Company PCs, smartphones, and servers generate tons of greenhouse gas emissions, with the bulk of these CO₂ emissions generated during production. That is why, for more than 40 years, CHG-MERIDIAN has been offering end-of-life services based on the professional refurbishing and sustainable reuse of used IT devices, in line with the principles of the circular economy. We are now taking this one step further with carbonZERO. For the first time, our customers can offset the CO₂ generated in the production, transportation, use phase, and end-of-life scenarios of their leased IT assets.
Alongside measures to avoid and reduce CO₂ emissions, offsetting is an important step that allows companies to operate in a more sustainable manner and to make a positive contribution toward climate change mitigation. Thanks to carbonZER0, our new financing upgrade, our customers can pay to offset the entire CO₂ emissions of their IT assets. This financing option is available internationally, with the money generated used to finance certified projects aimed at combating climate change. The monthly lease instalment increases only marginally. For example, the cost of making a smartphone carbon-neutral is just a few cents.
Using the carbonZER0 financing upgrade requires no additional time or effort from customers. They enjoy the benefits of a complete package that allows them to select and manage their climate change mitigation projects, and includes recognized emissions certificates and the calculation of CO₂ emissions using a methodology certified by the TÜV product standards regulator. The calculation takes into account production, transportation, and the electricity consumed during the use phase and end-of-life scenarios of the IT assets. We also take into account any differences related to device type and manufacturer by adding a percentage-based markup.
Once the calculation has been completed, the greenhouse gases generated are offset. This can be done in a variety of ways, either by purchasing certificates on voluntary carbon markets or by investing directly in climate change mitigation projects. Selecting and regularly auditing these is an important step. Through carbonZER0, CHG-MERIDIAN is supporting internationally recognized and certified climate change mitigation projects. All of these projects ensure sustainable development at the economic, social, and environmental level in the respective countries in line with the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals. In return, the customer receives a certificate as proof of the CO₂ emissions saved. This guarantees that the savings will only be used to offset CO₂ emissions once; the related certificates are subsequently retired in the official registers. Both the certificate and the information on which assets are carbon-neutral can be viewed digitally in TESMA® – simple, transparent, and straightforward.
Customers that have taken up the carbonZER0 option are currently supporting solar power generation in northern Namibia, including on-site medical provision and the expansion of local schools. In South Sulawesi, the money from our customers’ carbon offsetting is financing a wind power project in Jeneponto, while in southern Sri Lanka it is funding a hydroelectric plant that will provide carbon-neutral power to the island. As forests are some of the Earth’s most important carbon sinks, carbonZER0 is also supporting the protection of a 100,000-hectare area of forest in the Madre de Dios region in Peru. This project alone is saving an average of 660,000 tons of CO₂ every year. Our climate change mitigation projects meet internationally recognized standards. To prove that criteria are being met, the projects are checked and certified according to the Gold Standard , the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS). This ensures – and regularly confirms – that the projects are effective in combating climate change.
"Our customers can simply add the service to their existing order without any additional hassle. We take care of everything for them, including making the offset payment to certified climate projects"
Customers and investors have long been demanding sustainable solutions, and what might once have been an afterthought, such as climate-neutral business practices or green IT, is now often crucial to the success of a business. Environmental protection has become a corporate objective, and sustainable procurement a moral obligation. Sustainability and combating climate change have become a must for companies – from an environmental, social, and commercial perspective. carbonZER0 allows our customers to not only enhance their image through carbon-neutral IT financing but also to make a truly positive and transparent contribution to their environmental footprint.