We have many ethical investors who decide to voluntarily offset their emissions as part of their own environmental commitment.
One of these ethical investors is SailFlags, a flag manufacturer based in Penzance, Cornwall, who have offset their emissions with us regularly since 2009.
Our relations with SailFlags began when they approached us to calculate their carbon footprint, which involved assessing the carbon emissions that resulted from their business. With the growing threat of climate change, they wanted to reduce the impact they have on the environment. They began offsetting their carbon footprint in an ethical manner and gain the status of a ‘CarbonZero’ company.
SailFlags have offset with us from 2009-15, and again in 2019; initially with our tree planting schemes in CO2balance owned woodlands in the South West of England, Tinners Forest and Sand Martin. The trees remain intact, continuing to sequester carbon emissions from the atmosphere.
Within later years their investment moved to our Improved Cookstove Projects within Kenya, East Africa. These projects involve the distribution of energy efficient cookstoves throughout remote, rural communities within the Aberdare’s region Kenya to decrease the use of firewood used for cooking and reduce carbon emissions.
In addition to environmental benefits, this project also improved social conditions of the beneficiaries of the stoves. Health and wellbeing were improved through the reduction of indoor air pollution as less wood was burned. Whilst contributions towards gender equality were made by reducing the amount of firewood needed by households, lessening the burden of domestic tasks of women who could spend time on income-generating tasks.
SailFlags are a great example of a small business taking positive action to help reduce their environmental impact and contribute to improving the livelihoods of rural African communities.
If you’re a small business and want to add another way to combat the ongoing climate emergency crisis, get in touch to find out what development projects you could support. Our carbon management services, will calculate your carbon footprint aligned to industry recognised standards and can offset part or all of your carbon footprint, alongside tailoring suggestions to reducing the size of your footprint.