We are proud to be certified as a CarbonNeutral® Company
CarbonNeutral® is a global standard awarded to businesses which reduced their greenhouse gas emissions to net zero. This is usually achieved through a combination of internal emissions reductions and the purchase of environmental instruments including renewable energy certificates and carbon credits.
Being a CarbonNeutral® Company means that we have taken the steps to offset our carbon footprint by supporting two very different projects:
Project 1: Sub-Saharan Africa Improved Water Infrastructure
This Gold Standard project, based primarily in Uganda and Malawi, provides clean drinking water to small rural communities by repairing and drilling new boreholes. Boreholes can be used as water wells by installing a vertical pipe casing and well screen, which allows water to be extracted from the ground. By providing clean water, communities no longer need to purify water through boiling. This alleviates pressure on local forests – the predominant source of firewood – and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
This project has many sustainable benefits, ranging from improving the health and well-being of the local community, protecting them from severe droughts and empowering women by reducing the time needed to collect and purify water and enabling them to focus on other income-generating activities.
You can read more on the project here.
Project 2: Guatemala Water Filtration and Improved Cookstoves
Water-borne disease has been identified as a national priority in Guatemala given the high incidence of diarrhoeal disease and chronic malnutrition. This project, which is the first Gold Standard water treatment or cookstove project in the country, distributes water filters and stoves that enable access to clean water and improve cooking conditions by increasing fuel efficiency and reducing harmful indoor air pollution. Water is purified through a gravity-fed ceramic filter made of clay, sawdust, colloidal silver, and carbon, which can treat two litres of non-potable water per hour and removes 99% of pathogens.
In addition to health and well-being benefits of the project, decreasing fuelwood use reduces the threat to biodiversity and creates more local jobs – over 800 staff are employed throughout the supply chain, in manufacturing, installation and training.
You can read more on the project here.