Certified and audited CO₂ projects

As part of our ESG management platform, we not only offer Planted as a solution for effective CO₂ management and CSRD reporting, but also enable companies to offset unavoidable emissions via CO₂ projects (including climate protection projects). To ensure the highest standards and transparency for these CO₂ projects, we personally visit selected projects on site. These CO₂ projects receive the "Planted Approved" seal.

The selection of CO₂ projects for offsetting

At Planted, we focus on certified CO₂ projects that meet the highest quality standards and are also recommended by the German government. The projects are subject to certain selection criteria:

1. Additionality: The CO₂ project would not have come about without the proceeds from certificate trading.
2. Permanence: The reduction in emissions is permanent.
3. Methodologies: The development of climate protection projects is based on approved specifications that have been independently verified.
4. Transparency and regulations: The CO₂ project is traceable and the project documentation, including monitoring, can be viewed.
5. Time of issue: The time of issue is marked transparently.
6. Double counting: Each certificate is only issued once.

The standards that we support with Planted include:

• the Gold Standard,
• United Nations projects
• MoorFutures projects

The "Planted Approved" seal: trustworthy CO₂ projects‍

Occasionally and at the request of our customers, we visit these climate protection projects in person on site, inspect the project facilities and hold discussions with those responsible. These selected CO₂ projects receive the "Planted-Approved" seal.

Co-founder and sustainability expert Jan Borchert explains: "The 'Planted Approved' seal stands for our high quality standards with regard to our carbon offset projects. It is our obligation to show our customers that the projects we select meet a certain standard and really do save CO₂. This seal is a symbol of our commitment to the industry and is intended to strengthen transparency and trust in climate protection projects for CO₂ compensation.

Hydropower project in Vietnam: transparency in CO₂ certificate trading

In November 2022, our co-founders Cindy Schüller and Wilhelm Hammes visited a hydropower project in Vietnam. This is a hydropower plant in the central highlands of Vietnam that generates green electricity and reduces CO₂ emissions by 363,438 tons per year. On site, we were able to gain insights that are not possible when simply purchasing certificates. A look into the future of offsetting emissions

Wilhelm Hammes, Co-Founder of Planted, emphasizes the importance of climate protection projects: "As long as it is not yet possible to achieve Net Zero through internal CO₂ reduction alone, CO₂ certificate trading is a good way to promote great projects and save emissions. Of course, we hope that offsetting will no longer be necessary in the future. Until then, we would like to give our customers a certain amount of security with the seal for CO₂ projects. At the moment, however, there is no either or for climate protection; we have to try everything in our power."

You can find all the information about our on-site visit to the hydropower plant in Vietnam here.

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