Choosing the best carbon offset programs for your events

What are carbon offset programs?

Carbon offset programs are projects in which a company can invest in order to ‘make up’ for the damage caused to the planet through its own carbon emissions. Simply put, if you run a business or – in our case – organise an event, you can fund a project that reduces global CO2 emissions by an amount equal to or higher than that produced by the business or event in question. Among the most popular programs are reforestation initiatives, which involve planting trees whose oxygen production will, in the long term, reduce the impact of generated CO2. This particular type of program, while highly appreciated – perhaps because of its intuitive quality – is among the least effective. Which are the most effective and how can they be identified? There are several criteria to bear in mind.

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Why reforestation programs are less successful than you think

Let’s get one thing straight: reforestation is useful and necessary for our planet. When we say that carbon offset programs based on reforestation are ineffective, we mainly mean that they do not deliver the results that companies expect. Firstly, because these programs calculate the results in terms of balancing emissions over very long periods. Secondly, because on several occasions forests planted as part of these programs have been destroyed by fires, completely nullifying the offsetting efforts of companies that had invested in them. For this reason, it is worth considering alternative projects.

What criteria should be used to choose a carbon offset program?

The first question you need to ask is: how do you reduce emissions? And to answer this question, we need to ask a further one: how are CO2 emissions generated? The answers will inevitably lead us to the subject of energy: travel and domestic and industrial electricity supplies are among the main causes of carbon dioxide production. This is why many companies choose to invest in the creation of wind farms or solar power plants, sometimes even on a small scale, to make local supply sustainable. When choosing a carbon offset program, it is also important to consider how the program will affect local communities. If, for instance, a wind farm can create jobs in a small community, limiting the need for residents to travel regularly to work elsewhere, then the program can be seen to have significant added value. In addition, it is important to focus on the location of projects: many companies are primarily interested in local programs, but it is equally important to fund initiatives that improve sustainability in less developed countries, which often bear the brunt of climate change, even if they are not contributing to it to the same extent as developed ones.

Who pays for carbon offset programs?

In the events industry, the issue of economic feasibility is extremely relevant. All offsetting programs have a cost, and with often reduced venue capacities, for many organisers such costs are likely to be prohibitive. Many are choosing to engage their audience in their endeavours towards sustainability, adding a sustainability fee to the ticket price or asking for a voluntary contribution to the sustainability of the whole event. After all, they say, we are all jointly responsible for the emissions we generate, and therefore the cost should be borne as much by the organisers as by the participants. In other cases, depending on the Country where the event is hosted, it is possible to benefit from tax breaks or local funds for green policies.

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