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With Ecologi, you can support a wide range of forest restoration projects across the globe, which are operated by our wonderful forest restoration partners.
We thought we’d take some time to celebrate our supported reforestation projects and partners, and the incredible milestones we are achieving together through collective action.
To stay up to date with all of our supported projects, why not follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/Ecologi_hq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/ecologi_hq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EcologiHQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/ecologihq/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a>.

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We’ve been working with <a href="https://www.edenprojects.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eden Reforestation Projects</a> (Eden) since the very early days of Ecologi. We’re proud to be an Ecosystem Partner of Eden, and we’ve supported several of their reforestation projects over the last couple of years. To date, they have planted over 830 million trees across 249 project sites!
Eden use an <a href="https://www.edenprojects.org/stories/employ-to-plant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Employ to Plant&#8221; methodology</a>, which has had great success in their projects <a href="https://www.edenprojects.org/our-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all over the world</a>. Using this methodology, Eden are able to help alleviate extreme poverty by paying local people a fair wage to plant trees and manage the nurseries. This consistent income is vital for families, helping them to afford nutritious food, send children to school, and even start their own businesses to become more economically independent.
Eden has project sites in many different countries, and so far Ecologi has supported projects in Madagascar, Mozambique, Nicaragua, and Kenya. Across these sites, almost 600 people have been employed by Eden, giving them and their families a much-needed consistent source of income with which to improve their lives. Across all their sites, Eden has employed over 11,500 people!
A great benefit of Eden’s projects being community-led is that the local people are interested and involved in the projects, and therefore want to look after the trees they plant. This is a key element of Eden’s projects’ success &#8211; the trees are valued by the local communities, and are therefore safe from threats of deforestation that occurs in other parts of the world.

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By planting a mix of native tree species on a huge scale, Eden’s reforestation projects are able to rapidly transform landscapes as well as communities. In Madagascar we’ve already seen some amazing progress as the mangrove trees begin to grow, restoring the mangrove forests that were once there.
The trees that are planted are also often by Forest Guards, who are employed by Eden, to ensure they grow safely. Creating healthy habitats helps to support local biodiversity. The trees can be a source of shelter and food for a wide range of animals, and native plant species have a chance to recolonise areas where they used to be found, further enriching the biodiversity of the area.

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<a href="https://thefutureforestcompany.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Future Forest Company</a> (FFC) restores degraded land through reforestation, natural regeneration, and regenerative agriculture practices. A key component of this approach is planting lots of native trees on land where trees were once removed to make way for farming.
Ecologi currently supports a handful of the sites managed by FFC: Brodoclea, Brisbane Mains, and Glenaros on the Isle of Mull.
As well as forest restoration, FFC are conducting research on carbon removal, including biochar and enhanced weathering. Staff working on the Glenaros estate are accelerating their work on the biochar project after receiving an Innovate UK grant. Biochar, a substance similar to charcoal, is created by burning plant matter in the absence of oxygen in a process called pyrolysis. This process removes carbon from the atmosphere, storing it in the biochar where it can be locked away for hundreds of years. Together with enhanced weathering, another carbon removal method, FFC are able to remove ten times the amount of carbon from the atmosphere, per hectare of land, than just tree-planting on its own.

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In Brodoclea, the saplings that were planted in 2020 are all healthy and growing well! These survived the harsh winter, throughout which planting of new trees continued. Wildlife is also happy and healthy on all the sites, with wildflowers in full bloom throughout the summer and 200 woolly pigs warm in their shelters during the winter. Along with the grazing of the sheep and Highland cows on the Glenaros site, these animals <a href="https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/managed-grazing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are helping to trap more carbon in the soils</a> and encourage greater levels of biodiversity.

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<a href="https://www.globalforestgeneration.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Forest Generation</a> (GFG) was founded in 2018 by seasoned conservationists and is a non-profit organisation that’s dedicated to protecting and restoring forest ecosystems across South America. It achieves this aim by building large-scale, multi-country forest ecosystem initiatives with grassroots leaders and communities, and equips them with the resources, capacities and partnerships needed to sustain and scale their impact over time. 
GFG regards the lack of ecosystem restoration capacity and leadership on the ground as the most significant obstacle to achieving global climate, conservation and sustainable development targets through nature-based solutions (see their 2022 report <a href="https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2645/2022-05-_gfg_final_report_to_all_supporters.pdf">here</a>). As a result, GFG prioritises the importance of long-term, high-quality projects through holistic initiatives such as Acción Andina.
Acción Andina, is a GFG-led initiative involving multi-stakeholder engagement to restore critically important native ecosystems in South America. To date, 3.7 million native trees have been planted across five countries (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile) through this initiative. Dozens of local communities have been involved, helping to ensure the restoration and protection of native ecosystems for generations to come.

