Greenly decided to edit recommendations so that companies are able to navigate the risks associated with carbon offsetting.

The benefits and limits of carbon offsetting

Carbon credits have generated an increasing amount of controversies during the beginning of the 2020’s - culminating in the turmoil generated by SBti’s declaration to integrate them in scope 3 reduction targets. These controversies resulted in the market shrinking significantly in 2023, loosing up to 60% for its initial value. It went from a booming market to being a disregarded option in corporate climate strategies. Yet, as stated by the IPCC, the increase of natural or industrial carbon sinks is necessary to uphold the Paris agreements and limit the impacts of climate change. 

In line with science, Greenly thus decided to edit recommendations so that companies are able to navigate the risks associated with carbon offsetting and contribute to reaching Global Net Zero.

Carbon offsetting is a mechanism by which companies or individuals finance projects that benefit the environment. Essentially, it's an investment in initiatives that reduce or capture an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. When offsetting, companies get offsetting certificates that they can leverage to prove they have a financed a project. Each of these certificates represent a ton of CO2e, allowing companies to compare the benefits they finance to their yearly emissions.

So far, offsetting is completely voluntary for companies. It occurs on the voluntary carbon markets, where companies typically go to a broker to buy offset certificates. A broker aggregates a selection of offsetting project based on different quality and availability criteria.

Projects are typically led by NGOs and must prove that they comply with a list of quality criteria imposed by the broker. They also compute the total offset certificates their project is going to generate by comparing the emissions in a scenario where the project is carried through and a scenario without it.

Companies choose the amount they offset based on their GHG Assessment or LCA results, and typically pick projects based on price, geography and activity sector. Companies that heavily rely on offset typically choose a portfolio of project to limit risks.

Offsetting certificates are traded on voluntary carbon markets (VCM). The voluntary carbon markets (VCM) currently represents a very small portion of the reductions needed to achieve the 1.5°C Paris temperature goal pathway in 2030, but are growing significantly. According to South Pole, a climate consulting company, between 2017 and 2021 both the issuance and retirement of VCM carbon offsets more than tripled, and some predictions call for global VCM demand to increase 15-fold between 2021 and 2030, and 100 times by 2050.

Carbon capture and storage is necessary according to the Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement states that the signatory countries agree on the objective to keep the average global warming to 1.5°C or well below 2°C. In order to comply with this promise, the IPCC estimates that yearly world emissions must follow a strict reduction ranging from 4 to 7% per year compared to a baseline. By 2030, emissions should thus have been reduced by 30 to 50%, and by 2050, the world must reach global Net Zero: a state where yearly emissions are offset by the yearly capture.

The IPCC estimates in their average scenarios that 5 to 10% of global emissions in 2020 will be hard to abate and are unlikely to be avoided by then. We would thus need to capture and store 5 to 10% of global emissions yearly by then. This implicates raising significantly our carbon capture and storage capacity - multiplying it nearly by 20 compared to what it is today.

Offsetting certificates might help us to achieve this by funnelling private investment into such projects.

Historical emissions and mitigation financing

Further, since historical emissions are permanently stored in the atmosphere, all countries do not have the same responsibility in the current global warming, with Europe and the US representing more than half the total cumulative emissions.

This situation sparked discussion about possible retributions to developing countries, as they need considerable investment in both mitigation and adaptation and have not fully benefited from the economic boost brought by fossil fuel yet. While these discussions have been unsuccessful so far, they will constitute key topics of future COPs.

In line with these issues, offsetting can contribute to a form of retribution, particularly through community support projects.

Offsetting has the potential to slow down reduction efforts: offsetting is currently perceived as cheaper than constructing and implementing a GHG reduction plan, and some corporations seem to be under the impression that it is sufficient to guarantee meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreements.

Even if we meet capture and storage targets by 2050, emissions still need to be reduced by 90-95% by then. Offsetting can thus not be used to discard emissions from GHG Assessments (so-called "compensation"). 

For further information on why offsetting slows reduction efforts, we recommend you read the corresponding article by carbone 4.

Technical Limitations of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

Emissions still need to be reduced because we will not be able to bring carbon capture and storage capacity to a state where all our current emissions are absorbed yearly. This is because of two main technical limitations to consider:

Limited Capacity: The capacity for industrial CCS and nature-based solutions is limited. There are constraints on land use for nature-based solutions, and industrial CCS is not a mature technology yet, as discussed by this financial times video.

Temperature Stabilization: The capacity for carbon capture depends on the stabilization of temperatures. Rising temperatures can affect biomass and reduce storage potential, as well as the economy's ability to finance industrial carbon capture and storage. Thus, offsetting without reducing further limits our capacity to meet Net Zero. For further information on climate change related feedback loops, take a look at the corresponding wikipedia page.

Finally, although there are quality criteria to check for the reality of avoided or captured emissions, offsetting still faces accounting issues. Here are the key concerns:

Overcounting: Some offset projects, such as rainforest projects, have been claimed to be worthless. The Forest Carbon Program has also been found to systematically overcount carbon credits, as reported by Carbon Brief.

