Frequently Asked Questions

Net-zero is a state of equilibrium between the sources of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and their absorption by carbon sinks, without any additional GHG emissions being added to the atmosphere. This balance can be achieved by combining emission reduction with carbon sequestration. Achieving net-zero requires massive GHG reductions to get as close as possible to zero, and offsetting any unreduced emissions by removing an equivalent amount of GHG from the atmosphere. In short, what continues to be emitted must be absorbed.​

On the international political agenda since 2015 with the signing of the Paris Agreement, carbon neutrality is now a universal ambition. It aims to limit global warming well below 2 ° C compared to pre-industrial levels by "a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and anthropogenic removals by sinks of greenhouse gases" (GHG).

The application of this global objective of carbon neutrality at the level of companies and territories opens up an unprecedented field of progress: it calls for rethinking its long-term development and drawing up its transformation strategy from an economic perspective compatible with a carbon neutral world. To guarantee its credibility, a carbon neutrality approach must be consistent with the strategy and values ​​of the organization and be built over the long term, gradually and iteratively, with a view to compatibility with the Paris Agreement.

An organization's carbon neutrality strategy is built through three complementary actions:

• The measurement and reporting of its GHG emissions;
• The reduction and sequestration of its GHG emissions within its monitoring perimeter, to achieve an objective set in accordance with science and aligned with the global objective of maintaining the global average temperature below 2 ° C;
• Financing the transition to a carbon neutral world resilient to the impacts of climate change in activities beyond its scope, in particular through the acquisition of carbon credits, the development of offset projects or investment in R&D for innovative technologies to reduce or sequester GHG emissions.

NB: to talk about GHG emissions, responsible for the climate change that we are experiencing, it is commonly accepted to speak indifferently of "CO2" or "Carbon" emissions to designate them.

Voluntary carbon offset projects aim to avoid, reduce or sequester CO2 emissions and to produce carbon credits. These emission reduction efforts are measured using rigorous methodologies and verified by independent third parties, at the start of the project and periodically, to ensure that the reduction in emissions has taken place. Once the credits have been verified, they are issued and electronically recorded in carbon “registers”. The withdrawal operation on the registers guarantees the uniqueness of the reduction. According to French law, a transfer of ownership of the reductions (credits) must take place so that the company can offset its emissions. The compensation provider, EcoAct, is the only player in France to guarantee this transfer of ownership.

Carbon emissions from human activities are the cause of global climate change: a tonne of carbon emitted somewhere leads to global warming. As climate change is a global problem, the impacts of one tonne of carbon emitted somewhere in the world can be neutralized through the sequestration, reduction or avoidance of another tonne elsewhere: this is the principle of carbon offsetting (also called CO2 offsetting). This mechanism was developed by the United Nations, in accordance with the framework of the Kyoto Protocol, and was recognized during the Paris Agreement, following the COP 21 (United Nations Conference on Climate Change in 2015).

Regulatory carbon offsetting concerns industrial companies in sectors of activity that emit a high carbon content (cement, refinery, steel industry, etc.). They are subject by the States to regulations (system of emission quotas exchangeable on a market).

Voluntary carbon offsetting concerns companies that are not subject to regulations on their CO2 emissions but who want to act voluntarily. This approach takes the form of the purchase (from a specialized operator) and the retirement of a quantity of carbon credits equivalent to all or part of the CO2 emissions generated by the company's activity.

1. Carbon permits or quotas are fixed authorized volumes of CO2 emissions allocated by international authorities. Emissions trading allows industrial companies (exclusively from countries listed in Annex 1 of the Kyoto Protocol) to trade their allocated emission rights to comply with their commitments. A company can therefore buy carbon credits from another company that has a surplus of carbon credit compared to its reduction objectives, the same for countries between them. This mechanism has been embodied in several forms in several regions of the world. The most emblematic example of emissions trading is the European Carbon Market (EU ETS). Unused quotas are therefore traded on a market which is then regulated by supply and demand, which defines a price per tonne on this market ("cap and trade").

2. Taxes are collected by the public authorities; in some cases they can be assigned to specific uses, even if they remain in the minority. They potentially have a double effect:

a. “Price signal” effect: by increasing the price, they regulate demand: the taxed product is consumed less because it is more expensive;
b. "Allocation" effect, only if the tax is affected: the amount collected then makes it possible to speed up the implementation of policies going in the desired direction (eg: ecological transition, research, training). But it generally does not specifically finance low-carbon projects.

3. Carbon offsetting refers to the processes that make a set of activities more precisely "carbon neutral" according to the United Nations Framework Climate Convention. It is the act of balancing the amounts of emissions produced in one place by reducing the same amount of emissions produced elsewhere. The carbon offset market is the system that generates carbon credits in return for financing carbon reduction projects. This system took off in 2006.

The first carbon market was developed under the Kyoto Protocol, taking into account the objectives of the agreement and focusing mainly on states and large companies. The second sprang from the private sector without having been supervised by a public body and is aimed at all entities, from individuals to the state.

