How can a Business Offset CO2 and what are Carbon Credits?

HardSoft is a long-established IT specialist and is introducing carbon offsetting for businesses by allowing them to pay extra to offset the carbon they’re producing. This helps the environment and gets your business on track to get to Net-Zero.

What is Carbon offsetting?

Carbon offsetting is where you cancel out your everyday unpreventable carbon emissions by funding projects that reduce greenhouse gases. It works by letting businesses invest in a variety of ways of reducing greenhouse gases to offset their own carbon emissions that can’t be prevented. Carbon offsetting helps environmental projects that can not get funding on their own and it will give your business the opportunity to offset your carbon footprint.

Some companies can not reduce their carbon emissions as much as they want to so carbon offsetting is a great way for businesses to make up for the carbon emissions they are struggling to eliminate. Carbon offsetting allows your company to make a positive contribution to the environment. 

What are Carbon credits?

To reduce a lot of carbon emissions a company can purchase something called a carbon credit. A carbon credit represents 1 ton of carbon dioxide that the owner can emit because it will be removed from the atmosphere by the money the owner has spent on the credit. A business can purchase this to offset the carbon emissions that are made from travel, industrial production etc. Carbon credits and carbon offsets aren’t a full solution to removing carbon emissions and you’re investing in something you won’t get your money back from however they help your company become greener and better for the planet.  

Carbon offsetting is very beneficial for your business because it makes your business greener and better for the environment. However, is the money you’re investing into carbon offsetting going towards the environment? Companies are offering carbon offset by allowing you to pay an extra percentage on top of what you’re already buying and that money will go towards the environment. Although this is great because you can say your company is going green and trying to help the environment, how do you know that the money you have invested is going towards saving the planet? The business could say they’re using that money to fund environmental products but there is no way for you to know that is the case. This means that you need to trust the company you’re investing in to do the right thing.

Businesses that are reducing carbon emissions

Well known businesses that are trusted like Disney, Ryanair, Microsoft, Apple etc all want to reduce carbon emissions by offering carbon offset, having an internal carbon tax or investing in clean energy. Ryanair is labelled as Europe’s most environmentally efficient airline and has introduced something called the carbon calculator. The carbon calculator works out the carbon emissions of your flight and allows you to offset your carbon for that flight by allowing you to contribute money that will fund carbon offsetting projects. Ryanair does fund environmental projects to reduce carbon emissions. 

Disney funds environmental projects by implementing an internal carbon tax. The money from this carbon tax goes into the regeneration and protection of forests and supports local communities through investments in Natural Climate Solutions. Disney has invested nearly $100 million since 2009 and has been helping reduce carbon emissions.

HardSoft’s IT Partners and their CO2 strategy

HardSoft leases Microsoft Surface, and other Windows devices. Microsoft has been a Carbon neutral business since 2012. Microsoft has become Carbon neutral by buying carbon offsets as well as shifting to renewable energy by securing it from clean energy companies. Microsoft has committed to being carbon negative by 2030 and by 2050 Microsoft wants to have removed all the carbon that has been emitted from the company since it was founded in 1975.

HardSoft also leases Apple devices. Apple is also Carbon Neutral and has bought carbon offsets however Apple wanted a more permanent solution to their carbon emissions and made 80% of the energy they use clean by investing in clean energy solutions. So instead of offsetting all of their carbon emissions, they have reduced most of the carbon they emitted and use clean energy instead. This is a more permanent solution and reduces the carbon they are emitting instead of just offsetting it. By 2030 Apple wants every device they sell to have a net-zero climate impact.

How do I offset my carbon emissions with HardSoft?

Like these large businesses that you trust, you should trust HardSoft and help them help the environment by paying an extra 3% to offset carbon emissions. HardSoft is offering your company the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions that you have produced.  

When leasing devices with one of HardSoft’s IT business leasing packages (Flexi-lease, Pure-Rental or Devices for teams) you have the option to pay the extra 3% on top of your IT business lease which will then go towards offsetting your businesses carbon emissions and help combat climate change. This will not only benefit your business and get it on track to being Carbon neutral and reaching net-zero by 2050; it will let you make a difference by giving you the option to fund projects that help communities and the environment all around the world.