Most Sustainable Cryptocurrency to Invest in 2023

Although Bitcoin was the first to popularize the positive impact that cryptocurrencies can have on industries worldwide, the project’s adverse effect on the environment has become a major issue. Due to this, alternative projects have begun springing up in an attempt to mirror BTC’s success whilst also providing a ‘greener’ option for investors.

This guide discusses the most sustainable cryptocurrency projects of 2023, diving into which cryptos are doing the most for the environment, before presenting some valuable strategies to help investors identify sustainable coins.

A Closer Look at the Most Sustainable Cryptos to Invest In

Most people decide to buy cryptocurrency for capital gains yet pay no attention to the project’s impact on the environment. As touched on above, Bitcoin is the prime example of this, as miners’ negative impact on the environment has become a pressing issue in the market.

Have you ever wondered if crypto is bad for the environment? However, the most sustainable crypto projects reviewed below all look to combine appealing investment opportunities with an environmentally-friendly mission. Let’s dive in and take a closer look at these projects:

1. C+Charge (CCHG) – Most Sustainable Cryptocurrency for 2023 with EV Driver Rewards

Our pick for the most sustainable cryptocurrency of 2023 is C+Charge, which is aiming to push the switch from fossil fuels to electric vehicles (EVs) by offering rewards and making EV driving more convenient.

The CCHG token presale has only just launched with tokens on sale for $0.013 – by the fourth and final stage of the presale, tokens will have increased by 80% to $0.0235.

C+Charge will incentivize EV ownership by offering drivers carbon credits as a reward while they recharge their vehicles.

Carbon credits are permits that allow an owner to offset their carbon footprint by funding green projects, with one credit equal to one ton of CO2.

C+Charge will offer drivers credits in the form of Goodness Nature Tokens (GNT) after a major partnership with Flowcarbon – GNT are 1:1 backed by verified carbon regeneration projects and Flowcarbon just completed a $70 million investment round that attracted major VC firms such as Samsung Next and a16z.

The project will also democratize carbon credit ownership, which has so far been mostly in the hands of big business. Tesla, for example, makes billions annually selling carbon credits to other companies with a much larger carbon footprint.

As well as offering carbon credits, C+Charge’s mobile app will help EV driving much more convenient and efficient than it is currently. The app will feature key information such as a geolocator for the nearest charging station, pricing info, waiting times and whether the station is actually functional.

With fossil fuel cars and trucks one of the largest polluters of the planet, the switch to EVs is key in the battle against climate change. This is one of the reasons why most C+Charge price predictions are so bullish at the moment.

C+Charge, which has a doxxed and KYC-verified team, has also partnered with Perfect Solutions Turkey, which means it now operates 20% of charging stations in the country.

The CCHG token presale has only just launched and will see 40% of the max 1 billion supply on sale – presale tokens will have no vesting period and a hard cap of $6.6 million. Interested parties should read the C+Charge whitepaper or join the Telegram group for more information.

2. IMPT (IMPT) – Carbon Credit Protocol set for Huge 2023

IMPT is a blockchain-based carbon credit ecosystem that incentivizes individuals and companies to offset their carbon footprint. Not only this, but IMPT significantly streamlines the process having partnered with over 10,000 well-known retail brands to help reduce CO2 emissions.

IMPT enjoyed one of the best presales of 2023, raising $20.5 million, and is now predicted to have a breakout 2023 when market conditions improve.

Already listed on LBank and Uniswap, IMPT will soon be listed on BitMart and Changelly Pro with more listings to be announced in the near future.

The exciting thing about carbon credits is that IMPT will make them more tradable for individuals, as well as allow users to earn them while they do their normal shopping.

According to IMPT’s whitepaper, the global carbon offset market is considered a billion-dollar industry. Moreover, the demand for carbon credits is expected to rise exponentially between now and 2035. In turn, the price estimates for these credits are also likely to increase.

This is where IMPT comes in, as the project looks to simplify the carbon credit market, which has traditionally been murky and complex. Built on the energy-efficient Ethereum blockchain, IMPT’s ecosystem allows individuals to acquire carbon credits easily – simply by completing their normal shopping activities.

This is achieved through IMPT’s partnership with 10,000-plus brands – including Amazon, Nike, Microsoft and LEGO – each of which will dedicate a percentage of its revenue to eco-friendly projects.

In turn, this rewards shoppers with $IMPT – once shoppers have enough $IMPT, they can exchange their tokens for carbon credits on IMPT’s platform.

