Many UK organisations find they cannot remove existing emissions within their own assets or value chains and must turn to the Voluntary Carbon Market to purchase and retire offset credits. 99% of carbon offsetting purchases by UK organisations are made overseas, amounting to £150-200m annually. What if, collectively, we could move this investment back into the UK?
Arup and BuisnessLDN convened over 50 UK organisations from local government to large private enterprises and emerging carbon offset schemes. From these sessions emerged this initial blueprint for a collective approach to aggregate investment into UK offsetting schemes, providing the necessary finance to scale and deliver future credits back to UK organisations.
The UK cannot afford to wait any longer. UK organisations must find a responsible mechanism to address their annual residual emissions. By supporting a collective approach, businesses can confidently join forces to scale their impact far beyond individual capabilities.