Not All Offsets Are Created Equal

With climate change impacting all aspects of life, individuals and businesses are increasingly aware they must take action.

While some organisations have led the way in taking practical action to reduce their carbon footprint, others are just beginning to manage their environmental journey.

Greenfleet enables you to take climate action by supporting native reforestation projects to offset emissions. This is a clear and impactful way we can all make a difference to our environment.

There has been increasing and valid criticism over the carbon market, and the environmental benefit actually occurring through carbon offsetting. The reputation of the carbon offset market has been tainted by low quality carbon credits, which would not stand up well under scrutiny.

Greenfleet strongly believes carbon offsetting is not an opportunity to greenwash, extend the use of fossil fuels, or a license to pollute. However, quality offsetting projects play an important role as we transition to a low carbon economy. 

What Is Carbon Offsetting?

Carbon offsetting is the process of activating a carbon-reducing activity to compensate for a carbon-emitting activity. 

If you take the example of a vehicle emitting a certain amount of carbon each year, a carbon offset would counteract those emissions by either removing the same amount of carbon from the atmosphere or reducing emissions elsewhere.  

There are two primary ways that these initiatives work to compensate for carbon being emitted: 

  • By mitigating (reducing) carbon that is being produced and measuring the ‘avoided’ carbon emissions, or 
  • By sequestering (drawing down) the existing CO2-e already released into the atmosphere and measuring the captured carbon. 

Climate actions that mitigate generally focus on the amount of carbon that has been avoided by introducing a more sustainable option. This could include initiatives such as providing more fuel-efficient cooking equipment to families in developing countries.   

Actions that sequester carbon are actively removing carbon that has already been emitted into the atmosphere to reduce the impacts of climate change. 

This is the approach that Greenfleet takes. By planting 100-year protected native forests, Greenfleet is ensuring that carbon emissions already in the atmosphere are captured in a long-term, sustainable way. 

The Difference Between Carbon Offsets & Carbon Credits 

Carbon credits are derived from already completed projects. The completed project is audited, and a number of ‘credits’ are produced as tradeable assets. This could be a unit of carbon that has been removed from the atmosphere through a sequestering activity or through mitigation where the avoided carbon is traded as a credit.  

Carbon offsets from Greenfleet are different. When you offset with Greenfleet, your offsets are used to fund future projects, which are monitored and measured to ensure the carbon commitment of the project is delivered. This is Greenfleet’s approach to climate action. 

Supporters offset their emissions with us and fund future revegetation projects that capture their emissions over the lifetime of the forest. This means our supporters are not only removing carbon from the atmosphere, but also funding long-term ecosystem restoration and mitigating biodiversity loss.  

Greenfleet uses multi-phase verification processes for our offsets to measure the carbon uptake of our forest at each planting site. This includes the Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM), developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and approved by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). Greenfleet’s carbon estate is also verified by a Federal Government accredited auditor and our work is independently audited by Pitcher Partners. 

How Greenfleet Carbon Offsets Are Different 

Greenfleet believes first and foremost that individuals and organisations should reduce emissions where they can and that offsetting remains an effective tool for the emissions you can’t avoid. 

By offsetting with Greenfleet, you are sustaining the future restoration of native forests that are legally protected. These projects would not be possible without your support.  

Important information about Greenfleet offsets:  

  • Greenfleet offsets cannot be traded or on-sold.  
  • Greenfleet focuses on permanence by legally protecting our revegetation projects for up to 100 years with the view that they will grow beyond this century and become old-growth forests.  
  • Greenfleet’s expert Revegetation Team takes time to research the locally native species that are appropriate to the areas we are revegetating. We create biodiverse, resilient ecosystems through our work and do not establish monocultural plantations.  
  • Greenfleet offsets allow you to take climate action, while supporting projects that have a positive impact on restoring Australia’s landscapes and supporting our native wildlife.  

Our Methodology & Verification Approach 

Greenfleet has a thorough verification process in place for our carbon offsetting projects. 

To measure the carbon uptake of each forest we plant, we use the Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM), developed by CSIRO and approved by the Australian DCCEEW. The forests we plant are also legally protected for up 100 years so by offsetting your carbon with Greenfleet, you are taking climate action now that will continue to benefit generations to come. 

Greenfleet carbon estate is verified by a Federal Government accredited carbon auditor and our work is independently audited by Pitcher Partners. The legal protection of the forests planted is secured by carbon on title agreements that are authorised by each landholder. 

Permanence And Additionality

Often, when looking to invest in climate action, organisations are interested in the permanence of the projects they support, and the additional benefits that come with their environmental action.  

Greenfleet’s forests are legally protected, on title, for a period of up to 100 years. This ensures we are delivering long term climate action and that the environmental outcomes of our work are significant. These can include sustained habitat for native wildlife, reduced in erosion, improved soil and water quality, and the restoration of ecosystems that existed prior to and clearing.  

Additionally, Greenfleet forests do not exist without the help of organisations and individuals that support us. When you offset with Greenfleet you are supporting the restoration of forests into the future, not purchasing carbon from completed projects.  

Co-Benefits 

When we think about our work, we do not see environmental co-benefits as additional to the sequestration of carbon. The co-benefits are central to our work and while carbon funds our projects, the positive outcomes are many and varied. 

When you offset through native reforestation with Greenfleet, you are supporting the establishment of legally protected ecosystems. Our forests sustain habitat for native wildlife, reduce soil erosion and improve water quality. 

Supporting local communities is another co-benefit, where Greenfleet contributes to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth.   

Greenfleet invests over $1 million annually into regional economies through our revegetation operations. We do this by buying, hiring, and sourcing locally from seed collectors, earth movers, tree planters, weed management teams, and indigenous plant nurseries. 

We also support and work with First Nations People where possible, one example is Greenfleet’s partnership with the Kabi Kabi Peoples Aboriginal Corporation on the Noosa Restoration and Reconciliation Project. Greenfleet is providing economic support to the Kabi Kabi people through employment opportunities and traineeships that are creating cultural and social co-benefits. 

Why Are Carbon Offsets & Carbon Credits Critiqued? 

One of the major criticisms facing carbon offsetting is that it doesn’t actually address the issue of emissions induced climate change. This is particularly true when highly polluting industries, such as mining, invest in carbon offsets but do not take any steps to curb the negative impact their operations are making.  

There has also been significant public discourse and discussion about the low integrity of some carbon offsetting projects. Avoided deforestation, Human Induced Regeneration, and revegetation projects in areas that do not have high carbon sequestration potential are all examples of why some projects are painting a poor picture of these initiatives. 

The examples mentioned above can also come at a low cost, allowing organisations to speak to the positive impact they are making without having to put substantial resource behind it. For this reason, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is cracking down on organisations that are making ‘greenwash’ claims in their advertising and communications. The ACCC aims to reduce the number of businesses making unsubstantiated or misleading claims about their sustainability practices.  

There is no doubt that emissions need to be reduced across the board, from governments to the private sector. This transition must be prioritised and right now, carbon offsetting can play a part in industries decarbonising. Utilising good quality offsets that make a genuine difference to the environment and be an effective tool in taking climate action.  

Bringing It All Together

While there is a lot of information out there when considering climate action, working with Greenfleet will give you peace of mind that you’re taking a genuine and authentic approach.   

By working with us you will be supporting projects that are actively working to remove carbon from the atmosphere and fight the damage that has already been done to our environment.  

Contact to our Partnerships Team today to discuss how you and your organisation can help restore our forests, remove emissions and protect our climate.  

Together, we can grow our forests and climate hope.