Best Carbon Offset Programs – How to Offset Carbon Footprint

With the best carbon offset programs, consumers can do their bit for global warming. The carbon offset market offers many ways to offset your individual carbon footprint, including planting trees and even freezing CO₂ to stone. Generally consumers can pay carbon offset companies a monthly subscription to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere on their behalf.

Below we take a closer look at eight of the best carbon offset programs. We take special care, of course, to review the financial costs involved – as well as outline what factors can come into play with carbon offset purchase.

A Closer Look at the Top Carbon Offset Projects

Although we do outline the cost schedules offered by these top carbon offset programs, we do not give below a rank order based on price. This is because most carbon offset companies offer a sliding scale of cost alongside set subscriptions. Too many variables are thus involved to make direct comparisons. Generally, on the other hand:

• If an investor is figuring out how to invest $1,000 for example, then the good news is a contribution of just $1 a month will result in some of their personal carbon footprint being offset.
• Estimates vary, but a US citizen may be able to offset their entire year’s carbon footprint for under $250 (figures from carbon offset specialists Cool Effect).
• Alternatively, investors in pursuit of financial reward might want to research how to invest in carbon credits as tradable assets.

IMPT – Overall Best Carbon Offset Program Leveraging Blockchain Technology

Playing a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions from the atmosphere, IMPT is a new cryptocurrency that has been built on the Ethereum blockchain. Currently, on presale, the IMPT token will allow investors to purchase Carbon Credits NFTs – which represent approximately 1 ton of CO2 emissions to be eradicated from the atmosphere.

According to the IMPT whitepaper, the platform will create a shopping platform to connect shoppers with retailers. IMPT has partnered with hundreds of retailers willing to set aside a percentage of their sales margin for environmental-friendly projects. Once shoppers purchase products from these retailers, they receive the sales margin as IMPT tokens in their digital wallets.

On the IMPT platform, the tokens can be exchanged for Carbon Credit NFTs. IMPT chose to leverage blockchain technology since each transaction can be viewed by all users – making it transparent to track the transactions. Since the transactions are recorded on a decentralized ledger – there is no chance for fraud or double-counting as well.

The Carbon Credits NFTs can either be traded as a regular investment – or retired on the chain. Retiring the NFTs will effectively remove the emissions they represent. Users who retire their NFTs will also be rewarded with newly minted NFTs – which can be traded on secondary markets.

Presale Costs: 

Currently, IMPT is available to purchase in its second presale round. From a total token supply of 3 billion, 60% is being distributed through 3 presale rounds. Below is a list of the IMPT token price per each round.

• Presale Stage 1: $0.018 per token (Sold Out)
• Presale Stage 2: $0.023 per token (Ongoing Round)
• Presale Stage 2: $0.028 per token (Final Round)

After stage 1 raised $10.1 million by selling out 600 million tokens, stage 2 is distributing 660 million tokens in hopes of collecting $14.8 million. IMPT has raised $12.4 million since the beginning of the presale.

Accreditation

IMPT only onboard with environmental-friendly projects which have been accredited by global regulatory bodies. Each Carbon Offset project is carefully selected and reviewed. Currently, Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard and Gold Standard are two of the main establishments that certify carbon projects. IMPT ensures that the projects they onboard have passed the audit by these establishments and follow all the requirements of the carbon market.

To learn more about this cryptocurrency project, join the IMPT Telegram Channel.

Climeworks – Direct Air Capture and Storage (DAC+S) Specialists

Climeworks is a Swiss-based company that builds and operates Direct Air Capture (DAC) machines. This firm is not an investor in other projects, or a buyer of carbon credits on consumers’ behalf (like CarbonClick below).

Climeworks is at the business end of climate change reversal: removing CO₂ from the air, and then storing it underground.

In September, 2021, the firm launched Orca, the world’s largest DAC/Storage plant in Iceland. This was achieved in partnership with Microsoft, The Economist, Accenture, BCG, Swiss Re and others.

