5 Ways UK businesses can enhance their emission reduction strategies

What is carbon offsetting?

Carbon offsetting allows businesses to compensate for residual carbon emissions produced through industrial activity by investing in initiatives that actively reduce, avoid or remove CO2 being released into the atmosphere elsewhere.

When a business invests in a carbon offsetting scheme, they receive carbon offset credits which represent the amount of CO2 – or other GHG – emissions being removed, avoided or reduced.

 

How to carbon offset a business?

The first step is to calculate your business’ total carbon emissions. This can be done using online calculators such as that provided by The Carbon Footprint Ltd and The Carbon Trust.

Once you have worked out your carbon footprint, you can take measures to reduce it – such as introducing electric vehicles and using renewable energy. A focus on internal efforts to reduce emissions must always be the priority for all businesses. This will have the most immediate and long-term impact.

Having taken these measures to lower your emissions, you will be left with what is known as your ‘residual emissions’; those emissions that are too hard to reduce or avoid for whatever reason (this could be cost, currently available technology limitations etc…). You can then begin to explore the different offsetting schemes available. 

Here we will take a look at some of the carbon offsetting programmes available to UK businesses keen to offset their emissions.

Of course, the best schemes and projects are based right here in the UK, meaning companies can be assured of their true impact and can, in most cases, visit the projects themselves too!

 

Woodland creation  

With its natural carbon-storing properties, woodland creation has long been recognised as an effective form of carbon offsetting when done properly.

Investing in tree planting projects enables businesses to balance their carbon emissions with that absorbed by the trees. The average tree can absorb up to 22kg of CO2 from the atmosphere each year, with the potential to offset a significant amount of business emissions!

The Woodland Carbon Code authenticates carbon credits produced through woodland creation. These can then be used in an offsetting calculation when the tree has grown and the carbon sequestration process has begun.

 

Peatland restoration

Naturally, we cannot discuss carbon offsetting for business without mentioning peatland restoration.

Damaged peatlands are a major source of CO2, making up around 5% of global anthropogenic emissions. Yet, restoring these peatlands actively removes CO2 from the atmosphere. In Scotland alone, healthy peatlands store 1.8 billion tonnes of CO2 – that’s 140 years of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Perhaps one of the best things about peatland restoration is that the effects are felt almost immediately. As soon as the peatland is restored, emissions are reduced and biodiversity begins to be boosted. Companies – their stakeholders, customers and employees - can also visit such sites to see the impact of the investment in action.

The Peatland Code provides independent assurance to UK businesses interested in carbon offsetting through peatland restoration. An independently verified, voluntary certification standard, the Peatland Code upholds the highest standards for restoration projects and verifies carbon credits produced through the activity.

 

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy offsets are claimed by businesses investing in renewable projects that reduce the demand for fossil-fuel-based energy production.

Financially supporting renewable energy efforts, such as wind farms and hydropower, ultimately reduces the need for fossil-fuel-powered electricity, and thereby removes GHG that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. Likewise, businesses can purchase electricity from renewable sources, reducing their carbon footprint and relieving their reliance on fossil fuels.

It is also worth mentioning here that, in the case of Hydropower, peatland restoration can enhance the capacity for renewable energy. By slowing the flow of water from uplands, particularly during high rainfall, peatlands extend the tail of generating capacity and thus, more energy is produced.  

 

Engineered Removals

Expected to become a major new infrastructure sector for the UK, engineered greenhouse gas removals capture carbon dioxide and permanently store it outside of the atmosphere.

Carbon capture technology presents a powerful solution to historic and unavoidable CO2 emissions. Actively removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it deep underground is a safe, scalable and crucially, permanent, strategy to address climate change and meet global emission reduction targets.

For businesses looking to invest in progressive emission reduction strategies, engineered greenhouse gas removal is an innovative emerging technology that has a profound impact on climate change.

 

Emerging Offsetting Options:

Enhanced weathering

Enhanced weathering is gaining traction as a strategy to address climate change by removing CO2 from the air and storing it in rocks. The process relies on actively combining the compounds found in weathered, worn-away rocks and ocean water or rain.

To scale this up, rocks such as olivine are pulverised into dust and spread on beaches and the ocean to break down and lock up carbon as it dissolves. This innovative solution to carbon sequestration can be funded by organisations looking to offset emissions.

 

Biochar

Biochar is a charcoal-like, carbon-rich material created by heating biomass in a low-oxygen environment through a process known as pyrolysis. This process prevents emissions that would otherwise be released from the natural decaying, or active burning, of biomass and removes this carbon from the atmosphere.

Biochar is regularly used as a soil additive which improves organic fertiliser and soil biological processes, contributing to enhanced soil health and crop productivity.

Much like carbon credits, biochar credits can be purchased to offset emissions produced elsewhere.

 

Seagrass restoration

Much like peatland restoration, seagrass restoration recovers seagrass meadows in the UK to enhance biodiversity, protect ecosystems and tackle the climate emergency.

A flowering plant found underwater, seagrass can absorb and store up to 10% of the carbon buried in ocean sediment each year. However, industrial growth, pollution, anchoring, over-tourism and stronger storm events have damaged the UK’s seagrass.

Campaigns to protect and conserve seagrass meadows, such as improving seawater quality and stopping harmful fishing practices, are all gaining steam as a means to protect this carbon-rich resource and offset greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Choosing a carbon offsetting programme

Carbon offsetting provides UK businesses with a means to minimise their carbon footprint and mitigate the harshest effects of climate change. And as more companies look to ‘go green’ there are ever more ways to do so.

However, when choosing a carbon offsetting project, businesses should consider three key areas.

Integrity – Are the projects going to deliver on their intended outcomes? Are they independently audited? Are they being maintained over the long term? Do they benefit the communities around them? 

Efficiency – How long does it take for GHG to be removed, avoided or reduced after the project has begun?  Does this meet the business aspirations?

Permanency – How long will the positive impact be felt? In the case of peatland restoration, CO2 is stored for the long term, giving businesses confidence in their investment. 

Scale – How much of an impact will the project have? To make a real difference on your business’s carbon footprint, you will need to consider the size of the project.

Relevance – Is the project UK based? Does the project resonate with your company values?

These are only some of the questions that you should have in mind, but they will put you in a good position to choose a scheme that meets your business’ environmental and carbon goals.

Are you considering peatland restoration to tackle the residual emissions of your business? Does this blog perhaps leave you with more questions than answers?

 

Get in touch with us to be matched to a tailor-made project that meets your company’s requirements and objectives or simply to have a chat on all things peatland and carbon.