In 2021, we started balancing our greenhouse gas emissions with our agency. With ClimatePartner, we prepared a carbon footprint for the first time for 2020.
Once the balance sheet had been drawn up and the results were available, we decided to offset the emissions. This was also done via ClimatePartner – we were now proud to be a climate-neutral company! We received the “climate-neutral company” label in which our individual ID was embedded.
Just a marketing measure without any real substance?
Our website, email signatures and letterhead now featured the logo to show that we are now a climate-neutral company.
One year later, we also drew up a balance sheet (2021) and offset our emissions again. Over time, however, it became increasingly obvious that the term “climate neutral” is rather difficult. It was used in an inflationary way (example: everyone knows the logos on numerous products in drugstores …). For the consumer, it is not at all clear what is behind it and how this alleged climate neutrality was achieved in the first place. Let alone whether the companies have even taken serious measures to reduce their emissions!
It is quite obvious that the actually good basic idea (namely to compensate for currently unavoidable emissions) has in many cases become a pure marketing measure without any real substance.
And many a tree planting certificate turned out to be not entirely “clean” afterwards. The result: justifiably negative reporting on CO₂ certificates, which are often not very transparent and are obviously sometimes ineffective.
The term “climate neutral”
The term “climate neutral” is therefore often just an empty marketing slogan for companies that are not making any real efforts to bring about genuine change. You should not rest on your laurels when you have achieved climate neutrality through certificates!
After all, we decided from the outset to support exclusively projects for the expansion of renewable energies in the Global South with our offsetting services instead of reforestation that is difficult to trace (e.g. in South America). We still recommend this to our customers today.
Focus on avoiding and reducing greenhouse gases
In our sustainability report, we explain that in all our efforts, reducing is more important than compensating:
Our CO₂ footprint: we balance, compensate, AND reduce.
To be able to reduce sustainably, you first have to take stock!
Take stock, develop ideas, implement measures and continue to develop them year after year in order to keep reducing emissions. The annual greenhouse gas balance can of course be a good help in this process.
A greenhouse gas balance therefore still makes sense and we will continue to do so in the future. We also continue to offset our calculated CO₂ emissions.
However, instead of the term “climate-neutral company”, we now use a label with the title “Climate protection contribution” on our stationery. We feel “more comfortable” with this, as it expresses the fact that we want to make a contribution and are still a long way from reaching our goal on the road to sustainability.
With the upcoming “Green Claims Directive”, the EU is also preparing a legal framework that will establish binding rules for the use of such designations. This makes sense and brings more clarity.
We have been publishing our sustainability report, including our carbon footprint, on our website for several years: