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Which carbon credits can you really trust? What you need to know.

Businesses on their sustainability journey need to focus on two key areas: primarily reducing their direct emissions within their own operations, and secondly, funding high-quality climate action alongside reduction efforts. 
But what does high-quality climate action look like? And how can a business ensure their carbon credits fall into this category? In this blog we&#8217;ll unpack how you can spot the good from the bad and make sure you&#8217;re funding climate action projects that genuinely support the restoration of our planet.

<h2>What is a carbon credit? </h2>
Carbon credits work by providing funding (‘carbon finance’) to projects in exchange for activities which avoid or remove emissions from our atmosphere referred to as ‘Carbon Avoidance’ and ‘Carbon Removal’ credits.
Each carbon credit represents the avoidance or removal of one metric tonne of greenhouse gas emissions. However, not all carbon credits are created equal. Some are much higher-quality than others.

<h2>Are carbon credits worthless?</h2>
The voluntary carbon market has been criticised in recent months due to concerns over some projects failing to achieve their stated carbon avoidance or removal aims, or project developers engaging in bad practices on the ground.
Does this mean that all carbon credits are worthless? 
No, not at all. 
Like all markets, there are carbon credits that are low quality, but there are also high-quality carbon credits that finance real, verifiable emissions avoidance and reductions. 
The increased public and media scrutiny of carbon credits has also led to much-needed reform and regulation. The Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) recently released a long-awaited framework that provides guidance on defining what makes carbon credits of high quality:

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<h2>Which carbon standard should you choose?</h2>
Carbon credits are issued to projects by carbon standards, which are organisations that set criteria for how projects can earn credits. There are several carbon standards, and each one has its own set of criteria.
At Ecologi, we work with three carbon standards: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://verra.org/programs/verified-carbon-standard/">Verified Carbon Standard</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.goldstandard.org/">Gold Standard</a></li>
<li><a href="https://puro.earth/puro-standard-carbon-removal-credits/">Puro Standard</a></li>
</ul>

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Each of these standards has its own criteria for issuing carbon credits, which are based on their own proprietary methodologies:
Gold Standard certification assesses projects based on their contributions to <a href="https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals/no-poverty?gclid=CjwKCAjwt52mBhB5EiwA05YKoy7Pa0XlSZU_xtRkM6u32Wz-w7vB9mOSV9_LToNVZrl6dSfR1agkpBoCzLgQAvD_BwE">the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</a>, as well as emissions avoidance or removal. These certified SDG co-benefits are part of the Gold Standard credit issuance process. For example, with the <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/projects/burn-cookstoves-kenya">Kenya cookstoves project</a> we recently supported, the certified SDG impacts are indicated by <a href="https://registry.goldstandard.org/projects/details/1559">the colourful SDG logos</a> on the Gold Standard Registry.
Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) in contrast to Gold Standard certification, does not certify SDG co-benefits &#8211; but there are additional certifications by Verra which verify these. These certifications include the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) and the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SDVista) certifications. For example, <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/projects/protecting-rainforest-in-a-wildlife-sanctuary-in-cambodia">the Southern Cardamom project</a> has achieved both. The SDG logos can be seen on the project&#8217;s <a href="https://registry.verra.org/app/projectDetail/VCS/1748">Registry page</a>, in the SDVista section.
Puro Standard is a dedicated standard for carbon removal credits &#8211; that is, those credits which actively absorb existing emissions out of the atmosphere through natural or technological processes. To date, there are only a few active methodologies under Puro, because carbon removal is a relatively new field. Within Puro certification, co-benefits are also accounted for, as you can see with <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/projects/carbon-hill-biochar">the Carbon Hill biochar project</a>, which lists several additional co-benefits alongside the actual carbon removal, on <a href="https://puro.earth/CORC-co2-removal-certificate/carbon-hill-100179">its Puro Registry page</a>.

