CARBON OFFSET

1. OUR COMMITMENT TO THE PLANET

It is said that every big journey starts with a little step.

When we launched WHAT'sIN, we decided to be consistent with who we are and with the overall direction that individuals but also companies should take to mitigate their impact on the planet. Since the beginning, our DNA reflects concrete commitments from our company to:

• Offer a healthy and credible fresh produce alternative with Euro Organic Certified fruits and vegetables,
• Favor recyclable and biodegradable packaging while minimizing usage of plastics,
• Dedicate part of our materials to local charities in order to decrease food waste production and contribute to poverty reduction in Hong Kong.

However, we also knew that the nature of our activities - fresh food import and distribution - implied that we would generate higher carbon emissions than if we were to source conventional productions in Hong Kong or Mainland China. We always wanted to offset these unavoidable inbound logistics emissions but there was only so much we could do with our resources and good will at that time. 

2. CARBON NEUTRAL CERTIFICATION

Some time has passed and we are now proud to finally reach what we consider as a milestone. Since October 2021, WHAT'sIN offsets its CO2e emissions with the support of ClimatePartner, a renowned and credible organization that certifies our carbon emissions calculations, advises us on how to improve our practices as well as help us to offset our carbon emissions on a monthly basis. 

We are now certified:

The scope of this certification is that we now offset our CO2e emissions generated by:

• The transport of our products purchased from our suppliers / farmers place to the doorstep of our clients in Hong Kong;
• The production and the shipping of our packaging (as well as the one of our sister company Cheese Club) from Mainland China to Hong Kong.

For more details on the methodology and calculations, please refer to our Certification Methodology page. 

3. WHATs'IN CO2e EMISSIONS

WHAT'sIN CO2e emissions that have been offset since October 2021 equal 303,165 kg.

For more details, please refer to our ID-Emissions tracking page.   

4. THE CARBON OFFSET PROJECT

Following a 6-months investment in the Myanmar Stoves Campaign, we have decided to pursue our carbon offsetting program with the Social Impact project in India.

Access to clean and safe energy is scarce in many regions of India. For Instance, over 700 million people in India cook over an open fire. However, the smoke produced by this method of cooking has serious health and ecological implications. Our carbon offset project aims at counteracting this problem by granting micro-credits to consumers, enabling them to purchase more efficient cook-stoves, water filters and solar lights.

The energy-efficient equipment brings several immediate benefits:

• Cook-stoves significantly reduce indoor air pollution and favors a more sustainable usage of forest wood,
• Water filters provide a clean drinking water without the necessity to boil it in open fire before consumption,
• Solar lights are much safer to use and have positive effects on education and income opportunities: children can study a bit longer in a better environment and working activities proceed a bit further despite the finishing day or frequent power cuts on the grid.

Beyond the prompt positive effects brought by these devices, other tangible benefits show a project not only environmentally but also socially impactful: 

• Its micro-credit based system strengthens the local economy and supports local suppliers with training and start-up capital;
• The nature of the project reduces inequalities and workloads, especially for women as they are often responsible for cooking and collecting firewood.

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It is a milestone for us but also a first time commitment for an import and distribution company in Hong Kong to offset CO2e emissions related to its inbound logistics and packaging manufacturing. At WHAT'sIN, we will keep working on being transparent in what we do and challenge ourselves to do better, for our clients and for the planet. We hope that it will also inspire other companies to follow that path and raise the standards in the industry and in Hong Kong.  

Your WHAT'sIN Team

** For more details about our climate neutrality commitments and strategy, we are available at cs@whatsin.hk or on whatsapp at +852 6018 9221 **