In 2022, the firm raised CHF 600m and announced the development of Mammoth, their newest and largest plant. When operational, Mammoth will have a CO₂ capture capacity of 36,000 tons per year.

Costs

Climeworks offers 3 subscription plans:

• Supporter: $1.2 per month: 1kg of CO₂ removed
• Discoverer: $24 per month: 20kg of CO₂ removed
• Special Expedition: $96 per month: 80kg of CO₂ removed

Accreditation

Climeworks was named as one of TIME100‘s Most Influential Companies of 2022. It has a spread of accreditation from environmental bodies as well as management certification to ISO 9001 and FSSC 22000.

CarbonClick – New Zealand-based Carbon Offset Investors

Based in New Zealand, CarbonClick operates in the US, Ireland, Malaysia and the Philippines. The firm invests in carbon offset projects as well as buys carbon credits. Thus consumers can get access to investment in a variety of carbon removal practices, including afforestation and sustainable society-based projects.

The firm divides any contribution 50/50 between local and global projects. So, for example, investors from the US can invest in the Klawock Heenya Forestry Project in Alaska, as well as a project in Nigeria to develop sustainable cooking practices.

Costs

Like many of the best carbon offset programs, Carbonclick customizes what packages are on offer depending on the country where the consumer lives.

Citizens of different countries have different average carbon footprints. Carbonclick takes that into consideration. For example, the US has one of the highest average carbon footprints; Carbonclick calculates it at 18.1 tonnes per annum. So the packages offered cost twice as much as those that the company offers to Sweden, for example – where the average carbon footprint.

4 US monthly subscriptions are offered:

• Light: contributing to removal of 9 tonnes of CO₂: $15
• Everyday: contributing to removal 15 tonnes of CO₂: $24
• Hero: contributing to removal of 31 tonnes of CO₂: $49
• Superstar: contributing to removal of 62 tonnes of CO₂: $99

Accreditation

Carbonclick invests only in projects which have been certified by the most reputable carbon registries: Gold Standard, Verra Carbon Standard, American Carbon Registry.

Carbonclick is certified by the B Corporation, which is a nonprofit accreditor measuring a company’s ‘entire social and environmental impact.’

Wren – Offering All-In-One Climate Subscription

Wren is a Public Benefit Corporation based in the US and France.

Many of the best carbon offset programs offer a range of subscription options. Wren is no different. But, before selecting one of its plans, Wren invites consumers to calculate their own carbon footprint using Wren’s calculator. The platform then presents a range of suitable options which will offset that carbon footprint by 100%, 200% or 300%.

Wren is involved in tree planting, rainforest protection, agroforestry (growing trees on farms specifically), biochar production (mixing charcoal into compost and then using it to improve soil quality) and clean-burning cookstoves.

Costs

Costs are calculated on an individual basis with Wren – depending on the consumer’s carbon footprint. The platform asks the client a number of questions and offers a subscription charge that will tackle that carbon contribution.

For a standard US citizen, Wren calculates the carbon footprint at 18.3 tons of CO₂ every year:

• Climate Starter: $38.09 per month: offsets 100% of emissions.
• Climate Steward: $76.17 per month: offsets 200% of emissions.
• Climate Hero: $114.26 per month: offsets 300% of emissions.

As with most of the best carbon offset programs, Wren offers a custom plan too.

Accreditation

Wren has a rating of 5 stars on Trustpilot and is a Public Benefit Corporation with a public charter.

Cool Effect – Custom Donations to Accredited Carbon Offset Projects

As with many of the best carbon offset programs, Cool Effects works with both businesses and customers. Among businesses, Cool Effect has some prestigious clients: Salesforce, Twitter, 3M, American Airlines and Crunchbase.

Cool Effect offers numerous projects to invest in. Renewable energy, forestry, cookstoves, and methane reduction are examples of some of the GHG areas covered. Customers can invest directly in projects that take their fancy – with each project given an individual cost per ton of carbon removed.

