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BioLite, a Brooklyn-based social enterprise, has announced that it will erase the entire carbon history of its organisation and fully commit to a carbon-neutral future.
The social enterprise develops, manufactures and markets products for off-grid communities around the world. Its cooking, charging, and lighting solutions are used by rural families that live in energy poverty as well as outdoor enthusiasts.
Click here to find out why the BioLite CampStove is a mygreenpod.com Hero.
BioLite undertook an internal carbon analysis and evaluated the organisation from 2012-2014. Taking into account both manufacturing and operations, it identified an aggregate emissions footprint of 2,921 tons.
The company says it will now use this data to identify ways to streamline logistics, packaging and other areas in which less carbon-intensive methods can be employed.
‘When we make products, we produce carbon, and that affects us all. It was time for us to take responsibility for our own practices and follow the same calls to environmental stewardship we ask of our customers every day.’
Jonathan Cedar, BioLite co-founder and CEO
To complement these reduction efforts, the company will offset its emissions through a solution unique to BioLite: replacing smoky open fires with clean cookstoves.
Forty-three percent (43%) of the planet still cooks over open wood fires, creating CO2 and other toxic emissions that are harmful to both public health and the climate.
When BioLite replaces a fire with its BioLite HomeStove, CO2 emissions are cut in half and smoke is reduced by up to 94%.
The emission reductions from using these stoves are registered by the Gold Standard Foundation, the leading carbon accreditation body. For every ton of CO2e reduced, BioLite will receive a carbon credit.
BioLite anticipates that for every ton of carbon the company emitted in 2014, it has avoided 16 tons through HomeStove distribution and use. The first of these credits are then retired to offset emissions from BioLite’s product manufacture and operations.
The balance of remaining credits presents a potential opportunity for BioLite to partner with other companies and organisations addressing their own carbon footprint.
‘Our carbon credits enable BioLite to partner with other like-minded companies and institutions looking to create accountability for their carbon footprint. Sales of those credits can help us reduce the cost of HomeStove ownership in emerging markets, create easier access for low income customers and, in turn, prevent even more carbon in the future. It’s a really exciting cycle of impact, but before asking others to join our mission, it’s critical that we address our own carbon footprint first and foremost.’
Jonathan Cedar, BioLite co-founder and CEO
Click here to find out more about BioLite’s decision to go carbon neutral.
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