Durability: The durability of offset credits is a concern. What happens when there is no more funding? In the case of nature based solutions, emissions might be released back into the atmosphere by deforestation.

Additionality: A significant portion of projects are likely to be not additional. This has been shown for clean development mechanism projects (the equivalent of offsetting at the country levels in the context of the Kyoto protocol). This raises core questions about the effectiveness of offsetting.

Lastly, some offset projects lead to the alienation of indigenous people from their lands and human rights abuses, as land was privatized for ecosystem protection. 

These side social, environmental or economic impacts are called externalities and are not taken into account in project price, leading to unfair situations. Read more about an example of what can happen here.

Greenly’s conclusions and recommendations

Given the scientific evidence, Greenly decided to take action and transform its offsetting offer and recommendations to be better aligned with the latest conclusions.

First, Greenly removed a set of offsetting projects from its platform as a measure of precaution, as their credibility is seriously doubted. 

Forest protection projects aims to protect forest parcels, typically in the rainforest, against deforestation. 

These projects thus rely on the threat of the parcel being deforested to claim they avoid emissions. Research from the University of Cambridge has shown that in most of these project, the threat is actually strongly overstated, calling into question the value of the credits: are carbon emissions really avoided if it was unlikely that they would be emitted in the first place?

This conclusion has been further supported by peer-reviewed articles.

Second, projects have been criticized to only move deforestation to other parcels (so-called carbon leakage). While the standards certifying projects claim to handle this issues, it seems unlikely to go be solved until government action replace punctual, voluntary frameworks.

Third, the durability of these projects have been called into question. While carbon is effectively stored while credits are sold, what happens if the projects receive insufficient funding? What happens if an accident occurs (a fire, for instance), and the carbon gets release? So far, research shows these projects do not offer protection against these eventualities.

Lastly, these project have had bad press because they are linked to Human rights issues, with local people being forcibly removed from their land or deprived of their work. 

To conclude, Yadvinder Singh Malhi, a professor of ecosystem science at the University of Oxford, stated to the Guardian in 2023  “Many of these projects may have brought lots of benefits in terms of biodiversity conservation capacity and local communities, but the impacts on climate change on which they are premised are regrettably much weaker than hoped.” 

Reforestation projects aims at replanting an area with trees where there recently was a forest, while afforestation projects aim at planting trees on a previously barren land.

On top of the second, third and last issues above, that are also applicable to reforestation and afforestation projects, these projects have been plagued by seedling growth small success rates, effectively releasing carbon stored in the atmosphere.

Further, human reforestation/afforestation initiative are typically less efficient at storing carbon than just letting forest regrow without intervention: letting forest regrow without human intervention has further potential to store CO2. This is emphasized by the fact that most reforestation or deforestation projects are actually part of forest exploitation systems that rely on monoculture and/or culture of non-native species (that can become invasive!). This call into question the efficiency of funding such projects, when better success would have been achieved by simply protecting the land.

Finally, while renewable energy projects are typically quite reliable and often benefit the local populations, renewable energy development is well underway and typically economically viable. We can thus seriously call into doubt the additionality of these offsetting credits: credits are worthless if the plants had been build without the financial support of companies. Research estimates that roughly 50% of projects would have been put in place regardless of corporate funding. 
In conclusion, in the state of the voluntary carbon market, Greenly recommends the use of forest protection projects should thus be used with the intent of biodiversity conservation, the avoidance of reforestation and afforestation projects, especially those relying on monoculture and forest exploitation, and avoiding renewable energy projects altogether. 

Greenly will thus exclude these projects from their offer as a measure of precaution and seek to find partners that answers the issues aforementioned.

Gradually move towards carbon capture and long term storage

Currently, 95% of the voluntary market is currently constituted of emission avoidance projects. While both capture and avoidance are necessary and legitimate actions to contribute to Net Zero, in line with the Oxford science based offsetting principles.

Greenly recommends financing should gradually move away from avoided emissions towards long term capture storage to ensure meeting the capture levels in 2050. At scale, carbon capture and storage is necessary to capture hard to abate emissions by 2050, and funding is more and more necessary to bring these projects to scale.

Lastly, to be consistent with the polluter pays principle, Greenly recommends your offsetting levels should be computed based on your scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG Assessments. In line with the necessary capture levels by 2050 (5-10% of current emissions) we recommend you aim for yearly offsetting certifications reaching up to 10% of your total yearly emissions. If you decide to go above this line, Greenly recommends specifying that the purchase of offsets don’t limit the ambition to reduce these emissions. 

Unfortunately, even when following the recommendations, there is no zero risk when it comes to offsetting: the voluntary carbon market is unregulated and projects can be opaque.  Greenly thus recommends the 10% offsetting goal be reached through a variety of projects to mitigate the global risk.

