OFFSETTING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT TO BECOME CARBON NEUTRAL – By Green Market Opportunities

OFFSETTING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT TO BE COME CARBON NEUTRAL

There is an increasing demand for organisations to incorporate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into their business policies. Having a green working attitude is becoming big business, the PR implications of CSR cannot be over-emphasised, it has been said that companies are seeing company valuation increases by as much as 5 to 10 percent, on top of that clients are increasing turning to those companies who are environmentally conscious.

Green Market Opportunities recognises that we are in a world of increased corporate social responsibility (CSR) where consumers and employees are more concerned about the environment. This means your business's corporate carbon strategy makes both corporate and commercial sense. By using electricity to run your offices, gas to heat them, and from the fuel that you put in your company’s fleet, every business causes a direct impact on the environment. The projects the carbon offsets derive from may be in another part of the world to where you created the emissions; however they will still have the same positive effect on the environment. United Nations Verified Emission Reductions (VERs) encompasses a wide range of projects which meet the demanding standards of the United Nations Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM).

The business case for CSR is increasingly recognised, here at GMO we want to work with you in creating opportunities for maximising cost-efficiency and profit through sustainability initiatives in offsetting your corporate carbon footprint.

Branding

In today’s marketplace more and more companies seek to highlight their Unique Selling Point (USP) which help then stand out from the ground or indeed these days, fit in. Social acceptance is at the forefront of the minds of consumers, competitors and the general public.

CSR can play a role in building customer loyalty based on distinctive ethical values. Several major brands, such as The Co-operative Group, The Body Shop and Aveda are built on ethical and environmental values.

Reputation Risk

Managing risk is a central part of many corporate strategies. Reputations that take decades to build up can be ruined in hours through incidents such as corruption scandals or environmental accidents. These can also draw unwanted attention from regulators, courts, governments and media. Building a genuine culture of 'doing the right thing' within a corporation can offset these risks.

Some companies may implement CSR-type values and ideals without a clearly defined team or program yet they manage to offset their carbon emissions and footprint, this doesn’t have to be a time or budget intensive activity but by showing you care it can build loyalty.

HR

CSR can also help improve the perception of a company among its staff, particularly when staff can become involved through payroll giving, fundraising activities or community volunteering. CSR has been found to encourage customer orientation among frontline employees. A CSR program can help recruitment and increase staff retention, particularly within the competitive graduate student market. More so these days, do candidates ask about a companies CSR policy during an interview, and having a comprehensive policy can give distinct advantage over those companies that don’t’.

If you as an individual or corporate entity are looking at reducing or offsetting your carbon emissions, at GMOcarbon we know we can help, through our networks we are able to offer VERs at competitive market prices. All our projects are 100% transparent, you can review the entire project, the benefits of the project including any social and economic benefits to the local communities it affects. Offsetting your carbon footprint will not reverse the effects already caused by your carbon dioxide emissions. The harm to the environment caused by these emissions cannot be undone. However, by saving an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide elsewhere, you can help to minimise total global emissions.

For more information about offsetting to become carbon neutral visit GMO Offsetting