For the second year running, UN1TY is sponsoring the carbon offsetting of Chamber’s Gala Dinner. Given their commitment to sustainability, we asked them to explain more about what carbon balancing is, why it’s important, and how it can benefit your business.
The terminology of business sustainability can be hard to understand
Is “carbon balancing” just another way of saying carbon offsetting? Is it actually a good thing? What relevancy does it have for my business?
For the second year running, UN1TY has sponsored the carbon balancing of the Chamber’s Gala Dinner. This means that the activities that contribute to the event – be it the energy used to power the evening, or attendees traveling to and from Beau Sejour – are measured for their carbon emissions.
The data has been used to inform decisions for the event so that the environmental impact is managed and reduced, and the total remaining carbon emissions are offset by buying carbon credits from Durrell’s Rewild scheme (run from Jersey but focused on boosting biodiversity in vulnerable regions around the globe, where rewilding efforts can have a significant impact).
In essence, it means a price has been put on the carbon emissions. The greener the event, the lower the offset cost; the less green, the higher the bill.
Sometimes carbon offsets are given a hard time, as some businesses have used them to claim they are carbon neutral by buying offsets, but simply continuing with the unsustainable business practices that created the damaging emissions.
At UN1TY, we know that being more sustainable is a million miles away from just buying some carbon credits.
We help our clients understand their impacts, measure and manage them and develop science-based plans for their route to Net Zero. We help them identify the risks and opportunities of the transition to the green economy and use those risks and opportunities to inform their business strategy. We train their staff with the knowledge and skills they need to drive sustainability.
When we help businesses understand their carbon footprint we encourage them to balance it with good quality offsets too. Not so they can try and claim “carbon neutrality”, but because giving emissions a real cost can be the best way to get everyone behind reducing those emissions. It incentivises thinking and acting more sustainably, whilst the offsets, if selected carefully, support the development of sustainable projects worldwide that take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and increase biodiversity.
So, don’t think that offsetting is the whole answer, but don’t think it’s not part of the solution either.
UN1TY.gg is a strategic advisory business based in Guernsey, who provide trusted expertise on sustainability, marketing, innovation, technology strategy, business strategy, as well as a versatile transformation and project office.
