Certified CO2-compensation with Bamboo Village

To achieve the Climate Goals of the Paris Agreement, companies need to make efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. Typically, reducing CO2 emissions cannot be achieved overnight. To take immediate action to combat climate change, greenhouse gases can actively be removed from the atmosphere. The initiative Open Natural Carbon Removal Accounting (ONCRA) is committed to this cause. ONCRA has now officially recognized and certified Bamboo Village (formerly Bamboo Village Uganda) as a project that successfully removes CO2 from the atmosphere. This enables Bamboo Village to offer certified CO2 compensation and assist companies in becoming climate-neutral or even climate-positive.

The Bamboo Village plantation certified by ONCRA is located in Uganda, approximately 150 kilometers northwest of the capital Kampala. With the help of local residents, the bamboo plantation is maintained, providing employment at the local level. At the same time, bamboo has a positive effect on the climate. Bamboo naturally occurs in Uganda and grows rapidly. Bamboo has the ability to absorb CO2 quickly. Bamboo Village does not use pesticides, largely maintains the plantation by hand, and utilizes the river on its own land. The biodiversity of the plantation is also highly valued, as it is not clear-cut to maintain ground-covering vegetation, and the wetland area on the plantation is preserved voluntarily.

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Strict certification method

The CO2 certificate awarded to Bamboo Village by ONCRA is only granted to projects that actually store and remove carbon from the atmosphere. ONCRA employs a strict certification process, which includes assessing bamboo growth and CO2 absorption, potential harvest, carbon storage in the soil and harvested material, and accounting for risk factors. A detailed explanation of the calculation can be found on this page.

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Climate-neutral or climate-positive

When companies calculate their CO2 emissions from operations and products, reduce them to their best abilities and fully compensate for them, they can considered to be climate-neutral. If they go beyond compensation and actually offset more emissions than they produce, they may even be deemed climate-positive. Bamboo Village provides certificates and logos for both scenarios.

However, it's important to note these claims should only be made when they are based on the genuine lifecycle impact of the company or product, rather than solely on offsetting emissions outside the company’s value chain. Therefore, companies should promote their contributions to environmental initiatives, like carbon credit projects, but must do so accurately. If offsetting is part of their strategy, they should clearly state it in their communications, for instance, as "reached climate neutrality by offsetting".

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Proud of recognition

Greenhouse Sustainability, offering CO2 compensation through Bamboo Village, states: "With the certification, Bamboo Village has launched the new website bamboovillage.world, where both companies and individuals can calculate and compensate for their CO2 emissions themselves. We are very proud that Bamboo Village's plantation in Uganda has been officially certified by ONCRA for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Companies with questions about certification or curious about what we can do for their CO2 emissions can of course contact us."