The defining issue of our time. Being human means releasing planet-warming carbon emissions into the atmosphere. It happens when we take a shower, charge our phones, or let out a yawn after a long day. Just like humans release carbon pollution, so do businesses - and we are no exception.
Everyday in the U.S. alone, e-commerce packages travel about the same distance as going to the moon and back... 133,000 times.
Everyday in the U.S. alone, e-commerce packages travel about the same distance as going to the moon and back ...133,000 times. And it’s not just getting your order to your doorstep we have to worry about - our entire supply chain carries a hefty carbon footprint. Scouring the globe for the perfect materials and transforming them into the products you know and love means tons (literally) of planet-warming carbon pollution.
Corporate social responsibility is cemented in our DNA
As we continue to grow, we have an increasing responsibility to commit additional resources toward our values in order to maximize the positive impact of our products. We have long held the conviction that we can be both a great business and a great corporate citizen. In fact, we believe we cannot be one without the other.
For any carbon emissions released into our atmosphere as a result of manufacturing and shipping items, we invest in projects that reduce carbon emissions by the same amount
The climate crisis is massive, complicated, and overwhelming. So, it’s often hard to know what we can do about our carbon footprint. We've partnered with EcoCart to empower our community to make every item within that order 100% carbon neutral. What does this mean? By adding carbon offsets to your order at checkout, the full carbon emissions from producing, manufacturing, and shipping your favorite pieces to your door can be completely neutralized.
not all carbon offset projects are created equal
Currently, our carbon offset dollars that can be purchased at checkout go to The Purus Project, a tropical forest conservation project in Acre, Brazil. They work to prevent deforestation across 105,000 hectares of pristine rainforest. This project has gone through laboratory and field testing with third-party verification (VERRA, the Climate Action Reserve, and the American Carbon Standard) and site visits to ensure the most accurate calculation of greenhouse gas reductions. These credits are measured in metric tons (tonnes) of carbon dioxide equivalents (mtCO₂e). EcoCart then evaluates the implementation of the methodology and confirms that the project uses the majority of the proceeds from carbon for growth and not profit.
Your questions answered
When we say orders will be “carbon neutral” (“net zero” is another term you’ll hear), that means that we will eliminate, capture, or otherwise mitigate all of the carbon emissions created from making garments and shipping them to your door.
Carbon neutral shipping refers to a retailer’s practice of eliminating the environmental damage from shipping a specific package by offsetting the footprint through carbon offsetting projects.
Carbon offsets are a practical and effective way to reduce the effects of climate change by funding wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects We support The Purus Project.
When you pay a bit extra to make your order carbon neutral, you fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions like protecting forests or building wind farms. Carbon offsets let you pay to reduce the global GHG total instead of making radical or impossible reductions of your own.
But not all carbon offset projects are created equal. EcoCart's projects offer laboratory and field testing with third-party verification and site visits to ensure the most accurate calculation of greenhouse gas reductions. These credits are measured in metric tons (tonnes) of carbon dioxide equivalents (mtCO₂e). EcoCart then evaluates the implementation of the methodology and confirms that the project uses the majority of the proceeds from carbon for growth and not profit.
The best way to slow climate change is to not release carbon emissions in the first place. There are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint, but it's impossible to eliminate it completely. For reducing climate impact that can't be eliminated, high-quality carbon offsets are the most credible and impactful tool.
Carbon offsets work by way of paying for others to reduce emissions or absorb carbon dioxide in an effort to compensate for your own emissions. Not all carbon offsets are created equal, so there are third-party agencies and nonprofits that work to independently verify claims made by carbon offsetting projects. Carbon offsets that are verified by organizations like the American Carbon Registry, Gold Standard, and VERRA have been scientifically proven to reduce carbon in the atmosphere. While carbon offsets are far from a perfect solution to human-generated carbon emissions, by offsetting the emissions associated with shipping and e-commerce, there is a net positive result on the environment, which works to reduce the impact of climate change.
When a package is carbon neutral it means that there was not any net new carbon produced when that package was shipped and delivered to its final destination. Any package emits carbon on its journey to your door, especially when it’s being transported via delivery truck, air, or freight. A carbon neutral package does not emit any excess carbon because the carbon created from shipping this package is offset by purchasing carbon offsets that fund carbon offsetting projects.
When we say orders will be “carbon neutral” (“net zero” is another term you’ll hear), that means that we will eliminate, capture, or otherwise mitigate all of the carbon emissions created from producing garments and shipping them to your door.
When you buy an offset, you fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions like protecting forests or building wind farms. Carbon offsets let you pay to reduce the global GHG total instead of making radical or impossible reductions of your own.
You can think of it like a "donation" to a project that will reduce harmful carbon dioxide from the environment, and it will not at all impact your shipping whatsoever.
Currently, our carbon offset dollars go to The Purus Project, a tropical forest conservation project in Acre, Brazil. They work to prevent deforestation across 105,000 hectares of pristine rainforest in the s with is verified by a third-party internationally-recognized verification standard, such as the Gold Standard, the Verified Carbon Standard (VERRA), the Climate Action Reserve, and the American Carbon Standard. We chose this cause due to our deep ties to South America.
You can find all information and photos here, as well as the verification body that verifies this project and the different sustainable development goals this project supports.
Oftentimes, protecting existing trees is better for the planet than planting new ones. Of course, that doesn’t mean don’t plant trees, just that we should focus first on protecting the ones that already exist. Think of a newly planted tree like a child. It has the potential to help stop climate change once it grows up and matures, but that takes decades. And in the meantime, there’s a lot working against it. Young trees are small, which means they can’t hold much carbon, even combined with thousands of other small trees. It takes newly planted trees at least 10 years to reach their maximum carbon sequestration rate—the point at which they can absorb the most tons of carbon from the atmosphere each year. Young trees are weaker and need to be nurtured. You can’t just plant it and forget it. How many trees survive is more important than how many trees are planted.
We direct the carbon offset funds to our certified carbon offset project The Purus Project. Our project has been independently certified to internationally recognized standards.
We direct the carbon offset funds to our certified carbon offset project The Purus Project. Our project has been independently certified to internationally recognized standards.
Yes - it's triple-verified, which means:
- The project’s financials, management team, project site, and carbon reduction method are carefully vetted.
- At least one of the world’s major carbon standards reviews the project.
- Global Offset Research verifies the project against a second list of international standards.
EcoCart completed an audit of our businesses manufacturing and production processes to get a more exact cost of offsetting emissions, looking at variables such as raw materials, manufacturing process, product weight, shipping distance, and more. This process determines the amount of kgs of CO2 that is emitted from each order. The carbon offset project we work with quantifes the amount of carbon emissions that are reduced and we purchase these carbon credits in bulk (by the tonne). We can then find the donation required to offset this amount of carbon by determining the fraction of the carbon credit to attribute to a given order. For example, if we determine the emissions of an order is 100 kgs and our Purus Project's price per Tonne is $9, then the cost to offset those 100 kgs of CO2 would be $0.90. This is how it works on a high-level.