FAQ

How do you calculate greenhouse gas emissions?
Our general approach, in keeping with recommendations from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, is to calculate all greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. not just carbon dioxide), over the lifecycle of the product or service being assessed.
 
For example, some fossil fuel is consumed in the extraction, refining and transport of motor fuel, so the life-cycle impact of using a litre of diesel in your car will be greater than the carbon dioxide that emerges from your exhaust (in the case of diesel, this extra effect is of the order of 10%).
 
For aviation emissions in particular, there are some additional effects to be considered, since burning aviation fuel at high altitudes contributes to global warming in other ways, through cloud formation, contrails, ozone formation, etc. The science here is not fully certain, but the IPCC has estimated that the full global warming effect of aviation emissions is in the range 2-6 times that of the carbon dioxide alone. Many scientists, as well as the global aviation body ICAO, use a factor of 2,7 – i.e. towards the lower end of this range – and this is also the factor we use to assess the full global warming effect of aviation emissions.
 
Our primary sources for emissions factors include the Scandinavian Network for Transport and the Environment, the International Energy Agency and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, but we always use sources that are relevant to the specific type and geographic location of the activity being assessed.
 
Our models and our processes are audited by an independent third party, Det Norske Veritas, to ensure that our models are scientifically sound and that we apply them the way we say we do.
 
What happens after I purchase carbon offsets?
Upon receipt of your payment, we cancel the appropriate number of Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) in the Swedish Emissions Registry.
 
For purchases made online on our website, we aggregate all purchases on a monthly basis, with cancellation in the calendar month following your purchase.
 
“Cancellation” in the registry means making that specific CER unusable by anyone else again in the future, which is your guarantee that the offset you have bought cannot be sold to anyone else.
 
Where does my money go?
Your money buys Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) from a specific UN-approved CDM project. Every transaction has its own ID-number and can be traced back to one or more specific CERs, identified by unique serial numbers issued by the UNFCCC. The CERs that are allocated to you are your confirmation, guaranteed by the UNFCCC, that we have created the emissions reduction that you are offsetting with.
 
Read more about this in the carbon offset handbook (only in Swedish)
  
Can I cancel my online purchase?
Yes. Up to 14 days after your purchase, you can send us a request to cancel the purchase. All of your payment refunded and then your certificate becomes invalid.
 
What is Climate Assured by Tricorona?
Climate Assured by Tricorona is a package for companies and organizations that includes a carbon footprint analysis, an action plan to reduce the carbon footprint, carbon offsetting of the remaining emissions and a “climate communication” package to promote the achievements made and inspire others to do the same. The certification is available for organizations, events and products, and is renewed on a yearly-basis. Organizations, event and products that are certified may use the “Climate Assured by Tricorona” logo for the year in which it is valid.
  
Can I fly with a clear conscience if I purchase carbon offsets?
Tricorona does not legitimise air travel or any other form of carbon emissions. A long-term solution for global warming will require significant emissions reductions from our current levels, in both developed and developing countries. Reducing your own direct emissions, for example by flying less, is the best way you can help fight global warming. But for those emissions that remain, offsetting provides a way for you to compensate by generating emissions reductions elsewhere.
 

How do you calculate how much I pay?
The price you pay is based on a per-ton price and the calculated amount of emissions in carbon dioxide equivalents. We do not charge any fixed transaction fees. The per-ton price is based on a number of factors, and varies from project to project and from time to time. Our overall goal is to ensure that our revenue from selling offsets exceeds our upfront financing and ongoing running costs of the projects, which if we are successful will allow us to make a profit on our investment.
 
Online website prices are stated inclusive of VAT (sales tax) tax for individuals and exclusive of VAT for organisations.
 
Why do I have to pay sales tax on carbon offsetting? Is not it a gift / charity?
When you buy an offset on our site, you are purchasing an actual carbon reduction, which we then cancel on your behalf. Both the offsets themselves (Certified Emissions Reductions), and the service we provide in selling and cancelling them, are subject to VAT in all EU countries. In other words, even though it may feel like you are giving someone a gift, you are in fact purchasing a VAT-liable service – i.e. a service where we reduce global emissions by the volume that you purchase.