What Actually Is Carbon Offsetting?

Carbon Offsetting is one of those phrases that sounds complicated enough to require a university degree, a spreadsheet, and a reusable water bottle you’ve owned since 2014.

For many consumers and businesses, carbon offsetting can be confusing. What exactly are you offsetting? Where does the money go? And does it actually make a difference?

As a packaging company, these are questions we think are worth answering. For us, carbon offsetting is just one piece of the puzzle. 

Let’s Start At The Beginning. 

Many activities contribute to the release of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (also known as CO2) to the Earth’s atmosphere, contributing to climate change. 

The quick and dirty explanation is that greenhouse gases make the atmosphere better insulated (like tossing another duvet on your bed), which means the planet is transitioning to a warmer, less stable version of its old self. 

Greenhouse gases are released through many everyday activities, from burning fossil fuels like gasoline to cows burping (yep really).

So, How Do Carbon Offsets Work And Why Does This Matter in Packaging?

A lot of sustainability conversations focus on what happens after someone uses a package. Can it be recycled? Is it going in the right bin? Does the local recycling system accept it?

Recycling and composting can be great, but it relies on the right infrastructure and the right actions from consumers and municipalities. There’s another part of the story that happens before the package ever reaches your customer. 

CO2 is being emitted while producing materials, manufacturing products, and transporting them to their final destination. Since that footprint already exists before your customer has even opened their takeout container, we believe sustainability shouldn't depend entirely on what happens at the end of a product's life.

Carbon offsetting is a way of addressing carbon emissions by supporting projects that reduce, avoid or remove greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere.

We calculate the emissions associated with production and purchase carbon credits to offset that impact. We currently work with CNaught to support carbon projects such as repairing gas leaks, turning gas into electricity and initiatives related to deforestation. These projects are actively working to reduce carbon emissions as we speak (or read!). Click here to learn more on the projects we support.

This doesn’t mean our packaging magically becomes carbon-free. Instead, we're saying: we know we've created an environmental impact, and we're taking action to counterbalance it.

What Does This Mean for Our Customers?

The easy part is: you don't have to do anything.

Our customers don't have to sign up for a separate program or figure out how many carbon credits to purchase, we handle all of that behind the scenes! 

We calculate the emissions associated with production, purchase carbon credits to offset them and share the results. 

Is Carbon Offsetting a Magic Solution?

No, and we don't think it should be presented that way.

Carbon offsetting doesn't mean packaging suddenly has no environmental impact. It doesn't mean we should stop looking for better materials, smarter production methods or better recycling solutions.

We see it as one tool in the sustainability toolbox.

The reality is that businesses have real-world requirements. Food packaging needs to be safe. It needs to work. It needs to protect the product. It needs to look good. And, yes, it needs to make financial sense.

At Georgette Packaging carbon offsetting is a practical way to take responsibility for the impact of producing the packaging businesses need and one more step we can take toward making our industry a little more sustainable.

We’re proud to work with customers who value sustainability and believe that small, meaningful changes can make a difference. Whether it’s choosing the right packaging materials, understanding the impact of production, or offsetting the carbon associated with a project, we’re here to help businesses make packaging choices they feel good about. Click here to connect with your new packaging bestie!