<h2>How do carbon credit methodologies work?</h2>
Each carbon standard has its own set of certification criteria. This means that carbon credits issued to Gold Standard (called ‘VERs’ &#8211; ‘verified emissions reductions’) and those issued to the Verified Carbon Standard (‘VCUs’ &#8211; ‘verified carbon units’) are nominally equivalent, but not actually identical.
The good news is that carbon standards are very transparent about their criteria. They publish all the important material on their websites, so you can easily compare the different standards and methodologies so you can choose the one that is right for you.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.goldstandard.org/project-developers/standard-documents">Gold Standard methodologies</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><a href="https://verra.org/methodologies-main/">Verified Carbon Standard methodologies</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><a href="https://puro.earth/carbon-removal-methods/">Puro Standard methodologies</a></li>
</ul>

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<h2>How is quality assessed? </h2>
The usual criteria for assessing carbon credit quality are:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Baseline: How the project was assessed for a background level of emissions, against which avoidance or removal can be measured.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Additionality: The project activity is &#8220;additional,&#8221; meaning that the emissions avoidance or removal would not have happened otherwise. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Leakage: The project does not cause excess emissions elsewhere. This means that the project does not lead to an increase in emissions in another part of the world.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Permanence: The emissions avoidance or removal is permanent. This means that the emissions prevention or removal should be sustained over time. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Co-benefits: The project contributes other co-benefits, such as contributing toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This means that the project should have positive impacts on other areas, such as social or environmental factors.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Going ‘beyond’ the standards</h2>
The usual criteria above for assessing carbon credit quality are a great starting point, but there are plenty of other ways that Ecologi assesses the quality of carbon credits. 
For us the three main standards are just the start.  
We also ask 6 key questions:
1. Where is the credit coming from? The ideal life cycle of a carbon credit is as short as possible, with a direct journey from the project developer to the buyer who wants to retire it. If a carbon credit has been traded repeatedly without being retired, then it is likely that there have been many middlemen who have profited from these trades. In this case, the project developer (the ones doing the hard work on the ground) will have only seen a small percentage of the final purchase price.
2. Is the project strategically beneficial? We maintain regionalised strategies for both carbon avoidance and carbon removal projects. These strategies consider which types of project can have the most impact in different locations around the world, as well as where there is currently a lack of project funding. The intersection between a high potential benefit and current lack of funding is the sweet spot where the opportunity for impact is greatest.

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3. How old is the vintage? The “vintage” of a carbon credit refers to when the emissions avoidance or removal took place. Credit methodologies improve over time, so newer vintages of carbon credits are likely to represent more strictly measured, higher-quality credits. At Ecologi, we aim to buy credits that are less than 5 years old, as we believe that this ensures that we are supporting the highest-quality projects.
4. Are there project-specific concerns? Renewable energy projects can have challenges with additionality, since governments often legislate for new renewable energy capacity. This means that the project may not actually reduce emissions, as it would have been built anyway. To avoid this, we check the energy mixes and political conditions locally before funding renewable energy projects. This helps us to understand whether the project is likely to be additional or not.
5. Are there location-specific concerns? We also consider the location of a project to understand the natural and man-made risks that could affect it. For example, we use the <a href="https://drmkc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/inform-index/INFORM-Risk/Results-and-data/moduleId/1782/id/453/controller/Admin/action/Results">INFORM Risk Index</a>, an open-source risk assessment project from the European Commission, to assess national-level risks and coping capacities for all UN states. Projects in countries with lower risk scores are likely to be safer from these kinds of risks, which include natural hazards like earthquakes, human hazards like war and conflict, and coping capacity challenges like poor infrastructure and weak institutions.
6. Is the project highly ranked by independent third parties? We use the carbon intelligence platform, Sylvera, to assess the progress of projects and whether they are achieving their stated aims. This is particularly useful for nature-based projects, where we use Sylvera&#8217;s geospatial data to view estimates of deforestation rates and carbon storage within the project boundary. Sylvera has three tiers of project rankings, and we only fund projects that are ranked in the top tier. This gives us an even deeper insight into how projects are performing and helps us to ensure that we are supporting the highest-quality projects.

<h2>Who can you trust?</h2>
Ecologi understands that the carbon markets can be complex. It’s very hard for even knowledgeable businesses to navigate. While it is impossible to guarantee the success of all projects, there are concrete steps all businesses can take to maximise the selection of high-quality projects. 
Ecologi helps businesses take these steps to make good, informed choices about which projects to support. We will only ever support high-quality projects that meet our strict criteria. We are committed to transparency, which is why we never re-trade carbon credits (we only retire them ourselves) and publish all carbon credit retirements on our <a href="https://lookerstudio.google.com/u/0/reporting/adfb141d-4153-4c22-b6b4-976f7f3930b2/page/p_9zis9oxt3c">Public Impact Ledger</a>.

