zkipster and sustainability: 3 years as a Climate Neutral Certified brand

In time for Earth Day 2023, zkipster is proud to announce that we have been Climate Neutral Certified for the third year in a row.

This means that zkipster has been certified carbon neutral since 2021 with the help of our partner Change Climate. This nonprofit organization aims to eliminate carbon emissions by making climate neutrality a priority for businesses and customers. The Climate Neutral certification is a globally-recognized standard for carbon accountability.

Sustainability forms part of one of the zkipster brand values. Along with achieving and maintaining our Climate Neutral certification, we are committed to embedding sustainability into our everyday practices and helping our clients run more sustainable events. Here are the three steps we take each year to get to carbon neutral.

1 Measure

The first step on our annual Climate Neutral journey is to measure our emissions and assess the impacts of running our brand and developing and delivering our product to clients. Like most businesses, the majority of our emissions are Scope 3, which includes employee commuting and business travel and purchased goods and services. Our 2022 emissions were down on the previous year’s, a trend we will endeavor to continue.

2 Reduce

Step two is to devise strategies to reduce our emissions and decarbonize our operations. This time we’ll double down on previous plans to reduce emissions from business travel by creating formal travel guidelines for employees.

We also intend to make more climate conscious choices when gifting clients and partners. We will look for meaningful, reusable gifts, seek the most sustainable options when items such as flowers are the most appropriate gift, and consider packaging and shipping.

3 Compensate

The final step to being Climate Neutral Certified is to compensate for our emissions by purchasing eligible, verified carbon and energy credits. This year we had the opportunity to select our own provider and project for the first time.

We worked with Patch, a platform providing climate solutions to businesses at scale, and chose to purchase carbon credits issued by a project that protects more than 130,000 acres of Brazilian forest from deforestation. The project also provides biodiversity and community co-benefits.

The forest theme inspired us to add an unofficial reduction action plan: to plant at least one tree for every ton of carbon emitted. Some partners have already requested that we plant trees on their behalf, in lieu of sending a gift, and we’ll look to continue doing so.

Communication and collaboration is key, so we will continue sharing ideas with each other, our partners and clients; taking inspiration from fellow brands within the Climate Neutral Certified community, and innovating to reduce our emissions. By working together and providing sustainable solutions, we can help lessen the overall environmental impact of the events industry by powering more sustainable events.

Find out more by visiting the zkipster Sustainability hub and our Change Climate brand page.