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The reforestation projects we support through GFG are part of a project currently spanning 5 countries in South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru) called Acción Andina, which is restoring the high-Andean forest ecosystem of Polylepis forests. Ecologi will be funding the planting of 300,000 trees in four South American countries in the Andes mountains over the next 2 years. These trees will be planted across 16 different project sites, three in <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/projects/restoring-andean-forests-argentina">Argentina</a>, two in <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/projects/restoring-andean-forests-in-bolivia">Bolivia</a>, five in <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/projects/restoring-andean-forests-in-ecuador">Ecuador</a>, and six in <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/projects/restoring-andean-forests-in-peru">Peru</a>.
Acción Andina delivers on a range of national and international climate, conservation, restoration and sustainable development priorities. Through this initiative, GFG  engages with and supports developing partnerships with local, provincial and national government institutions, universities, private sector organisations, regional and international donors, and strategic partners to scale impact and results.

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<a href="https://highatlasfoundation.org/">High Atlas Foundation</a> (HAF) is a Moroccan association and a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation founded in 2000 by former Peace Corps Volunteers committed to furthering sustainable development. HAF supports Moroccan communities to take action in implementing human development initiatives. HAF promotes organic agriculture, women’s empowerment, youth development, education, and health. 
It’s imperative to us that we partner with organisations that promote inclusion and gender equality, which are at the core of HAF’s business model. Their participatory approach to projects begins with dialogue including all community members from a range of age, gender, education, income, land ownership, religious, and ethnic groups representative of the project location.

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We’re currently supporting one of HAF’s projects in Ouezzane, Morocco. In rural Morocco, traditional gendered divisions of production also extend to natural resource management. Women are often the main food and water collectors while men often control land access. However, HAF has had important success at building the abilities of women’s and girls’ cooperatives in maintaining nurseries, value-adding activities, and exporting products. A foundation for success is the HAF rights-based Imagine Empowerment Workshops, which build vision and confidence and provide the platform for increasing self-reliance. Women (18+) and girls (14-18) participate in four-day, 32-hour, rights-based workshops (with structured activities following an established curriculum) which trained HAF staff facilitate.

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<a href="https://www.hommesetterre.com/">Hommes et Terre</a> (H&amp;T) is a private social profit company whose mission is to develop and execute large-scale reforestation and land management programs, to guarantee local people long-term access to sufficient fertile land. 
H&amp;T’s strategy is based on a win-win business partnership with local communities, which helps improve the long-term protection of the forest by instilling a sense of pride in, and fostering a deep understanding of the value of, the trees among local people. By signing a 30-year partnership agreement with the partner village, which is validated and co-signed by the local authorities in accordance with local land registry laws, H&amp;T ensures that the land and the project is protected from damage from external parties who may wish to exploit the site for commercial purposes, but the local community remains the owner of the land. The people in the partner village involved in the project are paid by H&amp;T for a variety of services, including seed collection, monitoring activities, and surveillance.

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The supported project will be located in the Tambacounda region of Senegal, in the commune of Goudiry. This location is close to 20 existing partner villages of H&amp;T in the Bakel and Goudiry regions &#8211; the team know the area very well and are experienced in working with local people in this location. In total, 250 hectares of degraded land will be restored by this project through 375,000 trees being planted, consisting of at least 10 different species chosen by the community.

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Iniciativa Verde is a non-profit organisation based in São Paulo, Brazil and has been operating since 2005. The NGO operates as a multidisciplinary project developer, promoting sustainable rural development, mitigation to climate change and improvement of environmental services. 
Iniciativa Verde’s projects are all developed in partnership with other local third-sector institutions, teaching and research institutions, and local governments and organisations in an effort to strengthen the longevity of their sustainability initiatives.

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Ecologi has partnered with Iniciativa Verde to restore a 12-hectare area within the campus of the Federal University of Itajubá, in Minas Gerais. The project actively contributes to the recovery of the Atlantic Forest, which has undergone massive human-induced degradation due to urbanisation and agricultural expansion.