Finally, Greenly suggests setting a floor price for choosing projects. This aims to redirect funding towards reduction actions, and to avoid the cheapest projects that might not be additional or overestimate the emissions reduced or captured. The value of the threshold is debatable, but we suggest starting by setting it at 25 euros per tCO2e, in line with discussions held at COP28.

To go further, France Stratégie estimates that to uphold the Paris Agreements, every action costing less than 250 euros per ton of CO2e removed must be implemented by 2030. In this context, Greenly might progressively raise its floor price recommendations to make sure the necessary reduction actions are always prioritized by clients!

After starting her career at Greenly in 2022, she started a joined PhD between the startup and CentraleSupélec to improve company sustainabilty performance ratings.

Marine Kohler

Marine has an engineering degree from the French school of CentraleSupélec and a masters in Industrial Management from DTU. After starting her career at Greenly in 2022, she started a joined PhD between the startup and CentraleSupélec to improve company sustainabilty performance ratings.

Kara joined the team at Greenly in 2023 as SEO copywriter for the UK market.

Kara Anderson - Greenly

Kara Anderson holds an undergraduate law degree and a master’s degree in international law from the University of Glasgow and the University of Aberdeen, specialising in human rights and EU law, where she developed strong research and writing skills. After working at Ernst & Young as part of their audit graduate scheme and gaining experience in analytics, she transitioned to advertising, working with major global brands like American Express and Dove.
In 2023, Kara joined Greenly as a writer, focusing on sustainability and climate-related topics for the UK market. Her work spans a wide range of environmental issues, including climate science, sustainable development, and climate policy. Collaborating with climate scientists, Kara has produced data-driven investigations into key climate challenges. With a passion for international politics, sustainable development, and climate change science, she continues to build her expertise in the field and is currently pursuing further training in journalism.

Copywriter specialising in environmental thematics

Ines Gendre is a copywriter specialising in environmental issues. She joined Greenly's team in 2022.

Ines Gendre

Ines Gendre holds a master’s degree in marketing and began her career in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. After retraining, she joined Greenly in 2022 as a copywriter specializing in environmental issues. Ines brings her expertise to companies and individuals seeking to understand the challenges of climate change, the green transition, and their impact on society and the economy. Trained in key tools for developing climate strategies - such as Carbon Assessments, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), and carbon offsetting - she will begin studying political science at Oxford University in England in January 2025.

After seeking opportunities to put her various creative passions to good use, she joined Greenly in mid 2022 as SEO copywriter for the U.S. blog to provide her American perspective on the climate change issues we face today.

Stephanie Safdie - Greenly

Stephanie completed a bachelor's degree in English & Multimedia in 2020 at the University of Maryland College Park. She previously worked as a social media content video creator and freelance copywriter. After seeking opportunities to put her various creative passions to good use, she joined Greenly in mid 2022 as SEO copywriter for the U.S. blog to provide her American perspective on the climate change issues we face today. 

Quentin Bourhis, Climate Expert at Greenly

Ben Field, Climate Action Strategist at Patch

Alexis Normand

Alexis is a 37 year-old graduate of HEC and Sciences-Po. After his studies, he spent 2 years working in public policy consulting. He then spent 6 years at Withings, a leading company in connected objects. While there, he continued the companies operations in Boston, USA, and created the company’s health department. After the company was bought by Nokia, he joined the startup Embleema by working through Techstars, one of the best startup incubators in the United States, where he developed a taste for entrepreneurship. His return to France was an opportunity to put all his experience at the service of the environment, during a crucial moment in the climate crisis.

Arnaud Delubac

Arnaud, 26 years old, trained as a designer and in digital communication at INSEEC before joining the Master Entrepreunariat at ESSEC-CentraleSupélec. Passionate about social media since his teenage years, he has created some of the biggest Twitter communities in France before joining the digital communication team of the Prime Minister’s office in Matignon. It was at the Secretaries of State for Digital, Mounir Mahjoubi and Cédric O, where Arnaud directly managed the team, that he developed a strong conviction for the need to use technology to bring awareness to the greatest causes of our time.

Matthieu Vegreville

Matthieu is a 28 year-old graduate engineer from Ecole Polytechnique and Télecom Paris, with a background in data science at Withings. While there, he worked on watch activity detection algorithms, and developed a health study activity so that connected objects could be used to better monitor certain pathologies. He has long been involved in data science projects with his brother, who has the same training. Faced with the urgency of the climate crisis, he decided to put his know-how at the service of the environment. 

Justine Dumont

Justine a toujours été passionnée de lecture et d’écriture. En 2019, elle parvient justement à faire de sa passion son métier, en devenant rédactrice web indépendante. Motivée par ses engagements écologiques, elle rejoint l’équipe de Greenly en 2022 afin de mettre ses compétences au service de la cause environnementale. 

Zeus Packaging calculates their Carbon Footprint with Greenly !

