CO2balance

CO2balance designs and delivers climate protection projects in sub-Saharan Africa, generating marketable carbon credits from the resultant emissions reductions. However, the company is also dedicated to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), so ensures that as well as reducing CO₂ emissions, the projects also deliver real and demonstrable benefits to target communities. CO2balance adheres to a profit for purpose approach, whereby revenue from the sale of carbon credits is used to maintain projects over the long term and reinvested into new project development.[17] The company typically works in partnership with in-country NGOs to implement their projects.

The impacts of projects are verified primarily under the Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS4GG), as well as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Verra. GS4GG requires projects to demonstrate a clear and direct contribution to at least 3 SDGs, such as gender equality, health, and water/sanitation, to accelerate global progress towards climate security and sustainable development. In 2017, CO2balance became the first organisation to pilot the GS4GG methodology for SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

Workers building improved cookstoves as part of a CO2balance clean cooking project in Kenya.

CO2balance projects contribute primarily to the following SDGs: 

• SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing: by reducing exposure to household air pollution and water borne diseases.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: by reducing time-poverty amongst women who disproportionately carry out unpaid domestic duties.
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: by providing access to safe water for communities without improved water sources.
• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy: by replacing inefficient traditional cooking methods with improved clean cooking technology.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: by reducing the amount of wood burned to cook and purify water, reducing carbon emissions.[4][18]

CO2balance works with businesses on a range of carbon management services, such as carbon footprinting, energy efficiency assessments, life cycle analyses and carbon offsetting. Footprinting and life cycle assessments typically represent the first step in the carbon management process and are used to identify the key sources of emissions within an organisation's operations and any potential areas of savings. Audits are conducted to comply with BSI PAS 2060, ISO 14064 and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard 2011.[19][20] Footprints may then be negated via the purchase of project-generated carbon credits. CO2balance also conducts carbon and energy auditing for large companies’ Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) assessment reports.[21]

CO2balance has worked with organisations such as Toshiba, Canon Medical and Sky.[18][22][23]

Workers preparing solar panels for a health centre in Uganda, as part of a CO2balance CSR programme.

CarbonZero is a standard set up by CO2balance. It is provided under license to client organisations for whom a product, service or their entire operations have achieved a net carbon footprint of zero, achieved by purchasing CO2balance carbon credits. Organisations that have been branded CarbonZero include Toshiba, Canon Medical and Hill Dickinson.[18][22][24]

CO2balance offers a corporate social responsibility service to corporate clients, to complement the environmental and social benefits of their climate protection projects. Such CSR projects focus on developing key facilities within rural communities, such as WASH facilities for schools, disease management training, solar systems and renovation of healthcare centres.[25][26]