CO2balance
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 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Environmental services |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder | Mark Simpson |
| Headquarters | Taunton , UK |
Number of locations | 3 (United Kingdom, Kenya, Uganda) |
Area served | Worldwide (consultancy)
Sub-Saharan Africa (projects) South Asia (projects) |
| Products | Carbon credits, SDG Impact Outcomes |
| Services | Project Development
Carbon Management Carbon Offsetting Carbon Footprinting Life Cycle Analysis ESOS assessments CSR programmes |
CO2balance UK Ltd is a British profit-for-purpose carbon management consultancy and project developer founded in 2003.[1] It is known for developing carbon finance projects in developing countries that reduce carbon emissions and support the Sustainable Development Goals. CO2balance also provides businesses and individuals with carbon footprint calculation and reduction services, bestowing the label of ‘CarbonZero’ on those organisations that completely offset the footprint of their operations.[2]
CO2balance has two local subsidiaries in Kenya and Uganda, under the titles of CarbonZero Kenya Ltd and CO2balance Uganda Ltd.[3][4]
CO2balance was founded in 2003 by former research chemist Mark Simpson and associated colleagues. Their goal was to create an organisation that worked to mitigate climate change, using the then-novel method of carbon finance.[5]
CO2balance started out by developing locally based carbon finance initiatives in the UK, such as forestry projects in Bishops Wood and Somercombe Wood in Devon, and Sand Martin Wood in Cumbria.[6][7][8]
As the carbon market developed, the company started to explore the possibility of implementing carbon projects in Africa, as a means to channel revenue from carbon finance into the sustainable development of some of the world's poorest communities. In 2007, CO2balance began investing in solar power and improved cookstove projects in East Africa.[4][9][10] Soon thereafter the company established two local offices in Kenya and Uganda.[3][4]
In 2008, the company collaborated with 7 other carbon management organisations to found the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance (ICROA), a non-profit organisation that promotes best practice across the voluntary carbon market.[11][12]
By 2012, CO2balance had started to implement energy-efficiency projects under the Gold Standard, VCS and CDM carbon standards, with a particular focus on fuel efficient cookstoves and safe water technology. In 2013 CO2balance registered the first multi-country programme of activities (PoA) for micro-scale projects under the Gold Standard.[13] Since then CO2balance has expanded its scope of activities from East Africa into Southern Africa, West Africa and Southern Asia.[14] In 2017, CO2balance began developing projects for the Gold Standard's new Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS4GG), and became the first organisation to pilot SDG 5 (Gender Equality) for the standard.[15]
In November 2018, representatives of CO2balance presented the 2018 .eu Web Award for a Better World to the Stardust Smart Cities project in Brussels.[16]
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