For retail customers, Cool Effect offers calculators to work out how much carbon needs to be offset for specific journeys, cruises and spells in accommodation away from home. The customer receives a figure in USD which will cover the carbon cost of their planned trip – and the chance to pay that USD figure immediately.

Costs

• Cool Effect accepts one-off donations or monthly subscriptions of $10, $30 or $50.
• Customers can also customize their monthly subscription. PayPal and credit card is accepted.
• Over 90% of funds donated to Cool Effect go directly to carbon projects (9.87% fee levied to cover costs).

Accreditation

All Cool Effect projects are accredited by major carbon credit authenticating bodies. The Montana natural grasslands project, for example, is accredited by Climate Action Reserve (CAR). The Cooking with Gas project in China is accredited by Gold Standard.

Cool Effect also presents its projects in relation to UN sustainable development goals.

Ecologi – UK Afforestation Specialists

This UK-based firm has planted 48.6m trees and achieved the removal of 2.2m tonnes of CO2.

The company focuses on impact investing especially when it comes to global tree-planting projects.

Like CarbonClick reviewed above, Ecologi is a certified B Corporation. This means its own Environmental, Social and Governance impact has been closely monitored and approved.

Costs

Ecologi offers personal and family plan monthly subscription models.

Personal Plans:

• Starter: £4.70 a month: 8 trees planted: 3 tonnes of CO₂ removed.
• Essential: £9.40 a month: 8 trees planted: 9 tonnes of CO₂ removed.
• Ultimate: £18.80 a month: 16 trees planted: 18 tonnes of CO₂ removed.

Family plans are customizable. Customers can enter how many adults, children and even pets that they want to represent – and the platform displays how that will cost in GBP, how many planted trees that will result in and how many tonnes of CO₂ will be removed from the atmosphere as a result.

Accreditation

Verra, Gold Standard, and Eden Reforestation Projects are some of Ecologi’s independent accreditors. The firm also aligns its projects with sustainable development goals set by the UN.

Ecologi has a score of 5/5 on Trustpilot.

Sustainable Travel International – Carbon Offset for Travel

Tourism is responsible for approximately 8% of the world’s carbon emissions. This firm allows travellers to offset their carbon footprint, journey by journey.

Customers can enter details of their trip – whether by air, car or boat – and STI’s calculator will show how much carbon that trip will create individually, and how much that will cost to offset.

For example, STI calculates that one person taking a plane trip from London to New York will create 1.54 tons of CO₂. The firm quotes $24.64 as the sum necessary to offset the carbon created. And customers can simply press the button to pay the price.

STI invests in clean energy, projects, forest and biodiversity and community initiatives.

Costs

Costs are one-off and calculated on the basis of travel undertaken by the consumer.

Accreditation

All STI projects align with UN Sustainable Development Goals and are independently verified. The Alto Mayo project, for example aims to conserve 450,000 acres of rainforest and is verified by top accreditors Verra.

Native – Help Carbon Offset Startups

US-based Native serves business and customers with carbon offset services.

What makes Native stand out among the best carbon offset programs is that the firm allows the consumer to help carbon reduction startups.

When carbon offsets/credits are bought usually, the money goes to pay for an existing project. With Native, ‘you purchase carbon offsets from a project in advance – that is, before the emission reductions occur.’ This allows projects to get off the ground, effectively with seed funding provided by Native’s customers.

Projects are diverse, covering clean energy, regenerative agriculture and afforestation.

Native has a number of prestigious corporate clients including Ben & Jerry’s, Aveda and Lush.

Costs

Native customers may calculate their carbon footprint and then make a one-off or recurring contribution based on that calculation. Or they can invest directly in projects on the basis of USD per tonne of carbon removed.

Accreditation

Like CarbonClick, Native is one of the 1,500 Certified B Corporations with high ESG credentials.