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<a href="https://www.internationaltreefoundation.org/">International Tree Foundation</a> (ITF) is an environmental organisation, founded in Kenya in 1922, that is dedicated to planting and growing trees, restoring and conserving forests, and strengthening community and ecosystem resilience. 
What makes ITF unique is their commitment to forest stewardship. Key to ITF’s operation is their commitment to capacity-building within local communities to optimise forest planting and conservation efforts, and to improve livelihoods within the local community. Gender empowerment and education are also core elements of their community engagement.
ITF works in partnership with the <a href="http://www.kenyaforestservice.org/">Kenya Forest Service</a>, <a href="http://kefri/">Kenya Forest &amp; Research Institute </a>and with Community Forest Associations to ensure that all planting is appropriate for local ecology, as well as working with their long-standing partner <a href="https://www.bgci.org/">Botanic Gardens Conservation International</a>.

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We’re currently supporting a project site in Dundori, in Nakuru County. The aim of the Dundori project is to restore 200 hectares of highly degraded forests through sustainable, community-led reforestation. Additionally, the project will involve planting of trees in schools, engaging young environmental stewards in forest and school-based tree growing in 15 learning institutions. 
The project will also integrate and mainstream the conservation of four threatened tree species (Ocotea kenyensis, Polyscias kikuyuensis, Prunus africana and Vangueria gillettii (<a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/">IUCN Red list of 2020</a>)) in Nakuru County.

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<a href="https://onetreeplanted.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One Tree Planted</a> (OTP) began their amazing work in 2014 and have now planted over 40 million trees in over 43 countries. Currently, Ecologi’s community supports projects in two of these countries: the USA and Australia. Ecologi subscribers in those countries can choose to add the planting of a local tree to their monthly subscription. Soon, all members of the Ecologi community will be able to fund tree planting in these projects too, through the new Impact Shop!

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OTP’s projects are grounded in <a href="https://onetreeplanted.org/pages/why-trees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">six key benefits of planting trees</a> &#8211; cleaner air, better access to clean water, increased biodiversity, providing job opportunities and supporting livelihoods, improving health, and helping to fight climate change.
Working with more than 260 local reforestation partners, OTP engages local communities in the projects. Local people volunteer to help plant the trees &#8211; below are photos from a volunteer planting day in one of the projects in Australia that the Ecologi community supports.

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Another reforestation partner we work with in the UK are <a href="https://www.protect.earth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Protect Earth</a>, a charity planting trees on private land in England and Wales. Protect Earth works with landowners who understand the benefits of having more trees on their land, and carry out the reforestation work. Through reforestation, landowners are able to boost biodiversity (including insect populations that help pollinate crops), create windbreaks to protect crops and buildings from strong winds, and reduce flooding to maximise the productivity of the land.
Protect Earth works with volunteers to plant trees, and often the Ecologi team joins the team to get our hands dirty too! Volunteers are always appreciated, so all members of the Ecologi community are encouraged to take a look at <a href="https://www.protect.earth/events" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Protect Earth’s website</a> to find out about volunteering opportunities.

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The Ecologi community has supported tree planting at lots of sites across England and Wales, including <a href="https://www.protect.earth/projects/pantpurlais" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pantpurlais Farm</a> in Wales, <a href="https://www.protect.earth/projects/donkeywell-farm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donkeywell</a> and <a href="https://www.protect.earth/projects/lower-hampen-farm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lower Hampen</a> farms in Gloucestershire, <a href="https://www.protect.earth/projects/dyrham" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dyrham</a> in South Gloucestershire, and <a href="https://www.protect.earth/projects/howard-court" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Howard Court</a> in North Yorkshire.

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Over the last 30 years, <a href="https://trees.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trees for the Future</a> have worked with farmers across 9 countries, proving that agroforestry can be a great solution to some of the challenges faced by countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. We currently support their work in the Mount Elgon region of Eastern Uganda.
Trees for the Future have been able to end hunger and poverty in their focus areas by restoring land through tree planting. They use their tried-and-tested &#8216;Forest Garden&#8217; programme to identify farmers working in areas with severely degraded land, and help them to plant and care for their own ‘Forest Gardens’. As a result, farming families gain a stable income, help restore biodiversity and the ecosystem by stabilising the soil, increasing the nutrient content of the soil, and increasing the water content of the soil too. The land becomes much more productive, enabling families to not only feed themselves, but also make bigger profits on their crops, helping them to support themselves financially.
A key component of the success of Forest Gardens is teaching farmers how to farm their land more productively. Many farmers rely on one or two crops for their income before they start working with Trees for the Future. Not only does this benefit the farmers, enabling them to provide their families and communities with a more varied and nutritious diet, but it also benefits local biodiversity.

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Trees for the Future have planted over 225 million trees so far, positively impacting the lives of over 300,000 people. This amazing feat has resulted in a 706% increase in access to nutrition for participants in the Forest Garden programs and their families after three years in the four-year program.
As of 1st November 2021, 391 farmers were involved in the project the Ecologi community is supporting, with 2,898 people indirectly benefiting from the project. Our community will be funding the planting of about 1.6 million trees at this site in Eastern Uganda.

