sized and shaped businesses. For larger more complex businesses there is the opportunity to work with carbon accountants instead of using a platform - Pangolin Associates, also a B Corp, are excellent. There is no one-size-fits-all. Happy to jump on a call and share further recommendations if needed… you can get me at rosanna@growthactivists.com
Hope this is helpful for you… 
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