Native’s carbon projects are validated by all the big accreditors: Verra, Gold Standard, Climate Action Reserve, American Carbon Registry and more.

Myclimate – Carbon Footprint Calculation Specialists

This Swiss-based company is for the mathematically-minded who want to be specific about their carbon offsetting.

Myclimate offers a range of calculators to gauge the carbon footprint of:

• Travel (air and car)
• Events
• Household
• Business

By answering some fairly detailed questions, the consumer receives in return a precise estimate of the carbon footprint for specific events, trips and installations – and can then pay immediately to have that carbon footprint offset.

Myclimate projects include biogas, biomass, hydropower, forestry, waste management and more.

Costs

Costs are calculated on an individual basis.

Accreditation

All Myclimate projects are aligned with UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

What are Carbon Offset Programs?

The best carbon offset programs often center on two simple business elements:

1. A way of achieving carbon footprint offset.
2. A way of securing revenue from consumers to pay for the carbon footprint offset.

1. Ways of Achieving Carbon Footprint Offset

Among the best carbon capture programs, ways to offset carbon emissions vary. Four methods are popular:

Reforestation and Afforestation

This means planting trees. As they grow, trees take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it. Carbon offset tree planting is the most well-known form of carbon offset.

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

Machines capture carbon dioxide from the air. DAC+S describes an enhanced method whereby the captured gas is then stored underground. There, if stored in contact with basalt rock, it literally turns to stone through a natural process of mineralization.

BECCS

BECCS stands for BioEnergy plus Carbon Capture and Storage.

Enhanced Weathering

Just like trees, minerals can capture carbon dioxide. Enhanced weathering speeds up the process in an optimized way.

2. Securing Revenue to Achieve Carbon Footprint Offset

A popular method used by the best carbon capture programs is to raise funds through financial subscriptions.

Carbon offset companies generally give consumers the satisfaction of knowing how much carbon their financial subscription will achieve: with introductory and then monthly emails.

Consumers can often choose from a range of monthly payment packages – or customize their own.

• For example, Swiss carbon offset company Climeworks accepts a monthly subscription of $1.20 to remove 1kg of carbon dioxide, $24 per month to remove 20kg, and $96 per month to remove 80kg.

One-off gifts are also often accepted.

Why Get Involved in a Carbon Offset Program?

Why offset your carbon footprint?

Climate change campaigners would say that the reason to start sustainable investing is because the future generations and wellbeing of the planet is at risk.

Every year, 5bn tons of CO₂ must be removed from the air until mid-century if we want to keep global warming to 1.5C. Currently it is predicted to rise by over double that by the end of the century. This is the verdict of the influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Independent observers might argue that, at the very least, making a small financial contribution to the best carbon offset programs will salve the conscience.

Either way, consumers can get an idea of their own carbon footprint by using a carbon footprint calculator.

How We Rank Carbon Offset Projects

We review the best carbon programs from the point of view of a consumer who is both cost-conscious and environmentally-conscious:

• Cost – how much carbon do I get to offset for my money?
• Carbon Offset Effectiveness – can I be sure that the carbon I pay to offset is permanently and measurably removed?

The Best Carbon Offset Programs – International Criteria

Carbon offset projects are generally judged on agreed criteria:

• Additionality: the project must be necessary. It must be provable that a particular project could not go ahead without the purchase of the carbon credits which relate to it. Renewable energy projects are not, for example, viewed as providing additionality – because they are being installed with or without carbon offsets.
• Permanence: the project must remove CO₂ permanently. Afforestation, for example, is not considered to offer great permanence – because there is no guarantee that the carbon stored in the planted trees will stay in the trees. The trees could get cut down in the future.
• Measurability: The amount of CO₂ removed must be measurable.
• Safety: The carbon offset project must be safe.
• Efficiency: A minimum of resources must be deployed.