This makes $IMPT one of the best altcoins from an eco-friendly perspective since these carbon credits are structured as NFTs. In turn, this allows other individuals/companies to purchase them, enabling the holder to benefit from their value fluctuations in the secondary market.

Moreover, holders of these carbon credit NFTs can even ‘retire’ them if they wish. This ‘removes’ CO2 from the environment and rewards the owner with a unique digital artwork NFT – which can also be traded on the ecosystem’s marketplace.

Finally, IMPT even has built-in social networking concepts since all stakeholders have an ‘IMPT score’. Points are awarded based on each individual or company’s environmental impact, making it easy to see who is doing the most and who needs to step it up.

Independent rating sites CoinCodex.com and CryptoPresale.com rated IMPT as one of the best crypto projects of 2023. Those looking to learn more about IMPT can do so through the project’s official Telegram group.

3. Cardano (ADA) – Blockchain Project Offering Sustainable Energy Crypto

Our pick for the most sustainable cryptocurrency this year is Cardano. Cardano is a blockchain project that uses a ‘Proof-of-Stake’ (PoS) protocol to validate transactions. This contrasts with Bitcoin’s ‘Proof-of-Work’ (PoW) protocol.

As noted in an article by NBC, PoS blockchains are far more energy efficient than their PoW counterparts. This is because they use ‘validators’ to verify transactions, rather than mining, which consumes enormous amounts of energy to solve complex mathematical problems.

Ultimately, this makes Cardano an environmentally-sustainable cryptocurrency since each transaction made on the network has a much lower negative impact on the environment. Thus, market participants can become ‘greener’ simply by using a PoS chain like Cardano.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. Your capital is at risk.

4. Polygon (MATIC) – Leading Layer-2 Blockchain with ‘Green Manifesto’

Polygon is a sustainable cryptocurrency designed to help the Ethereum network become more scalable. As a ‘Layer-2 blockchain’, Polygon links to Ethereum and helps handle some of the workload. This benefits Ethereum’s users since Polygon can complete up to 65,000 transactions per second (TPS).

Much like Cardano, Polygon uses a PoS consensus protocol to validate transactions – far better for the environment than alternative approaches. Moreover, a Polygon blog post recently revealed the network’s ‘Green Manifesto’ presenting plans to become carbon-negative in 2023.

Polygon has also pledged $20 million to various community initiatives aiming to combat climate change’s adverse effects. These include purchasing $400,000 worth of BCT and MCO2 carbon credits to offset emissions. By taking this approach, Polygon looks to become the most sustainable crypto cryptocurrency within the blockchain sector.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. Your capital is at risk.

5. Algorand (ALGO) – Widely-Used Carbon Negative Blockchain Network

Algorand was one of the best emerging cryptocurrencies of 2021, offering a more scalable alternative to Ethereum. This blockchain network was created by MIT professor Silvio Micali, who won the Turing Award in 2012. Using Micali’s knowledge of cryptography, Algorand was developed to be able to handle approximately 1,000 transactions per second.

Algorand aids the environment through its ‘Pure Proof-of-Stake’ consensus protocol. This protocol means that energy expenditure per transaction is reduced over time, whilst TPS continues to increase. What’s more, Algorand has partnered with leading company ClimateTrade to help offset carbon emissions and sponsor climate change projects.

This sustainable energy crypto has also teamed up with entities that look to protect the rainforest and facilitate reforestation. Algorand even offsets carbon usage by directly purchasing carbon credits via smart contracts. Through this process, Algorand’s team has guaranteed that the network will remain carbon negative on a net basis.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. Your capital is at risk.

6. Chia (XCH) – Most Sustainable Crypto with Unique Consensus Mechanism

Another of the best sustainable cryptocurrency projects to make waves recently is Chia. Chia is a blockchain network that looks to be sustainable, compliant, and secure. According to Chia’s website, the network uses just 0.16% of Bitcoin’s annual energy consumption and 0.36% of Ethereum’s

Investor’s Chia coin price prediction has been highly optimistic over the past year due to the network’s innovative ‘Proof-of-Space-and-Time’ consensus mechanism. This does away with the need for mining and instead uses free storage space to secure the network. ‘Farmers’ can write ‘plots’ on their HDDs and SDDs, which are then used to create blocks and generate rewards.