<h3>Read Our guide to funding high-quality carbon credits</h3>
<div class="ecologi-video-full-width"><iframe src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20230914115954/Document_Ad_Funding_Carbon_Credits_01-1.pdf" width="960" height="1080" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
 📁 Download the guide <a href="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20230914115954/Document_Ad_Funding_Carbon_Credits_01-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>

Let us help your business invest in high-quality carbon credits

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How can businesses avoid greenwashing

In this guide we’ll cover…
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><a href="#controversial">Why is greenwashing so controversial?</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><a href="#greenwashing">What is greenwashing?</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><a href="#greenwishing">What is greenwishing?</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><a href="#greenhushing">What is greenhushing?</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><a href="#toptips">Top tips to avoid greenwashing</a> </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><a href="#commsguidelines">Our toolkit for helping businesses communicate</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><a href="#ourapproach">Ecologi’s approach to avoiding greenwashing</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>What is greenwashing &#8211; and why is it so controversial?</h2>
There’s no doubt about it, Greenwashing has become a very dirty word. It’s been a hot topic for the past decade, but it’s really been put under the spotlight over the last couple of years, and it even made it onto the COP27 agenda.

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And here’s the thing: Greenwashing detracts from the genuinely great work that many businesses are doing. It also erodes trust and creates cynicism towards the whole idea of climate action. And this can have real consequences for the environment.
Here are just a few of the problems that come from greenwashing:
<ul>
<li>It’s deliberately deceiving</li>
</ul>
When businesses and other organisations exaggerate or make false claims about their sustainability efforts, the deception can mislead consumers and undermine trust. 
<ul>
<li>It exploits genuine concern</li>
</ul>
Greenwashing takes advantage of people’s growing concern for the environment. Many people genuinely want to support eco-friendly products and businesses, and greenwashing takes advantage of this. 
<ul>
<li>It undermines legitimate efforts</li>
</ul>
Greenwashing diverts attention and resources away from businesses that are actually committed to sustainability. This creates an unfair advantage, and means the bad apples get all the publicity.  
<ul>
<li>It can cause environmental harm</li>
</ul>
When companies falsely claim their products are sustainable, it can lead to consumers making choices that aren’t actually that great for the environment. They might think they’re making a greener choice, but are unknowingly making the issue worse.  
<ul>
<li>It can lead to legal action </li>
</ul>
Those accused of greenwashing can now face regulatory and legal challenges. Regulatory bodies like the <a href="https://greenclaims.campaign.gov.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Green Claims Code</a> have guidelines and rules against false advertising, and greenwashing can result in fines and legal action. 
<ul>
<li>It creates scepticism </li>
</ul>
If people find out they&#8217;ve been misled, they might stop trusting the business, and possibly the whole idea of environmental marketing altogether. Their guard goes up, and scepticism towards legitimate eco-friendly products and businesses is the result. 
<ul>
<li>It hinders progress</li>
</ul>
By creating a false sense of achievement, greenwashing can hinder environmental efforts. That’s because it gives businesses and consumers a sense that they’re doing enough, when really much more is needed.
<h2>Greenwashing vs greenwishing vs greenhushing &#8211; what’s the difference?</h2>
Greenwashing isn’t the only spanner in the works. Greenwishing and greenhushing have also emerged as issues blighting the climate cause. So what’s the difference? 
<h3>Greenwashing</h3>
Greenwashing means misleading. It’s when a product, service or business is presented as being more sustainable than it really is. It tends to involve exaggerated claims of eco-friendly features and benefits.
For example, a company stamps &#8220;100% eco-friendly&#8221; all over its product packaging, but that product still contains harmful chemicals.
<h3>Greenwishing</h3>
Greenwishing is about insufficient action. It’s when a business has well-intended efforts as well as some delivered sustainability action, however, this work is unrepresentative compared to their size of business or the scope of change required to genuinely move the needle on decarbonising or creating sustainable change in a business.
For example, a business of 100 employees advertises that their only climate initiative is to plant a tree for every product they sell, without having any other carbon reduction initiatives to reduce their organisation’s emissions.
<h3>Greenhushing</h3>
Greenhushing means downplaying. It’s when a business keeps quiet about its environmentally-friendly initiatives (often through fear of greenwashing). It tends to involve businesses doing good things, but in a low-key way. 
For example, a business gives £10,000 to a climate charity but chooses not to publicise it because they fear being criticised by their customers for their charity choice, or not investing in alternative opportunities for climate action.
In summary, greenwashing involves deceptive practices, greenwishing involves insufficient actions, and greenhushing involves under-communicating sustainability efforts. All three are problem areas for sustainability communications, whether they stem from inaccuracy, insincerity, or modesty.
<h2>Top tips to avoid greenwashing </h2>
So how can your business avoid the greenwashing trap? Here’s our top tips:
<ul>
<li>Use specific language to communicate impact and goals</li>
</ul>
For example: “Over the last five years we’ve made a 57% reduction in carbon emissions across our facilities. But we’re not stopping there, we’re aiming for 95% by 2026.”
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Back up claims with third-party certification</li>
</ul>
For example: “The climate projects we support through our partner, Ecologi, are certified by the Gold Standard and Verified Carbon Standard.”
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Make sure initiatives are supported by wider operational changes (and share the details)</li>
</ul>
For example: “Switching to recycled plastics is just the start of how we’re reshaping our entire business and supply chain. Visit our sustainability web page to find out more.” 
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Be honest about your sustainability journey (and areas for improvement)</li>
</ul>
For example: “We were proud to commit to net-zero operations by 2025, but now we’re raising the bar even higher and aiming for net-zero across our products and supply chain by 2040.”
<h2>Toolkits helping businesses communicate their impact</h2>
We’ve helped over 20,000 businesses with their climate action journey, and part of that is showing them how to communicate their impact in the right way. We’ve put together several toolkits to help businesses share their good work:
Business Toolkit
Our Business Toolkit is the one-stop-shop for everything companies need to communicate their work with Ecologi. It’s full of eye-catching visuals that you can share across your website or social channels.

