Offset

The dilemmas of offsetting

• Offsetting is a key step in any strategy to net zero emissions both to allow time for further emission reductions and in those sectors where it is most difficult to abate emissions;
• Net zero strategies include negative emissions generated through offsetting, always assuming that emissions have been reduced as much as possible;
• Offsetting is done by supporting certified emission reduction projects that generate carbon credits which can be purchased on the voluntary offset market.

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Organisations and individuals can support projects that increase the absorption of carbon emissions, such as reforestation projects, or projects that prevent carbon emissions. This support occurs through the purchase of carbon credits generated by such projects once certified.
According to several studies, including a report by the Science-based Targets initiative (SBTi), offsetting measures are indispensable to achieve the transition to zero net global emissions, but do not in any way replace the need to reduce carbon emissions in the corporate value chain as much as possible. Simply put, these measures should be taken with the aim of ‘offsetting the irreducible’.

Please note: a company that wants to embark on a net-zero path must first measure its emissions through the Life Cycle Assessment tool, so as to identify the links in the value chain where it is possible to reduce emissions and use offsetting where it is not possible.