Getting Onside with Offset Certification

Relish recently did a carbon audit with Offset Alliance, a Small Business Association (SBA) designated Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) based in Carlsbad, California. Offset Alliance works with small companies and individuals to measure and mitigate their climate impact measurements, providing Offset Climate Certification. As a B Corp, Relish was looking for exactly this kind of tool to ensure transparency and compliance with its environmental values —  in the belief that every company, no matter its size, can make a difference.

Offset Alliance was also born out of a desire to make a difference following a major crisis in California. Co-founder Henkel Smith worked for an insurance firm up until 2018, when California had one of its biggest and most destructive wildfires which had a massive impact on the businesses and communities. As a result, Henkel and many others found themselves out of work or laid off. But, at the same time it opened the door to a new business opportunity, something which he’d long been interested in on a personal level, explaining:

“I was always environmentally conscious, but after the fires I became intrigued by the voluntary carbon markets and carbon offsetting. I dove into it, went to industry events, networked, and realized this is a real solution. But it needed to be grown a lot further to be better understood.” 

To do this, he co-founded Offset Alliance in 2019 with Laura Houston (who has since gone on to be very involved in another career) to help small, service-based businesses — those with up to 200 employees — understand their impact by measuring their business activities and seeing the results from a greenhouse gas emissions assessment. They explore what can be done to mitigate climate impact through various climate offset projects. Henkel stresses it’s important that a carbon offset project be independently verified. 

“That’s because carbon offset and carbon neutral get confused,” he says. “Offset requires a vigorous protocol which has fail-safes built into it and has been peer-reviewed.” 

To become offset climate certified requires businesses to complete a measurement of their activities for a specified period of time to determine their GHG impact followed by stated activities and projects with goals showing metric tonnes of carbon recovery which are verified by a third party. 

With Offset Alliance, the certification process typically starts with a disclosure questionnaire and data form. The followup plan depends on how big and complex the company is, and how much business travel they do, as the highest carbon emissions tend to be through flights. These inputs become part of the data analysis process using a greenhouse gas protocol framework. From end to end the audit can take anywhere from a week to a month. 

Offset Alliance, also a B Corp, found a like-minded partner in Relish. As a result of Offset Alliance’s audit, Relish is thrilled to have received an official offset climate certified seal. 

“The importance of sustainability practices and measuring of impact is growing,” says Henkel.