The first was developed under the Kyoto Protocol, taking into account the objectives of the agreement and focusing mainly on states and large companies. The second sprang from the private sector without having been supervised by a public body and is aimed at all entities, from individuals to the state.

a. The CDM, for Clean Development Mechanism, (and JI for Joint Implementation) allow Annex 1 countries to finance emission reduction projects in developing countries (or developed countries or countries in transition for JI). In exchange, the investing country receives emission reduction units (ERUs).
b. Voluntary compensation involves two or three parties: the buyer, the project developer and potentially the offset intermediary who connects the first two players, by buying the credits generated from the promoter and reselling them to the buyer. The cost of the offset is therefore taken by private intermediaries or associations to finance the project developers ; this additional cost is compared to the initial cost of the product or service is reflected in the price paid by the end customer or taken from the company's margin, or a mix of the two, explicitly or not. It can also have several effects:

i. "Price signal" if the additional cost of offset is significant vs. initial cost of the product or service: fewer customers will buy;
ii. but this price signal can be counterbalanced by the “contribution to planet carbon neutrality” which gives more value to the product for the customer.
iii. "allocation" effect since all of it goes to a project that neutralizes carbon emissions

1 carbon credit = 1 tonne of CO2 avoided or sequestered.

Voluntary carbon offset projects must be:

• Additional: An emission reduction project is said to be additional when it can be demonstrated that in the absence of carbon financing, the project activity would not have taken place (the reference scenario); and that such a baseline scenario would have resulted in higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• Permanent: GHG emissions must be avoided over the long term (and not temporarily).
• Measurable: a recognized methodology must be followed
• Audited: a third party must regularly audit the project.
• Unique: carbon credits must only be sold once, in this context once "transferred" from the seller to buy the credits must be "canceled" from the carbon offset register1.
• With a strong social and environmental impact: the project must also include co-benefits. Projects benefiting in the daily life of local communities in developing countries are given priority. This is indeed essential to generate a quality voluntary compensation project on the social level.

For equal environmental quality validated by the same standards (VCS, Gold Standard), the projects designed by their developers have significantly different prices ranging from less than 5€ excl.tax per tCO2e to more than 40€ excl.tax per tCO2e.

The price of a Ton of CO2 increases as much as:

1. The project not only has an environmental impact but also significant social benefits for the local populations.
2. The project is located in a country benefiting from a good brand image and which makes people "dream" (Brazil, Peru, Bhutan, Nepal, Botswana, etc.) and not in a country where there are major social, environmental and human concerns that are neglected by the government in place.
3. The purchase of carbon credits is important (mass effect) and not fragmented.

Finally, we must not forget that the voluntary carbon offset market is currently an over-the-counter market not attached to any stock exchange platform. In fact, the price of the Ton of CO2 depends in addition to the three above-mentioned criteria of the negotiation game between the seller and the buyer. Availability is sometimes low for certain projects and can drive prices up.

As a result, very often companies that compensate voluntarily do so through mixed portfolios of projects mixing inexpensive and purely environmental projects with projects that also have social benefits. The latter are more expensive but also more charismatic projects, generating “storytelling” with great potential in terms of communication.

The process of offsetting the company's annual residual emissions is a purely voluntary act. The company is imposing this "constraint" on itself because it is convinced of its duty to act immediately in favor of climate preservation. The alternative to this initiative is to do nothing ... In addition, by monetizing the cost of its GHG emissions, the company internally strengthens the mechanisms for reducing its CO2 emissions and the empowerment of its employees, especially managers, in favor of this reduction.

GOING4ZERO was designed to offer a quick access to financing low-carbon projects to the web user. The process of purchasing/retiring carbon credits is quite simple:

1. In the CONTRIBUTE section, you select the project and the quantity of credits you would like to purchase.
2. You view your basket to finalize your order and you sign in to ensure a secured and confidential ordering process.
3. Once we have all information necessary for the order, you are redirected to our payment solution STRIPE for a safe payment. This way, Going4Zero does not access your bank deta
4. When the payment is validated, you receive an email notification as a proof of your order.
5. Once the payment is collected by Stripe, we proceed with the carbon offset transactions and we send you the invoice and the certificate as proof of your action.

And if you have any question, contact us!

Going4Zero, powered by EcoAct, invests exclusively in projects that deliver measurable and long-​term success. Only emissions reductions that have actually been achieved and can be proven over a longer contract term of 7 to 14 years are counted in energy projects. Offsetting payments are normally paid out to the supported projects once reductions are realised. The contribution amount depends on the volume of the project’s greenhouse gas reduction. Forestry projects are slightly different because they have a longer timeline of 30 to 50 years.

The carbon credits are not considered as a donation to a NGO and do not benefit from tax advantages.

Once the payment of your order is received, you will get an invoice and a certificate attesting of your purchase. The carbon credits you have purchased will support financially the development of the projects you have chosen, hence contributing to provide social, environmental and economic benefits to local communities.