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Badges 
Earn badges for climate impact. Once you’ve hit key milestones, including trees funded and carbon avoided, we’ll give you a shiny digital badge that you can share with your audiences online.

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Communications Guidelines
We’ve recently published <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LRTOYVIPLp5PN5C0mBhl35OjhQNqpCnZtOQMaAkpb1E/edit#slide=id.g2954c42f7e5_0_0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new communications guidelines</a> to help businesses with the right terminology to use when sharing their progress. 
<div class="ecologi-video-full-width"><iframe src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20240118155901/Ecologi-Communication-Guidelines.pdf" width="960" height="900" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>

<h2>Our own approach for avoiding greenwashing</h2>
It’s important we lead by example, and our unique position in the environmental sector means we need a clear stance on greenwashing. Here’s how we stay committed to being an organisation of high integrity: 
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Trust through transparency</li>
</ul>
We strive to keep things out in the open, from our financials to our board meeting minutes. You can see the evidence of the impact you’ve funded in our Public Impact Ledger, and thanks to our expert panel you can rest assured that we only fund high quality climate projects. Find out more on our <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/transparency" rel="noopener">Transparency page</a>.
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">No partnerships with companies that don’t share our values</li>
</ul>
At Ecologi, we believe in inclusivity when it comes to funding climate impact through our self-serve tools and subscription plans. We&#8217;ve intentionally made this choice to ensure climate action remains accessible, guided by our belief that progress is more important than perfection. 
But in striving to be an ethical organisation, we rigorously evaluate prospective communication partners, including press releases, through a scorecard that checks they align with our values. This includes their sustainability credentials and the way they communicate about climate initiatives. 
We also maintain a commitment to not engage in relationships with organisations directly associated with the fossil fuel industry, as well as those in industries that don&#8217;t align with our values, such as weapons manufacturers and gambling companies.
We really want to help our amazing community avoid any accusations of greenwashing, and a big part of that is using the right terminology. When you <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/our-products">sign up</a> to Ecologi, our expert colleagues give you access to our helpful language guidelines to help avoid the greenwashing trap!