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Established in 2010, <a href="https://www.weforest.org/">WeForest</a> develops holistic and multi-stakeholder reforestation projects through a Forest and Landscape Restoration approach. Their vision is of a world where communities and nature sustainably thrive together to stop global warming ‘in our lifetime’. 
Their mission is focused on conserving and restoring the ecological integrity of forest landscapes with local communities to deliver lasting solutions for climate, nature, and people. Today, they have nearly 50,000 hectares under restoration across 3 continents; and aim by 2025 to reach a total of 100,000 hectares restored and 100 million trees planted.

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The reforestation project we support is managed by the team at WeForest Ethiopia, and led by Dr. Aklilu Mekuria &#8211; one of WeForest’s longest serving team members, whose bioscience engineering and field experience sees him lead the landscape restoration and planting projects in Ethiopia. The project aims to restore 10,000 hectares of degraded land in the Amhara region of Ethiopia by supporting the introduction of 11.9 million trees, in collaboration with <a href="https://thp.org/">The Hunger Project</a>.

<a href="https://x.ecologi.com/plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up</a> to Ecologi today to help fund these amazing projects all around the world.

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Hopescrolling: The good news timeline

It’s not all bad. While there’s a lot of negative news about the climate, let’s not forget the good stuff. Find climate wins, reasons to be hopeful and plenty of positivity in our good news timeline.

The good news timeline

Ready to make a difference for our planet? Get in touch, and let’s chat about how we can help you on your climate journey. 

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Ecologi Impact Funds: A new way to support climate action

We’ve just launched our much anticipated product, <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/solutions/impact-funds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ecologi Impact Funds</a>, a new way to maximise your business climate impact by funding multiple high-quality projects in one go whilst also spreading residual risk.
In this deep-dive, we’ll explore:
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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What is an Impact Fund; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Why they are best for our planet and how they fit into your net-zero journey;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The difference between carbon compensation and contribution approaches;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Why your business should start contributing to Impact Funds today.</li>
</ul>

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<h2>What is an Impact Fund?</h2>
Our new Ecologi Impact Funds maximise your business climate impact by funding multiple high-quality projects in one go while also spreading residual risk. 
 
The Ecologi Impact funds are carefully curated project cohorts centred around a particular theme or climate intervention. Each of our Impact Funds is carefully designed to drive progress against our three key pillars of impact: 

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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Climate: Reducing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Nature: Conserving and restoring nature and natural systems</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">People: Transforming society and improving lives</li>
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When you contribute towards an Impact Fund, you’re not just funding a single project in a single location. You’ll be funding a cohort of multiple different projects which might be based all over the world – but all centred around driving transformative action for our climate, nature, and people.
The cohort of projects we support within each Ecologi Impact Fund is dynamic, meaning that some projects will receive support from the Fund over an extended period, and others will receive individual grants. All projects contribute to the Fund’s core aims, and all projects are carefully vetted and selected by our expert team.

