Carbon Offsetting

In 2022, Eurofins supported projects managed by NGOs that not only capture and reduce CO₂ but also empower local populations through education as well as sustainable economic and social initiatives. Eurofins obtained carbon credits from the following projects (certified against Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), Gold Standard (GS) and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) standards), all aligning with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs):

Gaolin (China), promotes use and development of renewable wind energy, protects the environment by reducing air pollution caused by coal consumption, and improves the health of local communities through job creation and economic development in rural villages. This project aligns with the:

	UN SDG 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all), as it results in a decrease in coal production due to sustainable energy availability from the 33 installed wind turbines;
	UN SDG 8 (Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive and decent work for all) as it creates more than 5 local jobs for the construction and on-going maintenance of the wind turbine site;
	UN SDG 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts) as it diversifies the region’s renewable energy portfolio and reduces carbon emissions.

Yacumama Rio Conservation (Peru), aims to protect and conserve the Yacumama swamp forest that is located in the Peruvian Amazon Basin. This project aligns with:

	UN SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages), as it results in supporting health care for local communities by providing facilities and monetary support to the local clinic in Puerto Miguel;
	UN SDG 4 (Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all), as it promotes local economic growth by providing employment to local community residents;
	UN SDG 8 (Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive and decent work for all) as it offers opportunities for job development since people from local communities will be hired and trained to join patrols to protect the area;
	UN SDG 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts) as through this conservation effort, emissions reduced reaches 729,800 tonnes CO2;
	UN SDG 15 (Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and halt biodiversity loss) as it protects large numbers of habitats and species in the region.

Nam Chim Hydro Power Project (Vietnam), harnesses the power of flowing water, protects the environment by reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and supports the local community through creating stable training and employment opportunities. This project aligns with:

	UN SDG 4 (Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all), as it results in 3 in depth training programs to enhance and improve workers’ skills;
	UN SDG 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all), as it results in sending renewable energy to the nation’s grid to support the growing energy demands of Vietnam’s rural population;
	UN SDG 8 (Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive and decent work for all) as it creates approximately 28 local jobs to maintain and support the dam, powerhouse and reservoir;
	UN SDG 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts) as it contributes to the country’s renewable energy mix and reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Blue Fire Biogas (Thailand), reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by capturing and repurposing methane gas emission at a Tapioca starch plant. This project aligns with:

	UN SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages), as it results in supporting 2 public health centres thereby ensuring access to better health facilities in the region;
	UN SDG 4 (Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all), as it results in the creation of 30 permanent jobs and stable economic income streams for local workers;
	UN SDG 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all), as it provides a cleaner alternative to burning fossil fuels and annually generates 3,500MWh of clean energy;
	UN SDG 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts) as it mitigates 30,000 tCO2e annually by capturing methane gas emissions and replaces fossil fuel energy.

Renun River Hydro (Indonesia), harnesses the power of the Renun River and its tributaries to generate renewable energy and displace dependence on fossil fuels. This project aligns with:

	UN SDG 4 (Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all), as it results in ongoing technical training for employees dedicated to the project;
	UN SDG 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all), as it results in the average generation of 313,500 MWh of clean energy to supply the grid annually;
	UN SDG 8 (Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive and decent work for all) as it offers job opportunities to boost development of the local economy;
	UN SDG 9 (Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation), as it creates renewable energy infrastructure including a generation plant, regulating pond, and turbines;
	UN SDG 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable) as it builds community infrastructure to support local development;
	UN SDG 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts) as it results in an average annual reduction of 270,000 tCO2e.

Ghandi Wind Project (India), supports India’s shift towards a low carbon economy by stimulating growth of the renewable energy source of wind power in the country. This project aligns with:

	UN SDG 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all), as it helps to close the supply and demand energy gap in the country by generating power from a renewable energy source;
	UN SDG 8 (Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive and decent work for all) as it provides local employment opportunities to maintain and operate the Wind farm sites;
	UN SDG 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts) as it will lead to approximately 4.7 million tons of avoided greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Vayu & Surya (India), improves the country’s renewable energy production mix by developing two wind power projects and one solar project thereby, reducing the nation’s dependence on coal. This project aligns with:

	UN SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages), as it results in mitigating air pollution by reducing the use of coal and fossil fuels for energy production;
	UN SDG 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all), as it provides a cleaner alternative for power generation and promotes the conversion to solar and wind energy throughout the region;
	UN SDG 8 (Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive and decent work for all) as it creates employment opportunities for the local population and promotes economic growth and development;
	UN SDG 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) as it facilitates a clean energy alternative for electricity generation for local industries;
	UN SDG 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts) as it will lead to an estimated annual reduction of 268,110  tCO2e by replacing coal-burning electricity production with clean wind and solar plants.

Kariba Forest Protection (Zimbabwe), prevents deforestation and land degradation of approximately 785,000 hectares of forest resulting in the avoidance of more than 3.5 million tonnes of CO₂e. This project aligns with:

	UN SDG 1 (End poverty in all forms everywhere), as 249,000+USD was generated for the local community from beekeeping and moringa tree and community garden sales;
	UN SDG 2 (End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture), as 18 nutritional gardens are increasing food security;
	UN SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages), as it results in 14 health clinics with safe drinking water;
	UN SDG 4 (Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all), as it results in 18,000+ people benefiting from educational workshops on activities related to the project such as nutritional gardening;
	UN SDG 6 (Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all), as it provides 37,000 people with safe drinking water;
	UN SDG 8 (Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive and decent work for all) as it creates 22 permanent jobs dedicated to the project;
	UN SDG 9 (Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation), as 57,000 USD was spent on supporting health clinics and schools;
	UN SDG 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts) as it will lead to the mitigation of an annual average of 3,620,000 tCO2e;
	UN SDG 15 (Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and halt biodiversity loss) as it protects 784,987 hectares of forest which serves as a key wildlife corridor.

Bujagali Hydro Project (Uganda), utilizes the county’s rich hydropower resources to meet demand and stabilize the supply of reliable electricity to rural populations. In addition, to utilizing renewable energy, the project also commits to preserving the culture and heritage of the nearby villages. This project aligns with:

	UN SDG 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all), as it uses clean hydropower for energy generation replacing inefficient and polluting diesel generators;
	UN SDG 8 (Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive and decent work for all) as it creates 1000-1800 employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled workers;
	UN SDG 9 (Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation), as it installs critical energy infrastructure for Ugandans and will foster economic growth;
	UN SDG 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts) as it will lead to the annual reduction of 475,000 tCO2e;
	UN SDG 15 (Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and halt biodiversity loss) as it displaces electricity from fossil fuel-based sources thereby improving air quality and reducing air pollution.  It also helps to slow deforestation as it provides an alternative to biomass sourced energy.

Through this on-going effort to compensate for Eurofins’ unavoidable carbon emissions, 200,000 tonnes of carbon credits were obtained and retired (cancelled) in 2022.

The retired offsets fully cover the remaining Scope 1 and 2 emissions in 2022 (180,779 tonnes CO2e).