Zeus Packaging carries out its Carbon Footprint with Greenly

Zeus Packaging Carbon Footprint - Greenly

What can you tell us about your company? 🔍 

Founded in 1998, ZEUS Packaging Ltd. has grown to become a global leader in packaging solutions, providing innovative and sustainable packaging products to businesses across various industries. Our commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction has propelled our expansion, and today, we operate in multiple countries, offering a comprehensive range of packaging solutions that meet the diverse needs of our clients. From food packaging to industrial applications, ZEUS Packaging is dedicated to delivering excellence in every product we offer.

Our partnership with Greenly underscores our commitment to sustainability and our proactive approach in reducing our carbon footprint. Through this collaboration, we are able to measure, manage, and mitigate our greenhouse gas emissions effectively.

Why did you decide to carry out a GHG assessment? 🤔

At ZEUS Packaging Ltd., we believe that understanding our environmental impact is crucial to driving meaningful change. By conducting a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) assessment, we aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of our carbon footprint, identify areas for improvement, and implement effective strategies to reduce our emissions. This assessment not only aligns with our corporate social responsibility goals but also meets the increasing demands from our investors and clients for transparent and accountable environmental practices.

Before partnering with Greenly, we had a general sense of our emissions but lacked the detailed, data-driven insights necessary to make targeted improvements. Also, we had already initiated several CSR initiatives, such as reducing energy consumption in our operations and promoting recycling programs. The GHG assessment with Greenly helped us quantify these efforts and identify additional opportunities for reduction.

We chose Greenly for their expertise and innovative approach to managing carbon data, particularly in highly regulated markets. Their tools and support system are designed to simplify the complex process of carbon accounting, making it easier for us to integrate sustainable practices into our business model.

Greenly's user-friendly SaaS platform and comprehensive carbon calculators provided us with accurate and actionable data. Their approach is both pragmatic and thorough, ensuring we have a clear path to achieving our sustainability goals.

The tools were intuitive and easy to use, allowing us to seamlessly track and analyse our carbon footprint. The detailed reports and insights provided a solid foundation for our sustainability initiatives.

Our carbon assessment with Greenly revealed that we emit almost 200k tCO2e annually. To address this, we are exploring the implementation of several action items, initially placing focus on our Scope 1 & 2 emissions but also including adopting a responsible purchasing policy that prioritises suppliers with strong environmental credentials. We plan to invest in energy-efficient technologies, exploring alternative fuels for our fleet and enhancing our recycling programs to further reduce our emissions. These steps are part of our broader strategy to achieve a significant reduction in our carbon footprint over the next five years.


The assessment taught us the importance of accurate data collection and the need for continuous monitoring to make meaningful progress. It also highlighted areas where we can make impactful changes, particularly in our supply chain and operational efficiency.

We are implementing a responsible purchasing policy, upgraded our facilities with energy-efficient lighting and equipment, and enhanced our recycling programs. Additionally, we have started engaging our employees in sustainability initiatives to foster a culture of environmental responsibility.

By reducing our carbon footprint, we not only contribute to global sustainability efforts but also enhance our brand reputation and meet the growing demand for eco-friendly products from our customers. This positions us as a responsible and forward-thinking leader in the packaging industry, ultimately benefiting our business and stakeholders.

Today, we are proud to announce that we have finalized a complete audit with Greenly in order to take concrete climate action and limit our identified emissions!

SFA Group carries out its Carbon Footprint with Greenly

SFA Group calculates their Carbon Footprint with Greenly !

SFA Group Carbon Footprint - Greenly

Embracing sustainable practices isn't just a choice; it's our responsibility to build a greener future. Greenly has been instrumental in reshaping our approach towards a more eco-friendly tomorrow.

The SFA Group is a world leader in the development and manufacture of solutions for domestic and professional use wherever water flows and drains. At the core of our existence is our unwavering mission: to design and manufacture innovative solutions that improve people’s lives at home and at work and ensure seamless interaction with water-related systems. With more than 1,200 employees and 28 subsidiaries around the world, the SFA Group is a global company with 4 core divisions:

Sanitary pumps and macerator pumps for domestic use

Products for showers, hydrotherapy and spas

Why did you carry out a carbon assessment?

At SFA Group, our commitment to sustainability goes beyond words; it's embedded in our actions. Conducting a comprehensive GHG assessment allows us to measure our environmental impact accurately. We believe that understanding our emissions is crucial for setting meaningful targets and steering our initiatives towards a more sustainable future.

As a local company headquartered in Paris but operating on a global scale, our choice of partners reflects our commitment to bridging local expertise with global outreach. Greenly, rooted in France yet with a global perspective, perfectly aligns with our approach. Their understanding of local regulations coupled with an international outlook resonates with our commitment to environmental responsibility. Selecting Greenly as a partner allows us to merge local insights with a global vision, advancing our environmental goals on an international level.

Our carbon assessment showed that our emissions in 2022 were 171 tCO2e (excluding end-of-use and end-of-life product phases). Our commitment to reducing emissions has led us to take various proactive measures that have earned us the Greenly Silver Medal.