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<h2>Why are Impact Funds best for our planet?</h2>
When we think about the existing models of financing climate and nature projects, the focus is usually on one of two things: either inputs (like paying to plant trees), or certification (like carbon credits). Both of these are critical vehicles for channelling funding to incredible projects, but they don’t tell the whole story.
Take tree-planting, for example. To establish and maintain an impactful forest restoration or agroforestry project takes so much more than just planting the trees. Any one of Ecologi’s partner reforestation projects is actually doing far more than simply planting trees – and all of this costs money, which has to fit into the project’s budget. For example, project designs and associated budgets might include all of this (and more):
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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Securing land tenure;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Communications and campaigns;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Logistics, vehicles and transport; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Seed collection or acquisition;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Tree nurseries and infrastructure;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Staff salaries and technical training;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Community services and outreach;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Energy provision;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Tools and safety equipment;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Leadership training and capacity building;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Reinvestment into the local community;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Fencing and other critical infrastructure;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Water and irrigation;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Project monitoring and evaluation;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Outplanting of trees;</li>
</ul>
If, when we support these projects, we as funders are only thinking about this last bullet point – thinking about our role as simply “paying to plant trees” – then we are neglecting to recognise the incredible effort that goes into the truly holistic programme required to restore nature sustainably and at scale. At best, this is simple tunnel vision. But at worst, this means funders risk thinking that the only thing that’s important is how many trees were planted within the project boundary.
Our Impact Funds help to transform this mindset: decoupling funding from inputs and instead centring our thinking around strategic, thematic and carefully-curated project cohorts means that implementation partners receiving the funding are able to focus on producing restorative outcomes for ecosystems and communities. They also help our customers to understand that what we are doing in supporting restorative projects is not tit-for-tat – it’s us playing our part to restore our planet by supporting a blended range of projects which we acknowledge will have a holistic impact.
So through Ecologi’s first new Impact Funds, we’re not focusing on ‘paying to plant trees’. We’re focusing on restoring forests and landscapes.
<h3>Leading climate science is already taking this approach</h3>
Recent publications from the Science-Based Targets initiative in <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/resources/files/Above-and-Beyond-Report-on-BVCM.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">their beyond value chain mitigation (‘BVCM’) report</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2024-02/Oxford-Principles-for-Net-Zero-Aligned-Carbon-Offsetting-revised-2024.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the newly-updated Oxford Principles</a> from the University of Oxford, have supported the innovative contributory approach which is exemplified in our Impact Funds. Many of our restoration partners, including <a href="https://www.internationaltreefoundation.org/news/beyond-offsets-an-alternative-approach" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Tree Foundation</a>, <a href="https://www.eden-plus.org/stories/its-time-to-go-beyond-tree-planting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eden: People + Planet</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfBVBHNpR30" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Acción Andina</a> and <a href="https://www.weforest.org/what-we-do/our-restoration-principles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WeForest</a> have taken similar stances.
Global Forest Generation noted that:
<blockquote>In some cases reforestation may only form a small part of an ecosystem restoration project. Our activities and budgets have always reflected a holistic program with many components that we have identified as essential to effective, long-term ecosystem restoration.</blockquote>
With our new Impact Funds, Ecologi is proudly joining our friends and partners to raise our voices in a call for holistic restoration for people and our planet. <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/solutions/impact-funds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Schedule a call</a> with our experts to see how your business can start contributing to the Impact Funds, or continue reading for more of a deep-dive.

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On your business’s road to net-zero, you have two central objectives:
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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">First: measure your business’s emissions, set ambitious reduction targets, and reduce your emissions across all scopes as much as possible, as quickly as possible.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Then: support the global transition to net-zero and the restoration of nature by contributing to climate and nature projects around the world. </li>
</ol>
Ecologi’s Impact Funds can help you with step (2), by enabling you to <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/business/ecologi-impact-funds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">support a diverse range of projects</a> which will help to safeguard and restore nature, and scale-up carbon removal technologies. This is an alternative to traditional carbon offsetting, which is where you’d buy carbon credits equal to the emissions you produce. 
Specifically, our Impact Funds can help you align your project funding strategy to Goal #2 of the Science-Based Targets initiative’s <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/resources/files/Above-and-Beyond-Report-on-BVCM.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BVCM best practice</a>, as well as centring all four of the SBTi’s core principles for BVCM: scalability, financing need, co-benefits and climate justice.

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Since 2020, at Ecologi we have also been aligning our work with the Oxford Principles, which as well as providing guidance for blended carbon credit-based portfolios which increasingly lean towards carbon removal with permanent storage, also stress the vital importance of businesses contributing to nature restoration beyond simply the purchasing of carbon credits. The Revised Oxford Principles (2024), states:
<blockquote>It is necessary to protect and restore ecosystems to achieve net zero globally and to support adaptation to climate change impacts, irrespective of whether such projects generate credits that are retired as offsets.</blockquote>
Making a contribution to Ecologi’s Impact Funds won’t reduce your emissions for you, and it won’t allow you to make compensatory green claims such as carbon neutrality. But what it will do is enable your business to do its part to support the global transition to net-zero, holistically protect and restore ecosystems, and empower people and communities – whilst you’re working on reducing your emissions.
Doing so will help you meet the BVCM criteria set out by the SBTi and Oxford Net Zero today, and we believe these contributory approaches will form the backbone of project funding obligations under new and updated standards in the future too – such as the revised SBTi Corporate Standard and the ISO Net-Zero Standard (both expected to be published in Q4 of 2025).
We can also help you if you’re looking for <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/page/schedule-a-call" target="_blank" rel="noopener">high-quality carbon removal or avoidance credits</a> for your business. And if you’re a little earlier on in your net-zero journey and you need support measuring your business’s emissions, <a href="https://zero.ecologi.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">we can help with that too</a>!