Speak to our friendly team of experts to find the right climate solution for your business and for our planet

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What happened at COP28

This year’s annual Conference of the Parties (COP28) took place between 30 November -12 December. Our team here at Ecologi monitored the events daily to bring you analysis and reaction of the developments as this 28th session of the parties to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) took place.
What was COP28? Scroll down past our daily updates (or <a href="#whatiscop28">click here</a>) for a comprehensive guide to all things COP28.
What happened at COP27? <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/blog/what-happened-at-cop27" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read our blog</a> for a full report on the event in 2022.

COP28 - our daily updates

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<h2>COP28: what, where and when?</h2>
<a id="whatiscop28"></a>COP28 is the 28th <a href="https://unfccc.int/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC</a> &#8211; the UN’s primary climate change body. All United Nations member states are Parties to this treaty, as well as the European Union and other non-UN member states. That makes the COPs a huge event in the political calendar, where world leaders come together once per year to discuss, negotiate, and make commitments on climate change.
<a id="whereandwheniscop28"></a>This year’s COP takes place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 30th November to 12th December 2023. The two-week conference will cover a number of crucial climate topics, including <a href="https://www.cop28.com/en/thematic-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate finance, youth, agriculture, and more</a>.
We’ve previously covered events at <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/blog/whats-happening-at-cop27" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh</a> and <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/blog/what-happened-at-cop26" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COP26 in Glasgow</a>, so do revisit our articles on those if you need a refresher on how it all takes place.

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<h2><a id="keytalkingpoints"></a>What are the key talking points in the run up to COP28?</h2>
<h3>The hosts</h3>
As ever &#8211; or perhaps more than ever &#8211; this COP is mired in controversy before it’s even begun. As a nation, the host country, the UAE produces the <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/co-emissions-per-capita?tab=chart&amp;country=ARE~GBR~CHN~AUS~USA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sixth-most emissions per capita of any country</a> in the world (21.8 tCO2e per capita in 2021, excluding land use change). It is one of the world’s ten largest oil producing countries, with <a href="https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/united-arab-emirates-oil-and-gas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">around 30% of its economy</a> based on oil production. The COP President is Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64240206" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who is CEO of ADNOC</a>, the Emirati state-owned oil company.
The UAE has also <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/01/leak-uae-presidency-un-climate-summit-oil-gas-emissions-yemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">been accused of attempting to whitewash</a> (and greenwash) its reputation ahead of the conference, including hiring a number of PR and lobbying agencies to promote the country’s image, which is often associated with strict restrictions on freedom, and <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/united-arab-emirates/report-united-arab-emirates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allegations of human rights violations</a>.
<h3>Fossil fuel phase-out</h3>
The ‘High-Ambition Coalition’, a loose group of around 15 Parties including France, the Marshall Islands, Sweden and the UK, has started preparing negotiations to phase out fossil fuels. This is notable because countries and multilateral groups are not always up-front about their negotiating stances prior to the conference, and even more seldom are those stances ambitious enough to meet the challenge of the climate crisis.
You may remember this was a key flashpoint back at COP26, where at the last minute the language of phasing out fossil fuels <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/13/cop26-countries-agree-to-accept-imperfect-climate-agreement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was disappointingly changed to phase down “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies&#8221;</a> in the final cover decision.
Whether the High Ambition Coalition can maintain this phase out stance throughout two weeks of negotiations remains to be seen. What is certain is that this issue has become the most glaring elephant in the room for the international climate conferences: we all understand that <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126931" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the burning of fossil fuels must end</a>. But the politics of the COPs has so far meant that a commitment (even a non-binding one) to end fossil fuel use for good has still not been delivered.
<h3><a id="whoisattending"></a>Who’s going (and who’s not)</h3>
In a first, Pope Francis <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/pope-francis-to-attend-cop28-climate-change-conference-in-dubai-16c50cd5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has announced</a> he will be attending COP28 this year, making him the first Pope to do so. He and the Vatican have been happy to speak out on climate change in recent years, including vocally backing the Paris Agreement and <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/donald-trump-pope-francis-slap-face-paris-agreement-climate-change-vatican-global-warming-a7767751.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticising the US for withdrawing from it</a> under Donald Trump in 2020 (the US rejoined the Agreement under Joe Biden in 2021).
Biden himself will <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/biden-unlikely-attend-dubai-cop-climate-meeting-sources-say-2023-10-31" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly not be in attendance</a> this year, though he did attend COP 27 last year, and his administration is known for changing the President’s plans to make appearances last-minute. 
During his speech a few weeks ago where he announced the slackening of some of the UK’s climate commitments, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66871073" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced</a> that he would be attending COP28. In addition, we now know that King Charles will also be attending, and <a href="https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2023-11-01/the-king-will-attend-cop28-uae-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">delivering an opening address on 1st December</a>. The King has been very vocal about environmental issues over the years, including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV9n0LM63Bc&amp;t=12s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taking part in our very own virtual festival of climate action</a> back in 2020.

