Switch2Zero only works with projects that have robust, third-party verified approaches to how they calculate costs and offset equivalencies. Working with partners at The United Nations and Gold Standard means we can trust the figures we’re given and be confident our customers’ contributions go where they’re supposed to. 

Your Switch2Zero subscription has three key components:

1. CO2e Offset
2. Plastic Waste Collected
3. Trees Planted

To offset your estimated CO2 footprint we invest in 3rd party verified projects such as wind farms, hydro electric power and energy efficiency through two highly reputable partners, the United Nations and Gold Standard.  Each investment purchases a number of CO2e tons (the ‘e’ stands for equivalent) which are certificated to ensure no double counting, each project has a capped amount of CO2e tons available depending on its type and size.  We also partner with Plastic Bank to fund plastic waste collection projects around the globe.  On top of this we also plant trees through our partner Eden Projects, we don’t count these towards your CO2e offset number, we view these as an act of goodwill to future generations, investing now in future reduction. All Offset, Plastic and Tree projects provide a formal certificate for each contribution made, this helps ensure there is no ‘double counting’ as each certificate has a unique code which can be traced from source to purchaser.  We keep all these certificates in our Public Ledger so you can be confident we buy what we say we do from who we say we do.

CO₂e is shorthand for Carbon Dioxide Equivalent and it’s used  to measure how much carbon is “offset” by different projects and initiatives. kgCO₂e stands for Kilograms of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent and is used to measure CO₂e.

The cost per ton of CO2e captured or reduced can vary significantly depending on the project type and its location. We invest across a range of projects (8-15 each month) , with the aim of getting a blend of project types and geographic locations while at the same time averaging out at $5.00 per ton $ CO2e We aim for this overall average price per CO2e ton as we feel it’s the right balance between maintaining a relatively consistent monthly costs for you, combined with the ability to invest in as broad a portfolio as possible.. For trees ($0.15 per tree) and plastic ($0.55 per kg) it’s simpler, they both have a fixed cost. We add 20% to the gross cost of the projects to cover our costs such as payments fees, research, system maintenance and development, climate awareness activity and staff costs. Read more about our projects here.

Every payment to Switch2Zero goes towards carbon offset projects in the ratios selected with your plan. We invest in a diverse range of projects to ensure that we can maintain our $5.00 price per ton of CO2e. We also charge $0.55 for every kg of plastic collected and $0.15 for every tree planted. 

All our project providers give us a verification certificate, which you can view on our public ledger. We do take a 20% fee to cover multiple payments fees and our own operations costs, but this is already included in your subscription price. We’re proud to have the lowest fees of any carbon offset company. 

We are building functionality to enable you to make changes yourself on the platform but this isn’t quite ready for release yet.  So in the meantime feel free to contact us here and we’ll be happy to make these changes for you manually behind the scenes.