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<h2>Why should my business contribute to Impact Funds?</h2>
Best for our planet. Our first company value is Planet First — and nowhere in our work is this more prominent than in our Impact Funds. We know that this strategic, holistic way of providing funding to the world’s flagship restoration projects is the right way to support projects that address climate change, restore nature and support livelihoods. This approach is innovative, transformational, and the world’s leading restoration experts support it.
Centralise your portfolio. Through our Impact Funds, you can fund a wide range of different climate and nature projects, all in one place. All of the hard work – from project selection to outcomes reporting – is done by us. You’ll have a centralised Ecologi profile where you can visualise your impact across the Funds you’ve contributed to, and deep dive on the projects supported within them.
High-integrity, high-quality projects. Our expert in-house team selects all projects and implementation partners with great care. We’ve designed state of the art methodologies that get right to the heart of a project’s potential effectiveness, and we work tirelessly with each of our implementation partners to uphold restoration best practices and exchange knowledge. That way, you know that if a project is featured in one of our Impact Funds, it’s been carefully vetted and selected as one of the leading restoration projects anywhere.
Spread funding risk. When you support projects individually, there’s always a risk that if the project you supported doesn’t achieve its goals, you’ll feel that your contribution was wasted. Through Impact Funds, the funding you contribute is spread across a range of different projects within the Fund, meaning that even in the unlikely event that an individual project doesn’t work out, your funding will still have contributed to many projects which met or even exceeded their restorative aims.
Boost your brand. Contributing to Ecologi’s Impact Funds is an excellent way to enhance your brand’s sustainability credentials. Businesses today are increasingly expected to take action on environmental challenges, and supporting impactful projects is a powerful demonstration of your commitment to the planet. In fact, improved brand reputation is the number one driver for businesses, with over <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/blog/climate-comittments-report-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">34% of Ecologi respondents</a> seeing their brand elevated as a result of climate action. By aligning with large-scale, verified restoration efforts, you not only meet consumer expectations but also stand out in a competitive marketplace, leaving a lasting impression on customers.
Engage and motivate your team. Supporting Ecologi’s Impact Funds aligns with the values of today&#8217;s workforce of sustainability and social responsibility; increasing satisfaction and loyalty. According to our survey, <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/articles/blog/climate-comittments-report-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">28% of companies</a> saw improved employee retention through prioritising climate action. By contributing to impactful projects, your business will foster a purpose-driven workplace and strengthen a culture of shared environmental values.

<h2>How to support Impact Funds today</h2>
Schedule a call with our exports today, <a href="https://x.ecologi.com/page/schedule-a-call" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. In a 30 minute discovery call they can answer any questions you may have and help find a suitable solution to suit your goals and what matters most to your business. 
<h2>Our Impact Funds</h2>
We currently offer two Impact Funds, both funding a range of incredible projects with two distinct climate goals:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">UK Climate &amp; Nature Fund &#8211; Exclusively supports restoration and carbon removal efforts in the UK, such as reforestation, habitat restoration and biochar production. 
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Forests &amp; Landscapes Fund &#8211; Focused on preserving and restoring natural landscapes globally, including forest restoration, agroforestry, and coastal wetland restoration.</li>
</ul>

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UK corporate sustainability standards explained

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In the guide we compare the strengths, weaknesses and approach to target setting, reporting and carbon offsets of the most commonly used sustainability frameworks.
In this guide we’ll cover;
<ul>
<li>What are Corporate Sustainability Standards</li>
<li>Which Corporate Sustainability Standards should UK businesses know</li>
<li>Requirements of PAS 2060</li>
<li>Requirements of ISO 14068-1:2023</li>
<li>Requirements of ISO 14064-1</li>
<li>Principles of BSI Flex 3030</li>
<li>What are EightVersa’s Natural Carbon Solutions</li>
<li>SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standards</li>
<li>How Ecologi can support your business in navigating the complexities of Corporate Sustainability Standards</li>
</ul>

<h2>What are Corporate Sustainability Standards</h2>
Many organisations worldwide have pledged to meet net-zero Emissions, aiming to help keep global warming below 1.5°C as agreed at COP15. These pledges are important, but they need clear guidelines and frameworks to ensure that sustainability strategies lead to real and measurable progress.
<h3>Why are there Corporate Sustainability Standards?</h3>
A variety of frameworks have been developed to support organisations on their journey to reducing carbon emissions. They help align companies with global climate goals, offering guidance on topics such as resource management, goal setting and reporting. Following these guidelines ensures that organisations act responsibly, and take accountability for their impact contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.
To reach net zero, these sustainability standards must be widely adopted to minimise the risk of organisations participating in greenwashing and contribute to collective global action to minimise the impacts of global warming.
<h2>Which Corporate Sustainability Standards should my business know about</h2>