Before our collaboration with Greenly, we had already initiated impactful sustainability measures, including a revamped travel policy, investments in renewable energy, and the gradual transition of our vehicle fleet. With Greenly's partnership, we've intensified our efforts. Our focus now extends to eco-designing products through detailed Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), incorporating carbon impact considerations into our procurement practices, and fostering eco-awareness among our clientele. Additionally, we are striving to reduce packaging weight, increase the use of recycled materials, optimize logistics for efficient truck routing, and gradually shift our vehicle fleet from gas to electric vehicles. Our plans also include offering eco-driving courses to our employees to further embed sustainable practices across our operations.

Today, we are proud to announce that we have finalized a complete audit with Greenly!

Alchemy conducts Life Cycle Assessments with Greenly

Alchemy conducts a Life Cycle Analysis with Greenly!

Alchemy - Life Cycle Analysis - Greenly

Alchemy stands at the forefront of the circular tech market, emerging as the fastest growing global company. Over the past six years, Alchemy has reshaped the refurbished tech landscape by extending the lifespan of more than 5 million devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and wearables. Their comprehensive end-to-end solution encompasses recovery, refreshment, and remarketing, creating a sustainable ecosystem for home electrical products.

Alchemy has since grown into a team of over 350 employees, operating across 60 diverse markets.Alchemy has become a dynamic force in the circular tech sector, with a track record of extending the life of devices and reducing electronic waste. We also have a B2C brand: Loop. 

Our partnership with Greenly has been instrumental in achieving a market first with CO2 certification. Their expertise has helped Alchemy and our consumer brand, Loop, to deliver this fully transparent view of the positive sustainable impact of buying refurbed tech. This will be a key USP when speaking with customers who have a strong emphasis on their environmental impact. And it's just the start; we look forward to building on our work with Greenly and helping consumers and businesses to reduce their CO2 impact further.

How important is sustainability for Alchemy and Loop? 🌱

Sustainability lies at the very heart of our proposition and is intricately woven into the company’s mission and vision. Alchemy is committed to assisting consumers through our B2C brand, Loop, and businesses in gaining a transparent view of their carbon footprint when making choices about tech devices and home electrical products. This commitment extends beyond rhetoric, it’s shaping our core proposition and operations.

What were the key motivations for Alchemy to collaborate with Greenly and conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)? ⭐️

The decision to partner with Greenly and undertake a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) grew from a need to provide consumers and businesses with a truly transparent view of the carbon footprint savings associated with purchasing refurbished devices. We sought to go beyond the prevalent use of generic data and become the first company in the circular tech market to certify the CO2 savings achievable through the refurbishment process.

How did Greenly support you throughout the LCA process? 🚀

Greenly's leadership in carbon and product life cycle assessments played a pivotal role in guiding us through the LCA process. The collaboration involved comprehensive support, ranging from helping the team understand the intricacies of the process to ensuring the collection of data followed best practices. Greenly's climate experts audited the provided data, culminating in the development of a sophisticated carbon calculator that precisely measures and summarizes the CO2 impact of Alchemy's refurbishment operations.

What specific aspects of Alchemy’s operations were evaluated in the LCA? 📊

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) conducted with Greenly adopted a multi-dimensional approach, evaluating various aspects of our operations. This included an in-depth analysis of the entire lifecycle of refurbished devices, encompassing collection, refurbishment processes, transportation, packaging, use, and end-of-life considerations. The assessment was further tailored to different product lines, regions, and channels, providing a nuanced understanding of the environmental impact across diverse parameters.

The LCA results unveiled compelling insights into the environmental impact of refurbished devices across different product lines. Notably, smartphones, tablets, wearables, and laptops exhibited substantial reductions in CO2 emissions compared to their new counterparts. For instance, smartphones emitted only 1 kgCO2e during the refurbishment process, showcasing a significant positive impact on sustainability.

98% LESS EMISSIONS VS NEW (65% when including use & end of life)

1 kgCO2e emitted during refurbishment process

Saves over 60 kgCO2e per product (50 kgCO2e when including use & end of life)

 97.5% LESS EMISSIONS VS NEW (74% when including use & end of life)

Just over 2 kgCO2e emitted on during refurbishment process

Save over 80 kgCO2e per product vs. new (70 kgCO2e when including use & end of life)

 97.7% LESS EMISSIONS VS NEW (72% when including use & end of life)

Less than 1 kgCO2e emitted on during refurbishment process

Save over 30 kgCO2e per product vs. new (25 kgCO2e when including use & end of life)

96% LESS EMISSIONS VS NEW (64% when including use & end of life)

Less than 9 kgCO2e emitted on during refurbishment process

Save over 200 kgCO2e per product vs. new (164 kgCO2e when including use & end of life)

How did the LCA results influence the sustainability strategy or decision-making within Alchemy? 📝

The LCA results have played a transformative role in making our sustainability tangible for all teams within Alchemy, from operations to sales. The recommendations derived from the LCA, especially on a regional basis, are currently shaping the company’s strategy. There are plans in motion to initiate a corporate carbon assessment in the medium term, further underscoring Alchemy’s commitment to reducing its own environmental footprint.