Since this approach utilizes storage that is currently unused, the Chia network has dramatically less of an impact on the environment. Its sustainable crypto mining strategy has helped it reach a market cap of $900 million, with the network’s native token, XCH, now available to purchase on many of the world’s best crypto exchanges.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. Your capital is at risk.

7. Solana (SOL) – Blockchain Network Using 99% Less Energy Than Ethereum

Solana is an environmentally sustainable cryptocurrency project offering unrivalled speed and efficiency. This blockchain network has smart contract functionality, providing a platform for dApp developers to host their creations. In turn, this has made Solana one of the go-to networks for DeFi and NFT projects.

Solana was one of the fastest-growing cryptocurrency projects in 2021, mainly due to its ‘green’ approach. The network uses a unique ‘Proof-of-History’ algorithm to verify transactions, allowing Solana to handle around 65,000 TPS, each costing a fraction of a penny.

One Solana transaction equates to an expenditure of just 2,707 joules – approximately 99% lower than an Ethereum transaction. What’s more, the Solana Foundation made the network carbon neutral in 2022 and looks to remain the same in 2023. Finally, Solana even releases semi-regular ‘Climate Footprint Analysis Summaries’ highlighting why it is one of the most sustainable crypto projects.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. Your capital is at risk.

8. Nano (XNO) – Sustainable Cryptocurrency Alternative to Bitcoin

Nano is a peer-to-peer payment system that enables users to send and receive crypto in a quick and decentralized manner. Although this is similar to BTC, Nano differentiates itself using a ‘block-lattice data structure’. This approach reduces energy expenditure by splitting the network into different portions.

Ultimately, this means network participants don’t have to download the entire network, making Nano a greener alternative to Bitcoin. Moreover, Nano uses a protocol similar to PoS yet enables NANO holders to vote on who will validate on-chain transactions.

Nano also offers near-instant finality and can handle around 1,000 TPS. Due to its efficiency and energy-saving consensus mechanism, Nano has emerged as one of the best eco-friendly crypto projects for those looking to make quick, low-cost transfers.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. Your capital is at risk.

9. Hedera (HBAR) – Eco-Friendly Alternative to Blockchain Technology

Most of the projects noted in this guide are blockchain-based – yet Hedera veers away from this approach. Put simply, Hedera is a distributed ledger that uses a ‘hashgraph’ rather than the blockchain to validate transactions. This approach enables the Hedera network to complete up to 10,000 TPS whilst keeping energy expenditure low.

One of Hedera’s core values is environmental sustainability, which has led to the development team purchasing carbon offsets every quarter. The aim is to become a carbon-negative operation, with Hedera committed to increasing its expenditure on carbon offsets to compensate for the increased energy consumption as the network grows.

Due to this, investors have been flocking to buy Hedera Hashgraph as a way to gain exposure to an eco-friendly project. What’s more, Hedera’s team recently launched a $100 million ‘sustainable impact fund’ that will invest in solutions to offset carbon emissions and help nature.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. Your capital is at risk.

10. SolarCoin (SLR) – One of the Best Sustainable Cryptos Incentivizing Solar Power

Another sustainable crypto cryptocurrency to be aware of is SolarCoin. SolarCoin has been around since 2014 and aims to incentivize market participants to transition to solar power. The project’s mission is to make solar energy free by distributing SLR rewards to those who complete solar installations.

Ultimately, SolarCoin’s team hopes to help SLR’s value exceed the production cost of solar energy – which is how it will become theoretically ‘free’. At the time of writing, SolarCoin’s team distributes 1 SLR per 1 MWh of verified electricity production, providing a clear financial motive to switch to this energy source.

However, SLR hasn’t made a name for itself as one of the best utility tokens since it cannot be spent to purchase goods or services anywhere of note. However, SolarCoin remains the go-to crypto related to solar power, ensuring it continues to generate demand from environmentally-conscious market participants.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. Your capital is at risk.

11. Stellar (XLM) – Sustainable Crypto Project Looking to Revolutionize the Payments Sector

Another of the most sustainable crypto projects is Stellar. Stellar is a decentralized payments network that aims to improve on ‘traditional’ payments networks. These networks are often slow and costly, whereas Stellar can facilitate decentralized transactions at an extremely low cost.

The overarching aim of Stellar is to allow financial entities and individuals to complete transfers more efficiently than currently offered. It does this through the ‘Stellar Consensus Protocol’, which validates transactions using nodes. Transactions can be processed in just five seconds – exponentially faster than the SWIFT network.