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<h2>What is PAS 2060?</h2>
PAS 2060 was first published in 2010, it aimed to provide the requirements for achieving carbon neutrality for products and organisations alike. After 15 years in operation, PAS 2060 will be retired at the end of 2025, and superseded by ISO 14068- 1:2023.
The standard provides organisations with a methodology for measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and allows for the purchasing of carbon credits to offset any emissions that can’t be reduced.
<h2>What are the requirements of PAS 2060</h2>
<h3>Measure</h3>
PAS 2060 requires organisations to first measure their carbon footprint, accounting for all Scope 1 and 2 emissions, as well as any Scope 3 emissions that constitute more than 1% of the organisation&#8217;s overall emissions.
<h3>Reduce</h3>
Organisations must then create and implement a carbon reduction plan (CRP). This plan should clearly outline specific actions and targets for reducing emissions over time.
<h3>Offset</h3>
After reducing emissions, organisations can then offset remaining emissions using third-party verified carbon credits, these can be carbon avoidance or carbon removal credits.
<h3>Document</h3>
Organisations must document their carbon neutrality initiatives in a Qualifying Explanatory Statement (QES). This should be a public document that includes key information such as the carbon footprint calculation, reduction measures and offsetting activities.
<h3>Drawbacks</h3>
PAS 2060 does not require evidence of continual improvement to the organisation&#8217;s carbon footprint, which can lead to an over-reliance on carbon offsets, as opposed to meaningful reductions in carbon emissions. Additionally, a PAS 2060 application must be accompanied by at least one year’s worth of supporting data therefore, PAS 2060 should not be considered for new clients/projects after December 2024.

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<h2>What is ISO 14068-1:2023</h2>
ISO 14068-1:2023 is a new standard under development by the British Standards Institute (BSI). As mentioned above, ISO 14068-1 replaces PAS 2060.
The standard aims to provide the requirements and guidance for achieving and demonstrating carbon neutrality. Unlike PAS 2060, the standard applies to organisations only and does not apply to products.
ISO 14068-1:2023 is a full international standard that prioritises carbon reduction initiatives. This standard requires evidence that reduction initiatives have taken place before any carbon offsetting is allowed.
<h2>What are the requirements of ISO 14068-1:2023</h2>
<h3>Measure</h3>
Organisations will need to measure their Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions under this standard.
<h3>Reduce</h3>
They will then need to set clear and ambitious targets to reduce their emissions. Whilst purchasing carbon credits to offset emissions is allowed under this standard, organisations must be able to justify why offsets were purchased instead of undertaking further emission reductions.
<h3>Offset</h3>
Carbon removal offsets are approved to offset any ‘hard to remove’ emissions, providing they are less than 5 years old. This standard does not allow for the purchasing of carbon avoidance credits.
<h3>Document</h3>
ISO 14068-1:2023 also requires a carbon reduction plan, which documents the resources necessary to successfully deliver the plan, and the individuals responsible. The continuous improvement of the subject’s carbon footprint is required to maintain a carbon-neutral status unlike PAS 2060.
<h3>Drawbacks</h3>
It could be argued that ISO 14068-1:2023 requires a deep understanding of carbon accounting, emission reduction strategies and value chain emissions. Many organisations don&#8217;t have this expertise in-house and would therefore have to appoint an external third party to support them through the process, this could result in high costs to implement this standard which new and/or small companies may not have.

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<h2>What is ISO 14064-1</h2>
ISO 14064 guides organisations in reporting their GHG emissions and removals. The primary objectives of the standard are to help organisations manage and report emissions, and set and achieve reduction targets. It is a part of the 3 part ISO 14064 standard and applies to any organisation of any size.
<h2>What are the requirements of ISO 14064-1</h2>
ISO 14064-1 is the first part of the 3-part standard, it aims to provide organisations with an approach to measure, report and verify their emissions and offsets.
<h3>Measure</h3>
Organisations must outline which emission sources and activities are included in their reporting however ISO 14064-1 does not require the reporting of Scope 3 emissions.
<h3>Reduce</h3>
ISO 14064-1 does not explicitly require organisations to reduce emissions before engaging in offsetting however it does emphasise the importance of regularly reporting GHG emissions including prioritising emission reductions.
<h3>Offset</h3>
ISO 14064-1 recognises the use of carbon offsets as a legitimate tool for managing GHG emissions however places a strong emphasis on transparency and accurate reporting. ISO 14064-1 allows for both avoidance and removal credits providing they are credible, verifiable and meet recognised standards for offset projects such as additionality and permanence.
<h3>Document</h3>
ISO 14064-1 requires an inventory management plan that outlines data collection and reporting, and regular review of the GHG inventory. Additionally, a comprehensive GHG report should be prepared to detail the organisation&#8217;s emissions and purchased offsets.
<h3>Drawbacks</h3>
ISO 14064-1 also requires a comprehensive understanding of GHG accounting. This standard is largely focused on reporting, as opposed to action. There is no mandated emission reduction meaning organisations can meet emission targets through purchasing offsets alone, limiting the overall impact on global climate change mitigation.