On the B2C front, the ability to communicate the specific CO2 savings associated with each refurbished device is a game-changer. Alchemy is not merely presenting a generic category statistic but is now capable of offering a tailored and detailed breakdown of the carbon footprint savings to individual customers. This personalized approach provides reassurance and empowers consumers to make informed decisions based on their device, model, and region.

For  B2B, Alchemy is actively assisting companies in aligning with their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies. When businesses opt for refurbished devices from Alchemy for their employees, they are not only making a sustainable choice but also contributing positively towards their ESG goals. Alchemy can now measure and certify this positive impact and contribution.  

Did the LCA uncover any unexpected environmental impacts or opportunities for improvement? ☀️

The analysis shed light on some unexpected environmental impacts, particularly in the realm of transportation, which accounts for approximately 90% of our emissions, excluding use and end-of-life stages.

One significant revelation was the potential for substantial environmental and cost savings through more strategic logistic choices. Recognizing the environmental impact associated with our global sourcing practices (upstream) and the expedited shipping approach driven by customer and market expectations, we are actively exploring opportunities for improvement.

How has the collaboration with Greenly and the LCA process helped Alchemy enhance its sustainability performance and communicate its environmental efforts to stakeholders? 📚

Prior to the collaboration with Greenly, Alchemy, like its peers, relied on market generic data about the impact of manufacturing new products to communicate the eco benefits of refurbished devices. The collaboration with Greenly and the subsequent LCA provided Alchemy with a fully transparent view, allowing the company to lead the market in presenting a holistic and accurate perspective on its positive sustainable impact. The obtained CO2 certification serves as a market first, setting Alchemy apart in its commitment to environmental responsibility.

Hampshire Cultural Trust carries out its Carbon Footprint with Greenly

Hampshire Cultural Trust calculates their Carbon Footprint with Greenly !

Hampshire Cultural Trust Carbon Footprint - Greenly

Hampshire Cultural Trust (HCT) functions as an independent charity overseeing and assisting visitor attractions, museums, art galleries, and arts centers throughout the county of Hampshire in the UK. The trust organizes a diverse array of workshops, classes, events, and exhibitions. It annually welcomes more than 15,000 children through its immersive education program, engages in projects with individuals, groups, and communities lacking access to culture, and manages 2.5 million objects associated with Hampshire's rich history. With a staff of approximately 140 and over 400 volunteers, HCT has been actively working to understand and mitigate its environmental impact since 2019.

In the pursuit of environmental improvement, HCT has developed comprehensive action plans for the upcoming 12 months. A specialized project team comprising 12-14 individuals from various parts of the organization dedicates half a day per week to HCT's environmental initiatives. Notably, with the assistance of a HEIF grant from the University of Sussex, Josephine Lethbridge and Jo Lindsay Walton, supported by other DHCC members, collaborated with HCT in 2023. Their focus was to explore HCT's approach to decarbonization and provide support, including the involvement of the carbon accounting platform Greenly as a project partner.

Greenly positioned itself as a tech solution to the complex tasks of carbon accounting and the creation of carbon management plans. Greenly provided us with an accessible package for annual greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting, climate expert support, and automated carbon reduction suggestions!

They employed a hybrid approach, combining spend-based and activity-based assessments to calculate carbon footprints and the platform offered a flexible mix, emphasizing that carbon accounting should support actionable decarbonization strategies. 

What were the outcomes of the Carbon Footprint report? 📊

The collaboration with HCT yielded detailed emissions data, offering a level of granularity that really impressed our team. The insights aligned with HCT's expectations, revealing areas for focus and highlighting unexpected emissions sources. The main benefit of Greenly's analysis was its potential to lend clarity and gravitas to HCT's existing plans, aiding in funding applications, stakeholder engagement, and internal decision-making.

Our team expressed immense enthusiasm for the detailed emissions data and the diverse charts and perspectives available. A team member conveyed their excitement, stating, "We're all a bit overwhelmed by how fantastic it is... It probably would have taken us a few years to reach this point."

In general, the distribution of emissions across various facets of HCT's operations, and the implications for key areas of focus, really aligned with our expectations. 

The primary advantage of the analysis was perceived in its potential to bring clarity and significance to the team's existing plans. One team member remarked, "We were really stuck. Some people want to see data, figures, and proof supporting proposed approaches and action plans. So Greenly has really assisted with that." 

Another added, "Just having the data is fantastic. There are numerous ways we can use it – in funding applications, advocating our case, pushing initiatives with the council, and internally as well, to get people on board."

This could involve increased encouragement from Greenly for senior staff participation, especially during the final presentation, and greater involvement of staff from various departments in data collection.

