Every investment decision your business makes has to pay for itself. Buying carbon offsets is no different, but maybe you’ve only thought of the returns in terms of reducing your carbon footprint or meeting your emissions goals?
Before buying carbon offsets, consider the added value delivered by multipurpose (or progressive) carbon offset projects to make sure you get the best bang for your buck.
What is a Multipurpose or Progressive Offset?
A traditional, or basic, carbon offset project focuses solely on avoiding or reducing carbon emissions. In contrast, a multipurpose or progressive offset project delivers additional environmental, social or economic benefits – and often all three – in the communities where the project is located.
Not only is this a great result for the communities themselves, it means you have a compelling sustainability story to tell your stakeholders too.
Why Should You Choose a Multipurpose Offset Project?
There are many types of offset project awaiting your investment, and the reasons for choosing them vary widely according to the location, technology used, type of co-benefits and relevance to your particular business or industry.
Identifying and supporting projects that best match your sustainability goals, company mission and brand values will help you create a story that resonates strongly with your customers, employees and other stakeholders.
For example, if you’re based in a single location, or a small geographic area, look for a local project that benefits nearby communities, such as renewable energy projects for schools (such as the Indiana School Wind project) or farms.
If you source goods or raw materials from developing countries, projects that help supply clean water (like the Ghana Clean Water project) or create jobs in rural economies can help you meet your CSR goals, strengthen your supply chain and improve your brand image.
Alternatively, choosing the type of project that best suits your organization may be guided by your industry sector, environmental impacts or sustainability goals.
If waste reduction is one of your key challenges, then supporting a landfill methane-to-energy project (such as Seneca Meadows) could be a great choice. Not only does this demonstrate your commitment to minimizing the harmful effects of landfill emissions alongside your efforts to reduce future waste streams, but nearby communities can benefit from improvements to the local environment.
No matter which type of progressive offset project is best for you, it will deliver greater benefits – both for your business and for local communities – than a standard offsetting project.
How Does NativeEnergy’s Help Build™ Program Create Multiple Benefits for Your Business?
NativeEnergy understands that carbon offsets are more than just a tool that enables you to hit your emissions reductions target.
Help Build™ progressive offset projects are designed to help meet your wider sustainability goals and tell a powerful story about your contribution towards tackling climate change in ways that benefit people, communities and the planet.
Of course, NativeEnergy offset projects deliver verified emissions reductions, but they also enable you to invest in the project types and locations that matter most to your business. To begin making an impact now, contact us today by phone at 800-924-6826, by email at [email protected].