The Best Carbon Offset Programs – Third Party Accreditation

Four independent bodies are recognized as offering valid accreditation of carbon offset projects:

Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)

Verra is considered to be the leading GHG (Greenhouse Gas Protocol) accreditor on the planet. This body, based in the US, has approved over 1,700 global projects responsible for removing 630m+ tons of CO₂.

Gold Standard

This body has issued more than 125m carbon credits from 700+ projects based in 60+ countries. Projects include sustainable wind power in Indonesia, a biodigester program in Cambodia and solar power initiatives in India.

Climate Action Reserve (CAR)

Judged to be the leading registry for carbon offset in the US, CAR has issued over 150m carbon credits. Projects have included forestry initiatives in California and landfill gas capture in South Carolina. CAR has also worked in South Korea, Kazakhstan and Mexico.

American Carbon Registry (ACR)

Founded in 1996, ACR was the first greenhouse gas registry in the world.  The registry is a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International. The registry is involved across the board of GHG initiatives, including truck stop electrification, forestry and smart agriculture.

How to Offset Carbon

Looking for the best green investment funds in 2023? Carbon offset projects make it very easy for consumers to get involved.

The sections below show investors how to begin trading with IMPT – our recommended best Carbon Credit program in 2023.

• Create a Crypto Wallet: Users can access the IMPT cryptocurrency presale by connecting with a compatible cryptocurrency wallet. For instance, MetaMask or Wallet Connect are two of the top wallets that allow investors to access the IMPT presale.
• Purchase ETH/USDT: IMPT can be swapped with other ERC-20 tokens, such as Ethereum (ETH) or Tether (USDT). Purchase these assets from a suitable crypto exchange and transfer the holdings to your newly created crypto wallet.
• Connect the Wallet to the Presale: Investors can head over to the IMPT presale website and click on ‘Connect Wallet’. Select your preferred wallet and follow the on-screen instructions to connect the wallet to the presale platform.
• Buy IMPT: Depending on which asset you hold, click on either ‘Buy with ETH/USDT’ on the website. Enter the amount of IMPT you wish to purchase (minimum 10 IMPT) and click on ‘Convert’. After the IMPT presale ends, a token generation event (TGE) will take place, and the investors will be able to claim their tokens.

Conclusion

The best way for consumers to tackle climate change is not to offset their carbon footprint – but to reduce it. Apps like EcoCRED offer a free service for consumers to adopt eco-friendly habits as well as keep an eye on their carbon footprint.

However, one of the best Carbon Offset Programs is IMPT – a new cryptocurrency initiative which allows individuals and retailers to reduce their individual carbon footprint. Currently available to buy on presale for only $0.023 per token, IMPT has already raised more than $12.4 million.

IMPT - New Eco Friendly Crypto

Our Rating

• Carbon Offsetting Crypto & NFT Project
• Industry Partnerships, Public Team
• Listed on LBank, Uniswap
• Upcoming Listings - Bitmart Dec 28, Gate.io Jan 1st

Buy Now

FAQs

What is the best carbon offset program?

We recommend IMPT as the best Carbon Offset program. Leveraging blockchain technology, IMPT offers tokenized Carbon Credits through the IMPT cryptocurrency. Currently, on presale, IMPT is available to purchase for just $0.023 per token.

How do I choose a carbon offset program?

Most of the best carbon offset programs are very clear about how much CO₂ your financial contribution will remove from the atmosphere. So cost is a sensible factor to go on. Look for proper accreditation too from your chosen project.

Which companies buy the most carbon credits?

Reputation-conscious companies involved in environmentally-damaging operations generally buy the most carbon credits. Carbon credits are also traded as investable assets.

Which carbon standard is best?

US-based Verra and their VCUs (Verified Carbon Offsets) are considered to be one of the top carbon standards. The Gold Standard is likewise recognized as a reputable market leader in carbon standard accreditation.

  This article was written for Business 2 Community by J Thompson.
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Author: J Thompson

J Thompson leverages his experience in working for investment banks to deliver simple explanations in the complicated world of crypto. …

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