Flights by GFA staff now climate-neutral

Posted on 22 Mar, 2019 by Elfriede Maußner

Face-to-face contact and expert exchange is a substantial aspect of GFA services. Therefore, flights are indispensable in the context of projects implementation. Resulting CO2 emissions cannot be completely avoided. In order to reduce their impact, GFA started compensating all its personnel's flights in early 2019. Emission data are systematically assessed by the company's travel agents and communicated transparently to travelers, keeping awareness awake at flight ordering.

The assessment of emissions is based on Greenhouse Gas Protocols (GGP) guidelines, an acknowledged directive regarding the calculation of corporate emissions. Based on these calculations, GFA purchases emission certificates through the Climate Neutral Now carbon offset platform of the UN climate secretariat, UNFCCC. The certificates are related to CertifiedEmissions Reductions projects (CER) out of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Register, which are based on gold standard regulations. 

All CDM projects go through a long-term audit process safeguarding real, measurable and long-term emission reductions. In addition to the project owners, national authorities responsible for the audits in partner countries and independent auditors, so-called Designated Operational Entities, the UNFCCC CDM Executive Board and the Secretariat of the latter are involved in the certification process.  

In a nutshell, GFA realizes its ecological responsibility along the action-oriented principle of "avoid - reduce - compensate".