What were some challenges addressed? 🤔

We faced challenges in accessing expertise, prioritizing actions, and mobilizing resources for sustainability initiatives. Greenly's platform addressed these challenges by providing comprehensive emissions data, facilitating informed decision-making, and offering dedicated staff time for data compilation.

Greenly, acknowledge HCT as a slightly atypical client, embracing the opportunity to apply its tools and expertise in a new context. The collaboration exemplified Greenly's commitment to expanding its services to different types of clients, aligning with its goal of creating a highly automated platform.

At time of writing, we are working on refining our recommendations for project partners. We hope to continue to work with both HCT and Greenly, and have recently sought follow-on funding (AHRC IAA and AHRC Net Zero Design Accelerator) to support this work. On the Greenly side, we see potential for expanding resources to support clients in using data internally and externally, opportunities around quantifying and visualising uncertainty, as well as localising decarbonisation recommendation resources, and transforming approaches to carbon offsetting.

This report acts as an example of a Greenly Architecture Carbon Footprint Report!

Architecture - Carbon Footprint - Greenly

Forest is London's most sustainable and affordable shared e-bike service.  Our mission is clear – shift commuters away from more intensive carbon-emitting transport modes to create a cleaner, more sustainable city. 

We operate a shared e-bike service that makes cycling more affordable and sustainable. Users enjoy 10 minutes of free cycling daily by engaging with ads within the app. Notably, our operations are fully electric, powered by renewable energy, and hold a B Corp certification.

Sustainability is at the heart of Forest's mission. As we scale it is crucial we have carbon reporting partners who can provide us the level of support we need to keep us on track for sustainable, responsible and considerate growth

Previous to Greenly, we initially relied on open-source data for our carbon calculations. However, as we scaled, we looked to externalize our carbon footprint and sought Greenly's expertise. Having our carbon footprint report conducted by a third party ensured that we were keeping in line with greenhouse gas protocol and not over-inflating or under-inflating carbon emissions calculations.   Indeed, this level of GHG assessment reassures us that we are measuring our CO2 figures as accurately as possible whilst also following best practice for reducing emissions in our supply chain and other Scope 3 areas.

We want to ensure that as we grow we are able to retain our position as the most sustainable shared e-bike service.

Having reviewed a number of tools, Greenly seemed to have the most solid methodology and approach for measuring Scope 3, where the lion's share of our emissions originate. We really liked the interface and the support of the account managers at Greenly at every step of the process.

Ultimately, it was a combination of three things: Greenly’s experience in our sector, its reasonable pricing and their intuitive platform that aligns with our lean team.

Greenly's platform provided us with a comprehensive and straightforward data collection process. This was a significant shift from open-source data, since we weren’t able to scrutinize every single purchase we ever made. We also liked the way the results are graphically laid out. You can start to get a real feel for where your emissions are coming from and directly know the next steps for reducing our carbon footprint.

Our carbon assessment showed that our total emissions in 2022 were 2260 tCO2e. Our main emission posts were Assets (71.6%), Services Purchase (13%) and Freight (4.9%). 

A fascinating finding was the impact air freight has on our total figure.  Although only a small portion of our hardware was sent by air freight last year, the impact that this had on our CO2 emissions was significant! This certainly highlighted the importance of sea freight over air freight. 

The rest of the report wasn’t so surprising, given that our business operations grew hugely in the last year. When we looked at the categorization, the hardware as a proportion went from 90 percent of our emissions to about 70. But that was the only real sway. A lot of other areas, for example, like office technology, for example, or commuting, stayed pretty much the same as a proportion of the overall figure. 

The main one action plan recommended by Greenly, and that we have already started implementing it, was buying secondhand but unused assets. This doesn't reduce our total emissions, but it allows us to have avoided emissions. 

The second reduction item that is coming this year is our work with our suppliers. Our relationship with Greenly is going to facilitate making that process a lot easier and getting our suppliers to reduce their emissions as well.

The last one goes back to air freight and avoiding it as much as possible.

For the emissions we cannot reduce, we are investing in a project with The Great Reserve, who protect giant sequoia trees which are now becoming endangered in North America. The project plants groves in the UK, on land that has already been felled. This UK-based initiative emphasizes long-term care for trees, adding a tangible dimension to our offsetting efforts.

How was the Carbon Footprint perceived by your team?

The Forest team received the carbon footprint report positively. The survey sparked interest in food consumption's impact on emissions, reflecting our commitment to understanding and improving our environmental footprint. I think it is important that we set a positive example as a company. 

What would you say to a company that's hesitant to embark on their first carbon footprint? 

We would advise companies who are hesitant about embarking on their first carbon footprint assessment that incremental improvements are key, and perfection should not be the goal. Procrastination only delays the journey towards sustainability, and taking the first step allows for continuous adaptation and gradual improvements over time.

With Greenly as our partner, Forest is poised for continued growth, making strides towards a more sustainable, responsible, and considerate future for shared e-bike services in London!

This report acts as an example of a Greenly Manufacturing Carbon Footprint Report!

