Why Carbon Neutrality Has to Be about Reducing. Not Compensating.

Today, more and more companies are aiming for a climate- or carbon-neutral badge. So do we, by the way. But although compensating one's CO2 emissions is an important step, it is of little value if a brand does not pursue a holistic sustainability strategy.

Provided the margin is right, it is quite easy today for any company to have its business processes measured and its carbon footprint compensated. And bam! You're sustainable, aren't you?

Far from it.

First of all, it is important to understand that measuring the carbon footprint usually consists of two parts, one of which is often massively neglected. First of all, the Company Carbon Footprint (CCF) covers all administrative processes of a company, such as the energy demand of the office or the travel of employees. The Product Carbon Footprint (PCF), on the other hand, refers to the life cycle of the manufactured products.

While the calculation of the CCF is usually quite simple and (depending on the company) also relatively inexpensive, the PCF is significantly more complex... and often definitely not cheap. Unfortunately, many brands already call themselves carbon-neutral, although they have not even analyzed their PCF, let alone balanced it.

Full circle

But even those who do it, must not stop at this point. Because a company that really wants to tackle Climate Change has a lot more to do.

Compensation should only be the last step. Actually not even that. Serious carbon-neutral companies act in a continuous loop. They calculate their emissions, implement measures to reduce them, measure them again and compensate them. And then they start all over again.

This is exactly how WINQS is positioned. By using climate-friendly materials such as algae, wood, castor seeds and recycled fabrics, as well as by optimising production and supply chain processes, we first significantly reduce our carbon footprint compared to conventional sports brands.

After the bulk production of our products, we measure the life cycle of each item - together with the independent organisation myclimate. A process starting at the sourcing and processing of the materials, over transport and packaging, up to use and disposal.

Theories don't help

Many other brands, often the very big ones, which are particularly vocal about the supposed climate friendliness of some of their articles, neglect important chapters of a full life cycle. It is not uncommon that parameters like material or disposal miss in their calculations.

Climate protection projects that serve to offset the emissions caused are also a frequent problem. The principle is correct at first: the company finances a project that removes at least as much CO2 from the atmosphere as that company has added to it.

Unfortunately, many projects work with very hypothetical assumptions. For example, if a company pays for a piece of rainforest not to be destroyed, it is sometimes not clear whether this would have actually happened. Some projects are even harmful to local people, because they don't take all conditions at place into account. And sometimes even land theft can be the case.

It's about reduction

It is therefore important to check climate projects properly and to pay attention to the corresponding certificates. Are the CO2 savings measurable? Are there continuous controls? Are the local people also helped beyond the compensation?

However, although the CO2 certificates do not enjoy the best reputation for the reasons mentioned, they can be an important tool in the fight against climate change. It's the only way companies can "clean up" what they have emitted.

The most helpful measure, however, remains the reduction of one's own emissions. It's the best way to reduce the original footprint in a reliable way and it provides a transparent statement about whether a company is really serious about its sustainability efforts.