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<h2><a id="whattoexpect"></a>What to expect during the COP</h2>
As is always the case, we can expect lots of talking points, controversies, and politicking to take place throughout the two weeks of the COP. 
Because of the fact that the conference host and key organising figures are so heavily associated with the fossil fuel industry, it seems unlikely that this COP will deliver much in the way of substantive commitments on reducing fossil fuel use. We can probably expect a lot of high-profile speeches and announcements early on, with the legal and policy commitments then steadily being watered-down over the two weeks.
There are other factors too, like a recent history of disappointment from the COPs, which so far have failed to halt annual increases in emissions &#8211; let alone begin reducing them. In the UK, with the conference being later than usual and finishing only two weeks before Christmas, we can probably expect relatively little cut-through into television and news media.
Throughout the conference, we’ll be bringing you regular updates as we follow along with the negotiations and announcements.

<h2>Partner with us for COP28 and beyond</h2>
Over the next 12 months we want to support as many businesses as possible to measure their footprint and help reduce their emissions.
If your business is interested in a brand partnership to help scale climate action or starting its climate journey during COP28 or beyond, get in touch 🌍

Speak to our team. We're here to help find your perfect climate solution.

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Meet 6 SMEs leading the way on climate action

In 2020, Sir David Attenborough said that “saving the planet is now a communications challenge”; a campaign worth embracing for any business..

Use these handy quick links to jump straight to a specific story&#8230;
<ul>
<li>Leading in sustainability: <a href="#ecosurety">Ecosurety</a></li>
<li>Helping businesses build low carbon websites: <a href="#complex">Complex Creative</a></li>
<li>Selecting clients who walk the walk: <a href="#remarkably">Remarkably</a></li>
<li>Revolutionising maritime decarbonisation: Ocean Infinity</li>
<li>Going all-in for sustainability: <a href="#climbing">Climbing Trees</a></li>
<li>Going beyond being sustainable &#8211; to being regenerative: <a href="#avery">Avery &amp; Brown</a></li>
</ul>

Sustainability can help Small- and medium-sized businesses (SME) fulfil their environmental responsibilities while enhancing client engagement, employee satisfaction, and commercial performance. It&#8217;s no longer a niche consideration; it&#8217;s a mainstream issue that&#8217;s compelling businesses to address their environmental impact.

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Regulators are cracking down on greenwashing. The European Parliament voted to support new rules to improve product durability by combating greenwashing and misleading claims on consumer labels, such as &#8216;CO2 neutral&#8217; or &#8216;carbon neutral.&#8217; Meanwhile, in the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority is pursuing stricter enforcement on adverts claiming carbon neutrality through offsetting.
<a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/blog/climate-commitments-survey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Our recent survey</a> of 1,000 SME business owners and decision makers, conducted with the British Business Bank and One Poll, revealed that 76% of SMEs believe that having an environmental strategy is good for business. A significant 98% of SMEs that have taken steps to reduce their environmental impact have seen benefits to their business.
These range from improved brand image (43%), attracting more eco-conscious customers (38%), increased productivity and innovation (37%) and employee loyalty (34%). Over a third (31%) also say that they have benefited from increased revenue.

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Discover more about our <a href="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20230328090053/Ecologi_BBB_Report_V6.pdf">SME climate commitments survey here</a>. 
SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) account for 99.9% of the UK business population With <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/business-population-estimates-2023/business-population-estimates-for-the-uk-and-regions-2023-statistical-release">5.6 million</a> private sector businesses in the UK, their superpower is their collective power to champion protecting our planet and tackling the climate crisis. Here are 6 SMEs taking significant steps toward climate action.