Thanks to this Stellar Consensus Protocol, Stellar consumes much less energy than the likes of Bitcoin to validate transactions. Moreover, those looking to become validators on the network don’t need advanced computer hardware to do so. This further reduces energy expenditure and ensures Stellar remains a greener alternative to BTC.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. Your capital is at risk.

12. EOS (EOS) – ‘Feeless’ Blockchain with Sustainable Technology

Rounding off our list of the most sustainable cryptocurrency projects is EOS. EOS is a super-fast blockchain network that looks to altogether remove transaction fees by inflating the price of its native token. Moreover, the EOS network can also handle an impressive 4,000 TPS, with finality of just 0.5 seconds.

EOS is also appealing from a sustainability perspective, as it was the world’s first carbon-neutral blockchain. This means that EOS produces less than 0.01% of the CO2 emissions that Bitcoin does, thanks to its Delegated Proof-of-Stake protocol.

In addition, EOS carefully calculates its CO2 emissions from server activity and selects carbon offset projects to reduce its footprint. This has meant that EOS’s team could offset a whopping 281 tonnes of CO2 this year – and hope to repeat the same process next year.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. Your capital is at risk.

What Makes a Cryptocurrency Sustainable?

Now that we’ve discussed the top sustainable cryptos, let’s focus on the features that make a cryptocurrency project a sustainable investment. Most of the discussion on sustainability revolves around the energy expenditure of blockchain networks – specifically Bitcoin’s.

A report from Cambridge University found that the Bitcoin network consumes around 150 terawatt-hours of electricity annually. This is more than the entire country of Argentina and results in over 60 megatons of CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere. As expected, this makes a substantial negative impact on the fight against climate change.

The main reason Bitcoin consumes so much energy is through the mining process, which involves using advanced pieces of computer hardware to solve mathematical problems. As Bitcoin has become more widely adopted, this has led to a higher number of transactions that need to be validated – thus increasing the required electricity.

So how can cryptocurrency projects veer away from this approach and become more sustainable? Many top trending cryptos attempt to do so by opting for a different consensus algorithm than ‘Proof-of-Work’, which Bitcoin uses. The most common alternative is ‘Proof-of-Stake’ (PoS) – a consensus protocol that removes the need for mining.

By eradicating mining, PoS networks drastically reduce their energy expenditure, leading to less carbon dioxide emissions. What’s more, many of these networks actively focus on aiding the environment by pledging to become carbon neutral or even carbon negative. Some also partner with leading eco-friendly institutions to help with reforestation and other pressing matters.

However, many of the best Web3 coins take a more hands-on approach. EOS is an example of this, as the network actively invests in carbon-offsetting companies to reduce its environmental impact.

Why Sustainable Crypto is Important

As the cryptocurrency market expands, more emphasis is placed on its impact on the environment. This is natural, considering the vast amounts of electricity consumed by blockchain networks and other crypto projects.

But why is sustainable crypto important? Presented below are several reasons that eco-friendly crypto projects could become leaders in their field in the years ahead:

Helps Slow Down Global Warming

The main reason that sustainable crypto mining projects and similar enterprises are essential is that they actively attempt to slow down global warming. For those unaware, global warming refers to the gradual increase in the temperature of the earth’s climate. One of the key contributors to global warming is CO2 emissions – with many crypto projects currently emitting large amounts of carbon dioxide annually.

However, more people are opting to invest in cryptocurrency projects that offer a ‘greener’ alternative to the first-movers in the space. At the time of writing, the Bitcoin and Ethereum network’s still rely on PoW systems to achieve consensus. As has been shown in this article, these systems are energy intensive.

However, sustainable cryptos reduce energy expenditure while offering the same (if not better) services. Thus, sustainable crypto will likely play a vital role in slowing down global warming in the years ahead.

Provides a ‘Green’ Asset for Investors

Market participants wondering how to invest in blockchain technology now have many projects to consider, as this niche has grown exponentially over the past decade. This growth has also provided a platform for an abundance of ‘green’ projects to emerge, offering viable opportunities for those interested in socially responsible investing.

According to BlackRock, companies that recognize and attempt to solve the world’s challenges are best positioned for long-term growth. This is also the case in the crypto market, as demand for these projects will rise as the climate situation becomes more pressing. Due to this, sustainable cryptos remain essential for investors looking to purchase ‘green’ assets. 

