We did it again - once again Tripulse got Climate Neutral Certified, this time for the year 2023.
While Tripulse has sustainability at the very core from day one and we have brought the CO2 emissions connected to our brand and products to a very low level from the very start, there are still CO2 emissions that occur as part of running a business and making products.
We exist to protect our planet, people and health. And for us, it’s important to do whatever we hold in our power to help combat climate change, which is the single biggest threat to humanity and life on Earth. And that is why we got once again Climate Neutral Certified - something we need to do each year.
Why is it important?
Because we simply don’t have any time to waste.
Globally, we emit almost 60 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases every year. These are the carbon emissions that cause climate change, and the fashion industry, including the production of all the clothes which people wear, is responsible for around 10% of these emissions due to the resources and energy required to make and deliver the products (read more details about it here).
If we don’t take responsibility for this problem now, then there’s no way we’ll hit the 2050 goals set out by the Paris Climate Agreement. These are make-or-break goals. Reach them, and we avoid the devastating effects of climate change. Miss them, and life on Earth will change for all of us and the billions of people on our precious planet.
We’re acting now because scientifically-vetted solutions to climate change exist, and they are luckily accessible to brands like ours. We know that carbon emissions are the root cause of climate change, and we understand how our activities lead to greenhouse gas emissions. All that’s left to do is connect the dots.
Climate Neutral is a nonprofit committed to solving climate change by making carbon neutrality simple and accessible. The label is essentially shorthand for the process outlined below.
How does it work?
We are doing our share to eliminate carbon emissions. We partnered with Climate Neutral to measure, offset, and reduce last year's carbon emissions.
These are the three steps we took to get Climate Neutral Certified for 2023:
1. MEASURE
We measured our 2022 carbon footprint at 21 tonnes. To arrive at this number, we used Climate Neutral’s BEE emission estimator which reflects company behavior by sector and country and which measures emissions very "generously".
It includes emissions created from making and delivering our products, including supply chain emissions, team commuting, business travel, and more. These are the so-called scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions scope per the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and include the entirety of a carbon footprint from a company’s activities.
It’s important to highlight that indeed all emissions tied to our company are included, not only those linked to our products or shipping. As only by considering the entirety can we then be climate neutral as a company.
2. OFFSET
We “zeroed-out” these emissions by purchasing 21 carbon credits which even includes a 15% markup for assurance.
One carbon credit is a certificate generated when someone takes an action to eliminate or avoid the emission of one metric tonne of greenhouse gas emissions. These 21 tonnes carbon credits support a portfolio of projects from nature-based solutions
This year we focused our Climate Neutral offsetting efforts into preventing deforestation caused by e.g. unsustainable fuel wood extraction and industrial logging in some of the most critiical and bio-divterse areas in the world such as Brazil and Borneo. We do this by purchasing carbon credits from strictly certified NGOs who collaborate with local communities to protect and restore these criticial ecosystems through education, alternative livelihood financing and monitoring regimes.
Here a break-down of how we diversified our carbon credits across different projects:
- Empowering forest conservation in Brazil benefits communities, carbon and biodiversity. 1 tonne purchased through organization Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
- Pacajai REDD+ Forest Protection. Fostering forest regeneration by preventing unplanned deforestation and engaging the local community. 5 tonnes purchased through organization Patch.
- Mai Ndombe REDD+ Project. Protecting forest from industrial logging, unsustainable fuel wood extraction, and slash/burn farming in western DRC. Located in western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), protects 248,956 hectares of forest from industrial logging, unsustainable fuel wood extraction, and slash and burn agriculture. 5 tonnes purchased through organization Patch.
- Borneo peatlands. Avoided Planned Deforestation. The Borneo Peatlands project is one of the largest intact peat swamp forests in Indonesia and can store up to 20X more carbon than a typical forest. This rare piece of land is at significant risk of conversion to industrial timber plantations, as well as illegal deforestation for pulpwood. The project seeks to collaborate with local communities to protect and restore this critical ecosystem through education, alternative livelihood financing, and robust monitoring regimes. 10 tonnes purchased through organization Pachama.
3. REDUCE
Last, but not least, we created an Reduction Action Plan to help lower the emissions we produce over the next 12-24 months. The actions include:
- We plan to ensure waste reduction by launching our products on a pre-order model so that so we are not manufacturing an abundance of inventory that will not be sold.
- We plan to reduce emissions from the materials in our products even further by using recycled versions of natural materials.
We're also proud to report that we have progressed and completed the actions of our previous' years action plans:
- We plan to reduce our emissions caused by not using products with slight defects or using leftover materials. We plan to do this by selling products of "B quality" or products that are made from leftover materials and giving them "a new life". We have achieved this this by launching our ZeroWaste Shop in 2022.
- We will minimize business travels and take meetings and events digitally where possible. Else we choose train and public transport over airplane for business trips whenever feasible, especially for in-country business travels. We have achieved this by primarily working remotely and bundling business trips where possible and taking public transport.
For more details on our action plans, you can also visit our page on Climate Neutral here.
What happens next?
Now we are officially Climate Neutral Certified for 2023. But we don’t stop here, there is always more to do.
In the next months and year we’ll be taking action on our reduction plan and bringing our CO2 emissions down even further. After a year’s time, we’ll measure our emissions again and repeat the process.
We’re glad you’re with us for the journey. Let’s work together to tackle climate change faster. By choosing Tripulse you're making an active vote for our climate.
If you have any questions in regards to our Climate Neutral journey, we'd love to hear from you.
With love and to a cleaner, healthier future!
Franziska (founder of Tripulse)
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