Frequently asked questions

An action qualifies as carbon negative if the total carbon emissions attributable to that action are lower than the total amount of carbon dioxide that is removed as a result of the action.

For an individual person, the biggest causes of carbon dioxide emissions are the energy demands of our daily lives, our need for transportation, and our consumption of food. The best ways to reduce your carbon footprint are lowering the temperature in your home, switching to a more vegetarian-based diet, and driving and flying less. See Sitra’s tips to a more ecologically sustainable life here.

The term carbon footprint refers to the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by a product, service or activity.

Radical reductions in our emissions is the primary way we can combat climate change. In addition, however, we must repair the damage that our lifestyles cause to the atmosphere and compensate for any consumption that we cannot avoid.

We need to radically reduce our emissions. At the same time, in the near term, even with our best efforts at reduction some emissions will remain unavoidable. Compensate does not encourage consumers to consume more through compensation, but rather to take responsibility for the damage we cause to the atmosphere through our daily actions. In addition to emission reductions, compensation for unavoidable emissions should be a fundamental part of responsible consumption. With our built-in overcompensation, more carbon dioxide is always removed than what a product, service or action causes. We only partner with companies which commit to further reducing their emissions. Compensation is in no case the only commitment our partnering companies have for the climate.

The primary way to fight climate change is to reduce emissions. But our lifestyles—living, eating, moving—are still inevitably causing emissions. Therefore, the expansion and protection of “carbon sinks” that remove carbon from the atmosphere is an absolutely necessary part of the fight against climate change. Compensation enables us to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and with our built-in overcompensation, more carbon dioxide is always removed than what a product, service or action causes.

In general, the term “emission reduction project” refers both to projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and projects that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. For the sake of clarity, we divide such projects into two categories. In our terminology, a carbon emission reduction project is one that reduces emissions (for example, a wind power project). Meanwhile, a carbon capture project is one that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (for example, an afforestation project).

To meet our demand for sustainability, we independently evaluate all the projects we use. They are all certified with internationally recognized standards, but they must also pass strict criteria, which we've developed in collaboration with our Scientific Advisory Panel. Read more on how we select the projects here .

One carbon credit is equivalent to the removal of one tonne of carbon dioxide (1,000 kg CO2) from the atmosphere. Compensate purchases certified carbon credits from carbon capture projects. The price of the units is determined by the market and by the particular characteristics of different projects.

One thing to note though: at Compensate, we independently evaluate all the carbon capture projects we use. Because there are many uncertainties in these projects, we ensure those uncertainties are tackled. For example, if we evaluate that some risks are not rigorously taken into account or mitigated, we can’t be confident that 1 carbon credit equals 1 tonne of CO2 removed from the atmosphere. Many offsetters are ok with this, but we are not. That’s why we will then buy more credits than would technically be necessary to call what we’re doing compensation. You can read more on this in the next question, “What does overcompensation mean?”.

To ensure climate integrity and sustainability, we’re monitoring, following and sometimes updating Compensate’s price for carbon. The price per tonne of CO2 is 28 euros/tonne. This update is in effect from 25.04.2020 onwards.

At Compensate, we’re always looking for the most effective and sustainable means of carbon capture. This spring, we’ve created a new criteria to evaluate the projects we use, going above and beyond international standards. Raising the price for CO2 enables us to keep on raising the bar on climate integrity. You can read more about our work for sustainability here .

If you have an active subscription, this change does not apply to you. But, if you decide to cancel or pause your compensation, and start again on or after 25th of April, your new subscription will be calculated based on the new pricing.

Let’s first look at why we believe overcompensation is necessary:

1) 1:1 compensation only achieves carbon neutrality at best. It does not remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

2) We have a historical responsibility to remove CO2, because the ”safe levels” of CO2 (350 ppm) were surpassed in 1987.

3) Overcompensation mitigates the climate integrity risks involved in carbon capture projects and the uncertainties in carbon footprint calculations.

Due to reasons 1 and 2, we at Compensate will always aim at ensuring at least a two-fold ”real life” compensation. This means that offsetting through Compensate always removes more CO2 from the atmosphere than a product or an activity creates.

But how do we ensure this? Well, we take measures to evaluate the realistic climate impact of the carbon credits we purchase.

Here’s what that means: Because there are many uncertainties in carbon capture projects, we ensure those uncertainties are tackled. For example, if we evaluate that some risks are not rigorously taken into account or mitigated, we can’t be confident that 1 carbon credit equals 1 tonne of CO2 removed from the atmosphere.

Many offsetters are ok with this, but we are not. That’s why we will then buy more credits than would technically be necessary to call what we’re doing compensation. In short, we define an overcompensation factor for each project to ensure true climate impact.

Currently Compensate purchases certified carbon credits from projects that focus on forests. We also allocate 20% of all carbon credit purchases to innovative solutions for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. You can read more about this here . We are constantly in search of the most sustainable and efficient ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. To meet our demand for sustainability, we independently evaluate all the projects we use. They are all certified with internationally recognized standards, but they must also pass strict criteria, which we've developed in collaboration with our Scientific Advisory Panel. You can read more on this here . We will always be open and transparent in our operations and make information on the use of compensation payments publicly available on our website.

The amount of carbon captured by each tree species is measured based on different characteristics, such as height and thickness of the tree and the hardness of the wood. For example, the harder the wood, the higher the carbon content of a tree. These carbon capture calculations are determined individually for each species of tree by independent, third-party verification experts. In turn, these calculations are then used by the operators of carbon capture projects.

Additionality is one of the most important criteria for carbon capture projects. Carbon capture projects must be ”additional” to other projects that would exist anyway. Another way of saying this is that carbon capture projects are ”additional” if they have expressly come into being because emission reducation units have been sold to fund them. A carbon capture project would not be ”additional” if it had been financed otherwise – for example, through government funding.

Compensate, together with the independent Scientific Advisory Panel, is constantly searching for a range of reliable and effective solutions for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Starting from summer 2020, we will allocate 20% of all carbon credit purchases to innovative solutions for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. You can read more about this here . We always provide transparent information on how we use compensation payments we collect on our website.

Forests are an extremely effective way to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. There are also many other options available. Other kinds of natural carbon sinks, along with emerging solutions such as carbon negative land use, make it possible to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. New technologies and solutions for capturing and storing carbon are constantly being developed. Compensate allocates 20% of all carbon credit purchases to innovative solutions for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. You can read more about this here .