Carbon Reduction Tip:Switch off equipment
On average offices waste £6,000 annually by leaving equipment on over weekends and bank holidays
real offsets, real reductions
High quality offsets for carbon abatement
When you buy an offset from Carbon Passport, this money is used to buy credits called Certified Emission Reductions (CERs).
CERs are only issued to projects approved under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Treaty. These projects are subjected to rigorous qualification procedures and ongoing monitoring. CERs are only awarded to projects that would not have taken place without the revenue from CERs. Once created, CERs are tracked through government run electronic registries ensuring that only one person can claim the emission reduction created.
CERs help to fund projects in the developing world which reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Examples include windfarms, energy efficiency projects and electricity generation from landfill gas. The UNFCC website provides details of all registered projects.
One CER represents one tonne of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent). When you offset one tonne of CO2, we will match this with the purchase of one CER and then cancel this in our account in the Environment Agency's EU ETS Registry. By cancelling this CER, this means it cannot subsequently be resold and prevents its use by polluters within Kyoto emission trading schemes.
Unlike most carbon offset products, CERs represent a highly credible and transparent method of offsetting. You can therefore be confident that your purchase creates a real reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. It is for this reason that only CERs, together with other regulated credits called EUAs and ERUs, would meet the standards proposed for DEFRA's Code of Practice for offsetting.