Voluntary Carbon Credit Desk

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The role of CO2 certificates

Sometimes clearly defined climate protection targets and various measures to reduce a company's carbon footprint are not enough. At the end of a fiscal year, unavoidable emissions may remain. But how do you deal with these residual emissions that cannot be completely avoided despite all available resources? EU taxonomy requirements, the demand for sustainable financing and current trends are driving international capital flows toward a "greener" economy. An appropriate sustainability strategy will therefore be more important than ever in the coming years in order to successfully reduce emissions in the long term.
One solution from thyssenkrupp Materials Services: the Voluntary Carbon Credit Desk.

Voluntary Carbon Credits (VCCs) are an essential part of any ambitious climate protection strategy. These allow companies to offset their previously unavoidable emissions in a reliable and transparent manner. Once a company's carbon footprint has been determined and reduced, the experts at thyssenkrupp Materials Trading come into play. With the Voluntary Carbon Credit Desk, the subsidiary of thyssenkrupp Materials Services has developed a service that uses high-quality carbon removal credits and thus goes beyond the minimum legal requirements. All in line with the BEYOND sustainability strategy.

Why are carbon credits a good choice?

The challenge is to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere during the production, processing, packaging, transportation, and use of a product over the course of its life cycle – the so-called CO2 footprint – as much as possible and to leave behind only small amounts of CO2 compared to conventional products. But how to deal with the remaining emissions? Which projects can be trusted? How can VCCs be integrated into a rigorous sustainability management system? How does the process work in practice? This is where the Voluntary Carbon Credit Desk from thyssenkrupp Materials Trading comes in. Carbon credits are the only way to reduce emissions from business activities and product lifecycles that cannot otherwise be avoided. The funds invested flow into carefully selected climate protection projects and have a positive impact on the environment and society. One carbon credit equals to one ton of greenhouse gas emissions, and the offset is traceable and predictable.

Voluntary carbon credits are used to offset emissions once and for all. Examples of such projects include reforestation, the expansion of drinking water supplies or the direct capture and storage of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere or a vent, pressed into rock and stored in mine tunnels, for example. Biochar projects are also part of the portfolio. Biochar is pressed under very high heat to bind CO2. It can be used as a plant fertilizer.
It is important to handle carbon credits carefully and consciously, focusing on important issues such as avoiding double counting, additionality and project quality. If these points are taken into account, VCCs are a simple and effective extension of modern sustainability activities.