Allows Individuals and Businesses to Work Together

Finally, sustainable cryptocurrencies are also vital in regards to connecting individuals and businesses. Today, the link between ordinary people and giant corporations tends to be strained. Sustainable crypto projects look to solve this by offering platforms that allow these stakeholders to band together for the good of the environment.

How to Find Sustainable Cryptocurrencies

There are now more sustainable crypto projects than ever, driven by society’s need for change. However, newcomers often find it challenging to uncover these projects, as many identifying characteristics may be advanced or too complex to understand.

To help streamline this process, here are several ways investors can find sustainable cryptos:

Look for Blockchains That Don’t Use Proof-of-Work (PoW)

Those wondering how to invest $1,000 (or any amount) in sustainable cryptocurrencies should avoid blockchain networks that use PoW consensus mechanisms. Fortunately, there are now many alternatives to these mechanisms, such as Proof-of-Stake and Proof-of-History.

Investors may also wish to avoid blockchains altogether and use alternative networks. Hedera is leading the way in this regard, as its ‘hashgraph’ approach remains decentralized and eco-friendly, even without the use of blockchain technology.

Use Social Media Channels

Social media is a great way to find sustainable cryptos. Many of the best cryptos to buy Reddit are considered ‘green’, as these often have the highest potential over the long term.

Moreover, several of the best crypto YouTube channels regularly discuss emerging projects – many of which have core values related to reducing CO2 emissions.

Seek Out Innovative Use Cases

Investors can uncover new and exciting eco-friendly cryptos by seeking out projects with unique use cases. Although PoS blockchains undoubtedly help the environment, they still expend energy, creating a need for carbon-neutral (or carbon-negative) solutions.

The crypto with the most upside often have unique use cases, providing investors with a unique selling point (USP). Not only do many of these cryptos help the environment, but they often have colossal price potential from an investment perspective.

Keep Tabs on Notable Partnerships

New sustainable cryptocurrencies are often too small to make a significant impact on their own, so they tend to seek out partnerships with leading institutions. This also has the added benefit of raising awareness of both the cryptocurrency and its eco-friendly mission.

Another example is Polygon, one of the world’s leading blockchain projects. Polygon has partnered with various community initiatives to make a positive impact and has even pledged $20 million to their causes. 

Our top pick, C+Charge, has partnered with Flowcarbon to offer Goodness Native Tokens to EV drivers, which are 1:1 backed by verified carbon regeneration projects. Flowcarbon attracted major interest from VC firms in summer 2022, completing a $70 million investment round.

Most Sustainable Cryptocurrency – Conclusion

In conclusion, this guide has discussed the most sustainable cryptocurrency projects of 2023, exploring how they positively impact the environment and why their value potential is so high.

Those looking to invest in the most sustainable cryptos may wish to partner with eToro. eToro allows investors to purchase cryptocurrency with a flat-fee of 1% (plus the market spread). What’s more, investors can open positions from just $10 – making eToro ideal for newcomers to the crypto market.

Our top pick for most sustainable crypto is C+Charge, a newly-launched presale project that wants to help push drivers away from fossil fuels and to electric vehicles by offering carbon credits as a reward and by making EV driving more convenient with its mobile app, which will provide information on waiting times and price.

An alternative is IMPT, another carbon credit project that is now listed on exchanges and is expected to pump in 2023.

C+Charge - Next 10x Crypto with Real Life Utility

Our Rating

• Democratizing Carbon Credits
• Incentivizing Wider Adoption of EVs
• Real Life Use Case for Web3 Technology
• First Platform Allowing EV Owners to Earn Carbon Credits On or Off Chain

Visit Presale Today

FAQs

Is crypto sustainable?

Many cryptocurrencies have significant energy expenditure; for example, Bitcoin isn’t the most sustainable crypto. However, projects like Algorand look to offer a ‘greener’ alternative to these cryptos, providing stakeholders with a financial incentive to help the environment.

What is the most sustainable cryptocurrency?

Our pick for the most sustainable crypto is C+Charge. The new project is incentivizing EV ownership by offering carbon credit rewards to drivers and removing the inconvenience and inefficiency of recharging through its mobile app.

  This article was written for Business 2 Community by Connor Brooke.
Learn how to publish your content on B2C

---

Author: Connor Brooke

Connor is a Scottish financial expert, specialising in wealth management and equity investing. Based in Glasgow, Connor writes full-time for a wide selection of financial websites, whilst also providing startup consulting to small businesses. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, and a Master’s degree in Investment Fund Management, Connor has …

View full profile ›