Offset Your Carbon Footprint with Conscious Shipping Choices!

Looks like we are all collectively doing more online shopping lately, So you may have noticed an increasing number of companies offering or advertising carbon-offset shipping. If you wonder what this is, we are here to break it down for you! Here are a few things to know about carbon-offset shipping!

Eliminating vs. Offsetting

Carbon off-set shipping aims to counteract the carbon emissions produced throughout the shipping process of a product. This is done by investing in a project that would remove an equal amount of carbon from the atmosphere, like planting a certain amount of trees or investing in a solar plant, etc. This concept, however, can easily be confused or seen as the act of completely eliminating carbon emissions from the shipping process. While that is the ultimate goal, it is expensive, so with more companies seeking to reduce their environmental impact, carbon-offset shipping is gaining popularity.

3rd Party Verification

Some companies have made the effort to provide carbon-offset shipping automatically to all their customers. Most companies just have the option to pay a little more to purchase the carbon offset when placing your order. If you are concerned about the validity of the carbon- offset shipping, check to see if it’s verified by a 3rd party source. Some examples of trusted organizations are the Gold Standard, the Climate Registry, and Verified Carbon Standard. Some companies will even flesh out what specific project their offset is going towards.

So, in summary, when wanting to expand your eco-friendly wardrobe, carbon-offset shipping is becoming an increasingly popular way to lower the environmental impact of online shopping. It is absolutely worth checking to see if carbon-offset shipping is provided. If given the option and if you have the funds, go ahead and purchase it too! It also shows companies that their consumers are interested in sustainable actions and measures!

Sources:

Levins, Written by Cory. “Air Sea Containers Compliance Blog.” Everything You Need to Know About Carbon Neutral Shipping, www.airseacontainers.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-carbon-neutral-shipping/.

“Mailboxes, Numbers, Plants, Plant, Communication, Text, Mailbox, Nature, Day, Mail.” Pxfuel, www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-qbrua.

Shilton, A. C. “Have a New Address? Don’t Lose Your Mail.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Aug. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/08/29/at-home/have-a-new-address-dont-lose-your-mail-coronavirus.html.

Tice, Carol. “How to Go Green With Carbon-Neutral Shipping.” Entrepreneur, 5 Apr. 2013, www.entrepreneur.com/article/226289.