<a href="https://www.ecosurety.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecosurety</a>, based in Bristol, UK, is a sustainability leader, supporting UK recycling projects with transparency and innovation. They are the first B Corp certified compliance scheme in the UK. Through working with Ecologi’s <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/blog/carbon-accounting-101-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-do-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carbon accounting</a> and ESG advisory partner <a href="https://eightversa.com/services/net-zero-carbon/carbon-footprint-for-business/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eight Versa</a> to assess their carbon footprint, they achieved Carbon Measured certification from Natural Carbon Solutions. Ecosurety has set an ambitious Net Zero target for 2030. As part of their beyond value chain mitigation whilst working to their reductions strategy Ecosurety funds impactful climate action through Ecologi. Their commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility showcases their dedication to a greener future.

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Helping businesses build low carbon websites: Complex Creative

<a href="https://x.ecologi.com/complexcreative" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Complex Creative</a> is a sustainable web design agency, helping businesses build low carbon websites through optimising for reduced file sizes, cleaning up drives, servers and databases and so much more, which in 2022 helped save 148 trees from websites alone. 
They are also a Million Tree Pledger business, an <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/business/climate-positive-workforce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecologi Climate Action Workforce</a>® and have signed up to One Percent for the Planet to donate 1% of gross sales every year to their non-profit partners. Complex Creative is also one of the hundreds of businesses that have calculated their carbon footprint with <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/business/zero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecologi Zero</a> for free. Find out more about their story in the video below:
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Selecting clients who walk the walk: Remarkably

<a href="https://x.ecologi.com/remarkably" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Remarkably</a> is a creative, brand, marketing and learning consultancy. Their purpose  &#8211; building brands for a remarkably better world.
Now in its third year, Remarkably has been climate positive from day one, achieved B Corp certification in 2021, and invests in a number of impact innovation projects globally.  As a Beta partner of <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/business/zero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecologi Zero</a>, the consultancy has been able to fully quantify its carbon footprint for the first time last year.

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If that is not enough, Remarkably has pledged to plant one million trees by 2030, <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/remarkably" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with 250,000 already planted</a>. 
Remarkably’s commitment to the triple-bottom line also extends to careful decision making for which clients to work with. A first analysis was shared in its inaugural impact report for 2022.

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Revolutionising maritime decarbonisation: Ocean Infinity

Ocean Infinity, a pioneering maritime robotics company, is leading the charge in environmental sustainability. The company deploys cutting-edge technology and AI to reduce fuel consumption and minimise waste production. Ocean Infinity have started their climate journey with Ecologi by funding tree planting through the <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/business/impact-shop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Impact Shop</a> and are working with <a href="https://eightversa.com/sustainability-insights/eight-versa-partners-with-ecologi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our partner Eight Versa</a> for a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for their robotic ships.

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Going all-in for sustainability: Climbing Trees

<a href="https://x.ecologi.com/climbingtrees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Climbing Trees</a> is an SEO, Google Ads and Social agency with a mission of reducing emissions across their entire organisation. They have already moved to sourcing 100% renewable energy; changed their bank to a more planet-friendly supplier; reduced travel emissions with less commuting and more home working and increased use of public transport.
They use <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/business/zero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecologi Zero</a> to calculate their emissions, and what they cannot reduce is offset. Climbing Trees are also a <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/business/climate-positive-workforce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecologi Climate Positive Workforce</a>® and a Million Tree Pledger, as well as a B Corp.
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Going beyond being sustainable - to being regenerative: Avery & Brown

<a href="https://x.ecologi.com/averybrown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Avery &amp; Brown</a> is a sustainable marketing agency for the built environment. They’re a signatory of the Sustainable Marketer Manifesto, supporters of The Better Business Act as well as members of Business Declares and the Climate &amp; Ecological Emergency Bill Alliance. 
Having pledged to halve their emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero before 2050 while disclosing their progress every year &#8211; they have a deep commitment to restoring and regenerating our planet. They’ve also referred over 19 other businesses to join our community!

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If your business is looking to start its climate journey, get in touch below.

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