A Carbon Footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere, expressed as an amount of Carbon Dioxide or ‘CO2’. (Sorry if that sounded like we swallowed a dictionary...).
At COAT we take a proactive view on understanding, measuring, reducing, and offsetting our own Carbon Footprint, so customers can make a conscious and informed choice when it comes to choosing paint.
We contribute financially to UN Gold Certified forest protection projects to offset unavoidable carbon emissions, two-fold. We think that protecting big established forests from ruin is smarter than planting new trees when it comes to turning the tide on climate change - so that's where we've chosen to focus.
Our Approach: Measure it. Own it.
We're proud of our number: 310.3 TONNES
Mostly, we're proud because we KNOW it. Not many companies take the time and effort to measure and understand their impact, and that's the basis of doing better.
For context, 310.3 tonnes is about the same as 100 cars - for our entire company. We’ve worked really hard to reduce our Carbon Footprint from the outset, so we’re impacting the planet as little as possible off the bat.
In a bit more detail: COAT’s annual carbon footprint, including indirect or ‘Scope 3’ emissions, is 310.3 tonnes of CO2e. For an entire company, that’s pretty darn good already. Direct Scope 1 and 2 emissions (coming directly from the COAT business, not our suppliers) make up just 1% of our carbon footprint. The vast majority come from indirect Scope 3 emissions from our suppliers and partner logistics operations.
We’re part of that mix though, so it makes sense for us to look beyond our own noses.
Extract from Carbon Footprint Report Results. Produced by Carbon Jacked on behalf of COAT Paints | July 2021.
GOING BEYOND OUR OWN BUSINESS.
COAT’s Scope 3 footprint is 306.1 tonnes of CO2e - 83% of which comes from purchased goods and services. It is not uncommon for an online business like COAT to have limited direct emissions - but it means to have the greatest positive impact we’re focusing improvements on the areas in our supply chain that are historically more difficult to influence.
Purchased Goods & Services emissions are the emissions of a product or service from its creation to the point of purchase (‘cradle to gate’). For example, the emissions associated with the purchase of paint would include all raw materials, production and operations. For COAT, by far the biggest part comes from base paint and colourant, as well as the factory production and packing process of our partners.
Extract from Carbon Footprint Report Results. Produced by Carbon Jacked on behalf of COAT Paints | July 2021
HOW WE OFFSET
In the immediate term we offset the unavoidable emissions of COAT and our supply chain. Not only do we offset them, we double offset - to ensure that we’re making a positive contribution and not only neutralising.
COAT offsets our unavoidable Carbon Emissions by financially supporting projects which contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or "SDGs".
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all". The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly, and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030.
Read more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: https://sdgs.un.org/goals
COAT is supporting projects verified under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) programme - which is one of the leading international standards for the verification of carbon credits. We purchase carbon offsetting credits to reflect double our emissions.
We largely invest in projects to protect forests that are already there. Planting new trees isn't going to do a big enough job to reverse the current trajectory (we've got 8 years...).
It’s now well established that effectively protecting and restoring forests has the potential to deal with 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 - significantly mitigating the effects of climate change. Poorly planned and illegal farming is responsible for 80% of forest loss, and Carbon Tanzania projects which COAT supports are designed to address this issue by empowering communities to enforce their land use plans and defend their land rights.
THE FUTURE
COAT is years ahead of most companies and governments in our approach, so beyond our own improvements we’re going to focus on levelling-up the industry. That means lobbying suppliers, selecting and promoting more conscious partners, and continuing to be transparent about what COAT is doing to drive more positive change.
