Forestry Partners launches Irish Tech Goes Carbon Neutral 2020
Forestry Partners, a new social enterprise is launching in Dublin with its flagship campaign Irish Tech Goes Carbon Neutral 2020 to work with businesses to help them offset their carbon emissions, while helping to restore and protect native Irish woodlands.
Forestry Partners is founded by Irish entrepreneur John Beckett, CEO & founder of e-commerce company, ChannelSight, leaders in ‘where to buy’ technology for global brands, such as Bosch, Philips, Coca Cola and Sony.
The new Dublin-based social enterprise has launched with more than 30 Irish companies already committed including Version 1, Distilled Media, SoapBox Labs, iCabbi and Phorest.
Forestry Partners has a 12-month roadmap to get to 250 local partners with the goal of creating at least 25,000 tons of CO2 equivalent offsets and achieving 200 acres of planted or committed trees. All planting is audited by third party foresters and the results published in accordance with the highest international standards of forestry management and certification. These standards ensure that all forest cover must be permanent, verifiable and additional over what would have otherwise occurred.
With Forestry Partners, Irish companies will have access to an online tool which allows them to track and easily understand the emissions they are responsible for. These emissions are rated with a score and the company provided with a cost to plant woodlands to offset those emissions. Offsets are purchased and Forestry Partners certifies the off-sets and details the specific woodland planted. Partners will be able to use Irish Tech Goes Carbon Neutral co-branding to promote their participation and can also access educational resources and carbon reduction partner supplier offers.
Forestry Partners launches against the backdrop of increased social scrutiny around carbon emissions, which has the potential of translating into eventual regulation and legal obligations. According to the 2019 Climate Change Performance Index, Ireland now ranks as the worst performer in Europe in terms of its 2016 Paris Agreement commitments. Ireland also has the lowest level of native forestry in Europe at <11% versus the European average of 40%, which contributes to major biodiversity-loss and related issues. Ireland is currently losing hundreds of acres of forests per year to deforestation, rather than adding thousands of acres as planned under government afforestation schemes.
On Forestry Partners’ launch, Niamh Bushnell, chief communications officer at SoapBox Labs, said: “SoapBox Labs is a mission-driven company that aims to make meaningful change happen in the world through our voice technology for kids, as well as through the values we hold dear as a company. The team at SoapBox cares deeply about the environment and this campaign gives us an easy and transparent way to measure our carbon footprint and offset it on a yearly basis. Getting involved in Irish Tech Goes Carbon Neutral was an immediate ‘yes’ for us”.
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