What is carbon offsetting?
Carbon offsetting is where a business or individual pays a little extra when ordering their fuel to counteract or “offset” their fuel’s emissions. Whilst offsetting supports a number of international projects and initiatives, from the purchaser’s perspective it’s a simple, easy and cost-effective way to quickly reduce their environmental impact.
Will I get a certificate to show how much CO2 I have offset?
Yes! To increase transparency with your carbon offsets and so you can accurately record your environmentally-friendly activities, you will receive a certificate which shows exactly how much carbon you have offset on your order with Nationwide Fuels.
How does carbon offsetting work?
When you buy carbon offset fuels from Nationwide Fuels, you pay a little extra in order to fund the purchase of carbon offsets.
This funding is used by our internationally-recognised carbon offsetting partner, CHOOOSE, to support projects across the globe that reduce carbon emissions, protect vulnerable habitats and build sustainable power sources such as wind and solar farms.
Why should I offset my fuels?
Offsetting is a cost-effective, simple and reliable method of addressing your carbon footprint by reducing emissions elsewhere in the world, and by supporting vulnerable communities and at-risk habitats.
For businesses, carbon offsetting is a cheaper alternative to adopting alternative fuels or disruptive and costly infrastructure changes, whilst achieving the same planet-friendly effects. You can also benefit from offsetting by including it in your CSR reporting and promotional activities.
How much does carbon offsetting cost?
The cost of offsetting your fuels depends on the amount and type of fuels you’re purchasing. To find out how much it is to offset your order, speak to a member of our team today on 0330 678 0880.
How many offsets do I need to buy?
You don’t have to do any calculations or working out yourself – instead, our fuel experts will calculate exactly how much carbon will be produced by your fuel order and how many offsets you’ll need to purchase.
Will carbon offsetting directly reduce my emissions?
No, carbon offsetting won’t directly reduce your emissions and the fuels that you purchase will still produce the same amount of carbon.
Carbon offsetting will instead reduce an equivalent amount of carbon emissions elsewhere in the world, so that in the long-term there is no net increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Does Nationwide Fuels offset its emissions?
Yes, Nationwide Fuels offsets its unavoidable emissions!
We’ve actually been using carbon offsetting since 2013 to offset our delivery mileage and we’re proud to have reached carbon neutral status in April 2022 under the PAS 2060:2014 standard.
What are greenhouse gases?
Greenhouse gases, or GHGs, are any emissions that contribute to the greenhouse effect, where heat from the sun is trapped in the earth’s atmosphere and raises global temperatures. These include methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
A carbon footprint is the sum of a person or organisation’s CO2 emissions produced by their daily activities.
Does carbon offsetting change the fuel I buy?
No, carbon offset fuels are the exact same fuels that you would be purchasing without the carbon offsetting.
Instead, the little extra you pay goes to support carbon-reducing initiatives around the globe and you can continue using your fuels as normal!
Is carbon offsetting safe?
Carbon offsetting is completely safe as the fuels you buy are unchanged – the only difference is that you will pay a little extra to support carbon-reducing initiatives across the globe.
What kind of projects does carbon offsetting support?
When you buy carbon offsets from Nationwide Fuels, you’ll be supporting carbon-reducing initiatives around the globe such as:
- Renewable energy sources e.g. solar and wind farms that reduce international reliance on fossil-fuelled energy plants
- Carbon sequestration e.g. preventing deforestation, afforestation and protecting vulnerable habitats such as rainforests and mangrove forests
- Energy efficiency e.g. insulating buildings to reduce heat loss, switching to more energy-efficient vehicles
We source all of our carbon offsets through CHOOOSE, an internationally-recognised supplier of accredited and verified carbon offsets. You can find out more about some of the projects they support here.
Can I choose where my carbon offsets are used?
No, you won’t be able to choose the specific project that your carbon offsets will support.
However, as all of our carbon offsets are purchased through our internationally-recognised partner, CHOOOSE, who only support accredited and verified projects, you can rest assured that your contributions are having a real impact on global CO2 levels.
Does carbon offsetting only compensate for CO2 emissions?
Carbon offsetting doesn’t just compensate for your CO2 emissions – it has a much wider impact on other emissions, as well as on social and ecological issues.
Greenhouse gases have a CO2 equivalency, often shortened to CO2e, which calculates the greenhouse potential of other gases in comparison to CO2. This means you only pay a single price for your offsets, rather than several prices for each pollutant within your fuel.
Carbon offsetting also helps communities around the globe, typically in emerging economies and developing nations, through education and the provision of low-carbon employment opportunities that means that they can grow sustainably.
Is offsetting enough to tackle climate change?
No, carbon offsetting alone isn’t a solution to climate change.
As businesses and individuals, we can maximise our collective impact on global carbon levels by reducing our emissions at their source and offsetting any unavoidable emissions. When cleaner, more sustainable energy sources and everyday alternatives become available, we can cut back our carbon footprints still further.
However, until these 100% sustainable alternatives are universally adopted, compensation methods like carbon offsetting are a cost-effective way to limit the impact of our daily lives on global emission levels.
How are Nationwide Fuels’ offsets verified?
Nationwide Fuels sources all of our carbon offsets through CHOOOSE, an internationally-recognised supplier of accredited and verified carbon offsets that meet one or more of the following standards:
- Gold Standard
- CDM (United Nations Climate Change Carbon Mechanism)
- CCBA (The Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance)
- VCS (Verified Carbon Standard)
Are Nationwide Fuels’ carbon offsets PAS 2060 compliant?
Yes, all carbon offsets purchased through Nationwide Fuels are VCS (Verified Carbon Standard) accredited and meet the offsetting requirements of the PAS 2060 guidance on carbon neutrality.
What’s the difference between carbon neutral and net zero carbon?
When a person or organisation is referred to as carbon neutral, it means that the carbon produced by their everyday activities is being counteracted or offset – effectively keeping their carbon balance at zero.
Net zero carbon is different as there is little to no carbon to offset, as the person or organisation has reduced their emissions to as close to zero as possible. This means that no new carbon has been added to the atmosphere, which is the best way to tackle climate change.
