Many companies claim to be carbon neutral. To most people, this sounds like the company leaves no carbon footprint.
That’s not the case.
Carbon neutrality is achieved by offsetting emissions. The CO2 a company releases is calculated as a cost to the environment. That cost can then be offset by going outside the company and investing in environmental projects that reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by the same amount that’s released.
But carbon neutrality can be misleading.
Nothing is neutral about carbon emissions. Manufacturing products creates emissions. The process requires raw materials to be extracted and transformed. This invariably requires energy and thus creates those emissions.
Some companies choose not to focus on reducing their amount of pollutants but then purchase a form of redemption with carbon credits.
That’s like a car owner driving around all day but saying he’s achieved carbon neutrality because he bought a bike for his child and a bus pass for his niece. His car still emits the same amount of pollution. At the end of the day, he would make a more significant impact by buying a car with a smaller engine or switching to electric.
It’s all about solving the problem at its source.
At Rolland, we prefer to reduce our own greenhouse gases, generating as little pollution as possible. While we believe in worthy environmental projects for investment, their value should not be used to camouflage a company’s true practices.
Rolland’s carbon emission level is the smallest in the industry. And we’ve achieved this without purchasing offset credits. We’ve put into place a mix of renewable and local energy by employing biogas and hydroelectricity. We use recycled fibres and, in turn, lessen the burden on our forests. And we want to continue to reduce our emission levels.
Let’s take the opportunity to reduce our emissions before going ahead and buying someone else’s good work.
We are not carbon neutral. No manufacturer really is. But we are a company that will keep working to lessen our impact as we make your paper.