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Educating stakeholders about the correct use and positive impacts of carbon credits is critical for making the net zero journey successful. After all, it will take the cross-team collaboration of various people within an organisation to make it happen. Therefore, buy-in is key. Several steps can be taken to make sure this happens.
Inventory management and documentation
It is essential to make a comprehensive inventory and documentation of the purchased Carbon Credits, detailing their project origin, vintage year, and associated emissions reduction or removal data. This meticulous record-keeping is vital for transparency and verification and will make reporting easy when the time comes.
Transparent communication
Transparently communicate the emission reductions or removals achieved through the Carbon Credits, using standardised metrics and methodologies such as the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) or the Gold Standard. This should be done strategically in line with the broader communications and employee engagement strategy. Additionally, reporting should encompass the market value of these Carbon Credits in financial reports, demonstrating a commitment to sustainability that can be valuable for stakeholders and investors.
Sharing the successful impact
Make sure to communicate the positive impacts of your net zero journey, such as reducing the company's carbon footprint and contributing to global emissions reduction efforts. This can also enhance the reporting's credibility. Leveraging Carbon Credits in marketing and communications efforts can bolster the company's reputation and appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.
Sharing the success externally
Focus only some of your communications on the pledge, but rather on the company's pathway to net zero. Be authentic and show your dedication to improvement, even if you fall short of your targets.
- Stay transparent and don’t make claims that just are not true. Be clear about what work your company is doing to reduce emissions, while simply stating how you use offsets as a way to contribute money to reduce the emissions that you can’t.
- Communicate with the use of visuals, and not just written content. Use visuals to show the successes of the carbon project/s your company invested in, as well as the progress of carbon reductions internally.