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<h2>What is BSI Flex 3030</h2>
BSI Flex 3030 is a set of principles that can support organisations in meeting the requirements of other initiatives such as the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). BSI Flex was developed with small businesses in mind and is primarily for use by SMEs with between 5-250 employees.
BSI Flex 3030 is also designed to work alongside formal management systems such as ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) or BS EN ISO 50001 (Energy Management). It provides high-level principles and a framework for an organisation to deliver a transition to net zero. It covers how organisations can measure their GHG baseline, set reduction targets and create a credible pathway to net zero, it does not, however, cover how to develop and maintain a formal carbon or net-zero management system which highlights its position as a high-level framework to support organisations at the start of the carbon management journey.

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<h2>Natural Carbon Solutions, Eight Versa</h2>
The purpose of Natural Carbon Solutions (NCS) is to provide businesses with a transparent way to measure, verify and evidence carbon reduction efforts. This standard covers organisations, products and events.
<h2>What are the requirements of Natural Carbon Solutions (NCS)</h2>
<h3>Measure</h3>
Under the NCS accreditation, organisations must complete a detailed assessment of all GHG emissions associated with the organisation/product/event being measured.
<h3>Reduce</h3>
NSC prioritises the reduction of emissions before any offsetting activities. The framework includes setting specific and measurable carbon reduction targets.
<h3>Offset</h3>
Offsetting emissions is considered a valid step in the journey to net-zero but only after all efforts to reduce emissions have been made. Currently, both avoidance and removal credits can be purchased to compensate for any unavoidable emissions; however looking to the future, it is likely only removal credits will be approved under this accreditation.
<h3>Document</h3>
Organisations must implement a carbon reduction plan outlining the strategies and actions required to reduce their carbon footprint. If the organisation is using carbon offsets detailed documentation must be provided evidencing the chosen project is of high quality and environmental integrity.
<h3>Drawbacks</h3>
Although this accreditation emphasises the importance of carbon reduction, there are no mandatory reduction targets in place, this could result in some organisations relying on offsets to reach net-zero.

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<h2>SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard</h2>
The purpose of the SBTi Corporate net-zero Standard is to guide companies in setting credible and measurable targets to achieve net-zero emissions. The Corporate net-zero Standard is suitable for any organisation but is particularly useful for those with large, complex operations and significant carbon emissions to ensure they commit to credible, science-based emission reduction targets.
<h2>What are the requirements of the SBTi CZS</h2>
<h3>Measure</h3>
Under the SBTi standard, companies are required to measure and record their Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
<h3>Reduce</h3>
The standard requires organisations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 90-95% by 2050 or earlier across Scopes 1, 2 and 3.
<h3>Offset</h3>
The STBi emphasises that companies must prioritise real emissions reductions and offsetting is only permitted for unavoidable emissions. The SBTi only allows for carbon removal offsets providing they do not form part of any near-term carbon reduction targets for organisations.
<h3>Document</h3>
Organisations are to document near-term (5-10 years) emission reduction targets including the percentage reduction and target years in addition to long term targets for reaching net-zero by 2050 with detailed plans for reducing emissions 90-95% across all scopes. This documentation will be formally submitted to the SBTi for validation will ensure they are aligned with the science based criteria for limiting global warming emissions.
Organisations must report annually on their emissions and progress towards meeting their targets, they are also required to publicly disclose their targets, progress and emission data.
<h3>Drawbacks</h3>
The SBTi corporate net-zero standard is a detailed initiative that requires a lot of time and resources. The standard also requires organisations to only purchase permanent carbon removal credits, which are typically more costly, and less widely available making this route less desirable and achievable for smaller businesses.

An overview of Corporate Sustainability Standards: 

<h2>Benefits to Corporate Sustainability Standards for your business</h2>
Navigating corporate sustainability standards can be a daunting process, with so many to choose from it’s difficult to know which is going to be right for your business. Understanding and adhering to these frameworks can be of great benefit to your organisation, driving greater transparency, economic benefits and the opportunity to contribute to global decarbonisation efforts.

<h2>Are you ready to take climate action?</h2>
Our team of experts can help your business tackle the hurdles of corporate sustainability standards in the UK. If this guide has inspired your business to start funding climate action, talk to our team today.

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