How can we have a positive impact on the climate crisis?

Climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity.

Individuals and businesses play a significant role in producing carbon emissions, which contribute heavily to global warming. This includes rising temperatures, ocean acidification, rising sea levels and shifts in flower and plant blooming times.

According to NASA, the vast majority of actively publishing climate scientists – 97 percent – agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change.

We are constantly bombarded with information on how to reduce our impact on the environment, whether through diet, reducing online shopping or simply shortening our showers. It can often be difficult to see what impacts these decisions make, but it is important to know that each one does matter.

Avenir Ingredients has partnered with Ecologi, a UK-based company specialising in raising capital to offset carbon emissions. They do this by planting trees and mangroves to absorb carbon from the atmosphere, as well as investing in renewable energy, to ensure such emissions aren’t created in the first place.

During the first month of our partnership, we have offset 24 tonnes of carbon emissions, and planted nearly 200 trees. This is equivalent to offsetting 19 long haul flights or driving more than 60,000 miles. This is an ongoing offset, and one we are looking to grow. Our employees like to know that this offset isn’t just oriented towards the business, but offsets their own personal footprint too.

Ecologi supplies us with monthly certificates so you're welcome to enquire about it and we'll supply you with the most recent one.

At Avenir, this transparency is necessary for us to partner with a company to help offset some of our operational activities.

At the time of writing, they have a monthly recurring revenue of £184,286. 12 months ago, it was £38,957. Their ability to drastically scale operations in a single year indicates a sound business model and competent management team. This means our money can make a real impact.

Ecologi aren’t the only way we are reducing our impact on climate change, we have also begun trialling a carbon neutral courier service for our sample deliveries! This means that not only will you get your samples for formulations quickly, but also delivered carbon neutral! We’ll keep you posted.

We believe every little decision matters. It is in the interest of both businesses and individuals to reduce their carbon footprint. This is just Avenir’s first step. We encourage anyone reading to join us, whether through partnerships with companies like Ecologi or something as simple as meat-free Mondays.

Now we're not saying carbon offset is all businesses need to do to save the planet, business as usual is not going to cut it and reducing emissions is what is necessary.

As Greta Thunberg put it: “We are not telling you to “offset your emissions” by just paying someone else to plant trees in places like Africa while at the same time forests like the Amazon are being slaughtered at an infinitely higher rate.”

Tackling indirect emissions (known as Scope 3), created from the manufacture and distribution of our products, is a far more complex issue to tackle. We haven’t begun our journey here yet, but we’re on the right path.

Hopefully this inspires others to start as well.

The time to act is now. What is your strategy?