Manufacturing - Carbon Footprint - Greenly

Maison Denis carries out its Carbon Footprint with Greenly

Maison Denis calculates their Carbon Footprint with Greenly !

Maison Denis Carbon Footprint - Greenly

Maison Denis boasts a rich history spanning over 160 years, underlining its status as a well-established company with a legacy upheld by successive generations of the founding family. Focusing on the food and beverage sector, Denis Asia Pacific serves as the operational headquarters, spearheading sustainability efforts within the group. Noteworthy investments in production and logistics, including in Solar Photovoltaic Systems, energy-efficient equipment, and Green Building certifications, highlight Maison Denis' commitment to innovation and sustainability.

ESG Manager - Maison Denis - Denis Asia Pacific

Embarking on the sustainability journey may seem daunting, but the first step is crucial: measure your impact. Just as you wouldn’t embark on a weight loss journey without a scale, you can’t effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions without knowing where they stand. It’s not as daunting as it seems—start small, take it step by step, and remember, it’s possible for everyone to make a difference.

Maison Denis' dedication to combatting climate change is evident through its internal efforts in calculating and mitigating Scope 1 and 2 emissions. However, recognizing the importance of addressing Scope 3 emissions, which often constitute a significant portion of overall emissions, the group sought assistance from Greenly for a comprehensive carbon assessment. Despite no regulatory obligation, Maison Denis voluntarily engaged with Greenly to gain insights into its carbon footprint, emphasizing a proactive approach towards sustainability.

The decision to select Greenly was taken following a thorough evaluation process of several service providers offering similar solutions. We conducted then a satisfactory pilot project with one of our companies based in Singapore. It convinced us to deploy the greenhouse gas assessment to 13 of our entities.

We were interested in the simplicity in apprehending and calculating Scope 3 emissions. Greenly's solution lies in its ability to harness financial data to streamline the complex process of emissions calculation. This capability is designed to simplify calculation workflows.

During the course of our collaboration, Greenly demonstrated availability and responsiveness. Regular meetings ensured that our project remained on track, fostering open communication and mutual understanding. Greenly understood our unique operational constraints, tailoring their approach to suit our specific needs rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all strategy. This adaptability helps in ensuring a seamless experience. They also appear to be committed to continuous improvement by soliciting feedback and looking for ways to enhance the system.

While our expectations were generally aligned with the results provided by Greenly for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, delving into Scope 3 emissions opened a new level of insight and understanding. We approached the findings with a positive outlook, viewing them as validation of our ongoing efforts towards sustainability. It was gratifying to see that the products we offer inherently possess a low carbon footprint, reflecting our commitment to quality and environmental responsibility. This reaffirmed our belief that we are moving in the right direction. 

We did not expect the relatively low impact of transportation on our overall emissions profile. Given our status as an international company with products distributed across various countries, we anticipated transportation to constitute a more significant portion of our carbon footprint. However, our reliance on long shelf-life products, such as canned and sterilized pouches transported mainly by sea freight, mitigated this impact. This realization underscored the importance of considering the entire product lifecycle in assessing emissions.

Another noteworthy observation was the significant contribution of packaging to our emissions profile. While not entirely unexpected, it served as a reminder of the need to continually improve our packaging practices. We are actively engaged in efforts to reduce packaging weight, enhance recyclability, and incorporate more recycled materials while keeping as the utmost priority the highest standard of food preservation and safety.

As we now have a comprehensive view of our emissions across all scopes, our focus is on developing a robust long-term roadmap to achieve our sustainability objectives.  While acknowledging the nuances surrounding terminologies such as “carbon neutrality” and “net-zero”, we are committed to making tangible progress in reducing our emissions. Our goal, aligned with the principles of net-zero emissions, is to achieve net zero by 2040. We are proud of the transparency we maintain regarding our emissions profile and are eager to share our progress with stakeholders through various channels, including our ESG reports.

In addressing Scope 1 and 2 emissions, our primary focus lies in optimizing energy consumption, particularly in electricity and fuel usage. We have dedicated resources to actively explore energy-saving measures, including potential upgrades to our factory’s machinery. Also, our internal communication efforts extend to engaging employees in our sustainability journey through initiatives such as EHS weeks and Climate Fresk. Regarding Scope 3 emissions, our strategy centers on engaging with our suppliers to drive collective action towards emissions reduction. While recognizing the challenges posed by our diverse supplier base, we are committed to fostering collaboration and encouraging adherence to sustainability standards. We are confident that legal, economic and technical contexts should soon evolve faster.

Maison Denis’ partnership with Greenly exemplifies its commitment to sustainability, showcasing a proactive approach to addressing environmental challenges. By leveraging data-driven insights and engaging stakeholders, the group aims to achieve its sustainability goals while inspiring others to join the journey towards a greener and more responsible future.

This report summarizes the 2022 results of Mondetta's GHG emissions assessment !

Mondetta calculates their Carbon Footprint with Greenly !