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Renewables

6 unexpected ways to offset your carbon footprint

Thanks to innovative carbon offsetting schemes being run by businesses around the globe, there are now some unexpected ways to boost your green credentials. Anything from treating yourself to a chocolate bar to getting stuck into your favourite sport could help you to contribute to the fight against climate change.

Here, we explore six sustainability initiatives designed to make it easy for you to do your bit for the environment, including our very own ViMove for Climate activity tracking app:

Viessmann’s ViMove for Climate activity tracking app

First launched in 2020 as a limited campaign and an antidote to pandemic lockdowns, our ViMove for Climate activity tracking app allows people all over the world to improve their health while helping the planet. The app, which has now been made permanent - and which won the "Most innovative solution in Engagement" category at the Garmin Health Awards 2021 - rewards participants for the exercise they do by planting trees. For every 10 km of walking or running, 30 km of cycling or 90 minutes of activities such as swimming and gym workouts, Viessmann plants a tree.

The stats:
Thanks to the efforts of over 8,000 people in 54 countries, last year we reached the milestone of planting one million trees, equating to 10,000 tons of CO2 captured per year.

Hyundai Power Products’ tree planting scheme

Under its tree planting scheme, Hyundai Power Products plants one tree for every product it sells. Its planting locations include Kenya, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mozambique and Madagascar, and all the trees planted are species native to these areas. It is also planting agroforestry species that are designed for sustainable community use.

The stats:
Hyundai Power Products planted 20,477 trees in May 2022 alone, taking its total up to that month to 296,623.

Treecard’s eco-friendly debit cards

Treecard is a free Mastercard® debit card offered through Sutton Bank that uses a small merchant transaction fee to fund the planting of trees across the world to help tackle deforestation and reverse the effects of climate change. Even the card itself is designed to be eco-friendly. Rather than standard plastic, it’s made from sustainably sourced wood and recycled plastic bottles.

The stats:
So far, Treecard has planted thousands of trees globally, including in Senegal, where it has worked with local farmers to help them grow more diverse foods in forest gardens. These farmers have seen an average increase in their livelihoods of 400% as a result.

Toblerone’s support for One Tree Planted

Travel retailer Dufry and Mondelez World Travel Retail, the company behind Toblerone, are supporting the charity One Tree Planted by planting a tree for each Toblerone purchased in select outlets. The donation value of each of the chocolate bars bought from these stores funds the planting of a tree in the Andes as part of a project designed to protect the environment and benefit the local community.

The stats:
To date, One Tree Planted has been responsible for planting more than 40 million trees in 47 countries.

Patagonia’s clothing reuse initiative

Under a scheme called Worn Wear, outdoor clothing retailer Patagonia encourages customers to reuse old clothing rather than purchasing brand new items. Customers can buy second-hand Patagonia clothes and they can also trade in their own used garments in exchange for credits towards their next purchase.

The stats:
As well as selling and exchanging second-hand clothes, Worn Wear also goes on the road to repair clothes. In 2019, the team held 56 repair events across Europe that saw 100,288 garments repaired.

Pavegen’s smart flooring technology

UK startup Pavegen is harnessing renewable energy created by people to power a range of eco-friendly applications. The company has developed special paving tiles that use the energy generated by footsteps in busy places such as shopping centres to power everything from LED displays to green walls. As people walk over its tiles, the weight compresses electromagnetic generators located below. The system produces 2-4 joules of electricity per step.

The stats:
This smart flooring technology has so far been installed in over 200 locations across 36 countries.

Empowered consumers

By being aware of initiatives like these and seeking out companies, apps and activities that allow you to play your part in the fight against global warming, you can use your power as a consumer to help drive positive environmental change.

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