Companies that buy offsets do most to reduce emissions

A recent analysis by Ecosystem Marketplace of companies that report to CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) found that those buying carbon offsets are reducing their emissions more quickly than those that don’t buy offsets. This puts paid to the idea that offsetting is used by companies as an alternative to taking action. Rather it appears that offsetting indicates that a company has an effective emissions management strategy in place.

Of companies that report to CDP, those that buy offsets are more likely to have

–       improved energy efficiency in buildings and processes

–       switched to renewable energy

–       set an internal price on emissions

–       tackled emissions from transportation

–       put in place ways of financing emission reductions and

–       set both absolute and intensity targets for emission reductions.

These are impressive findings that reflect what we know of our customers – those that offset emissions are those that are doing most to reduce emissions, and not vice versa.