CO2 compensation: Trusted organizations, certificates and climate prot

One thing is clear: our lifestyle produces vast amounts of harmful substances that pollute the environment. A completely emission-free life would be desirable, but unfortunately, it's not feasible in all situations. In recent years, more and more companies like Atmosfair, Ecosia, and Tomorrow Bank have emerged, aiming to help us offset our emissions or reduce our carbon footprint. But how does offsetting actually work? What should you keep in mind? What actually happens to the money you pay for carbon offsetting, for example, for a long-haul flight? And what about offsetting plastics?

What theory is behind CO2 compensation?

Many of our everyday actions , such as driving, online shopping, flying, taking the bus, or heating our homes, not only reflect our lifestyle but also inevitably lead to emissions . These, in turn, burden our climate. Therefore, some companies have specialized in offering us ways to offset this climate impact. The specific idea behind this is to compensate for the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) or other greenhouse gases, which are produced, for example, by flying, shopping, or heating our homes, by offsetting it elsewhere.

What happens to the money you pay for flight compensation?

One of the most prominent examples of CO2 compensation is probably offsetting air travel. But what exactly happens to the money you pay for compensation? It goes towards various climate protection projects! All these different activities can be categorized under four overarching goals:

Energy projects that promote renewable energies or aim to lead to greater energy efficiency.
Projects to reduce or integrate CO2
Projects to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest damage
Further emission reduction projects

The various projects aim to offset the CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions generated by our lifestyles. Those wishing to offset their carbon footprint first purchase a certificate, which is then used to finance a specific project. Some of these projects are located in the Global South.
For example, energy projects focus on promoting clean, renewable energy. Households that previously cooked over open fires are provided with biogas stoves. This reduces CO2 emissions and the health risks associated with burning wood or other materials. Additionally, deforestation is countered. Planting mixed forests helps reduce or sequester CO2. Incidentally, reforestation projects aren't the only focus – peatlands also play a crucial role in climate protection and must therefore be protected. They store twice as much carbon as is contained in forests worldwide! Furthermore, there are projects specifically addressing the waste and plastic pollution problem.
It is also important to know that the described compensation projects cannot be carried out without revenue from certificates.

Step by step to CO2 offsetting: Here's what you need to know.

Calculate emissions:
First and foremost, emissions calculators are a helpful tool: They allow you to quickly assess your lifestyle within minutes and develop an awareness of your personal carbon footprint. We've linked one such calculator here . When using these calculators, make sure the calculation methods are clearly explained.
Finding a trustworthy and transparent project provider:
As a reminder: Project providers sell certificates that finance climate protection projects. When choosing such a provider, you should absolutely ensure that they have been audited by an independent organization and meet the necessary quality standards. You can look for these five international standards: Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Verified Carbon Standard, Plan Vivo, the Gold Standard, and ISO 14064 .
In addition to these standards, you can of course also consider which environmental protection projects appeal to you personally, for example whether you would prefer to invest in a reforestation project or in the promotion of renewable energies.
Question your own actions and share knowledge:
Offsetting doesn't absolve us of the responsibility we bear for our emissions. Instead, consider whether you can avoid a particular action altogether. Feel free to share your newfound knowledge about offsetting with your acquaintances and friends. The more people participate, the greater the impact!

Plastic offsetting when shopping in our store: Our new pilot project with Circulate

In our Imperfect Shop, we naturally strive to avoid plastic in all areas, wherever possible. Nevertheless, some products in our shop are packaged in plastic or partially made of it. The startup Circulate has declared war on the global plastic problem and has been developing a way to offset one's own plastic consumption since last year. Christian, one of the founders of Circulate, contacted us in December 2020 and asked if we would like to support the startup in a pilot project.
How exactly does this project work? When we buy products containing plastic here in Germany, Circulate ensures that the same amount of plastic is collected and recycled under fair conditions in the Global South. Christian explained to us that Circulate achieves a so-called "triple impact" with its plastic compensation system. Specifically, he means these three impacts:
1. Collecting and recycling plastic waste reduces environmental pollution.
2. Fair jobs are created in the Global South.
3. Plastic offsetting is good for the climate! Increased recycling can save a significant amount of CO2 compared to producing new plastic .
Christian's colleague Vrinda lives in Surat, in northwestern India. She is a co-founder of Circulate.

"Plastic recycling in developing countries like India is often very unregulated," she laments. "In most cases, it involves the exploitation of those who are socially disadvantaged. But there are companies that offer fair wages and good working conditions for their workers."

Circulate collaborates with one such company, the waste management firm Sahaas Zero Waste. This company provides Indian waste workers with a safe working environment, fair wages, and thus better living conditions. Sahaas has been operating in this sector for eight years and believes in a holistic approach to waste management. This approach brings together people, nature, and technology to achieve a positive ecological and social impact. To implement these goals, the company employs 50 people on a permanent basis.
60% of the workers are women . "85% of your compensation money will go towards the future-oriented work of Sahaas Zero Waste and its workers," Vrinda assures us.
Circulate has much bigger plans and wants to encourage further projects of this kind. In the long term, they aim to create a huge database that stores the exact amount of plastic contained in every product. But first, the plastic compensation system needs to be established – and that's precisely why they launched their pilot project in mid-February 2021 in cooperation with our Unperfektshop. We're thrilled that this collaboration has come about!
If you indicate in your shopping cart that you'd like cards and stickers included, you'll now also receive a Circulate flyer. The flyer has a QR code printed on it. You can simply scan it to offset your plastic footprint. Find more information in our Circulate story highlight on Instagram !

Those with the really big footprints

Regarding both plastic and greenhouse gas emissions, it is undoubtedly important that each of us reduces—or offsets—our own consumption as much as possible. However, for the situation to truly improve significantly, large corporations must also be held accountable for the plastic and emissions they release into circulation. Until more political action is taken in this regard, we as consumers can focus on supporting companies that manage their carbon footprint transparently and responsibly .

Our conclusion on the topic of CO2 compensation

Climate-friendly actions should, of course, always take precedence over offsetting. A concrete example would be: instead of offsetting a domestic flight, it's better to travel by train. Unfortunately, sometimes plastic and greenhouse gas emissions are unavoidable. In some cases, we also lack the technologies and systems that would enable us to live a truly sustainable lifestyle. Until then, offsetting is a helpful way to reduce our own footprint. It would be desirable if large corporations also used this tool to achieve the most positive impact possible for our planet.