It was an idea that had been going around in his head for several years. A calculator that would measure the amount of emissions that he generated when using his car. While studying for a master’s degree in strategic business management, Edgar Casal, director of Audi in Mexico, saw calculators of this type to measure the emissions generated by people consuming red meat or taking a flight, but he had not seen something landed on cars. , which was just what he works on.
This year the subsidiary of the German brand in Mexico managed to launch a calculator that allows users to measure the amount of emissions generated by the use of their car and buy carbon credits to offset that impact.
Carbon offset credits or bonds emerged in the late 1980s through a first attempt to mitigate climate change and represent a reduction in emissions of one metric ton of CO2 or other greenhouse gas. This practice, which was initially adopted by large corporations, who bought thousands of bonds to offset excess emissions in order to avoid paying fines, is now being extended to end consumers.
Audi has enabled a carbon footprint calculator on its website that allows users to determine how much CO2 they emit when driving their car, depending on the mileage traveled or the amount of fuel purchased.
The World Resources Institute, a global technical organization, reveals that the activities that generate the most emissions are road transport (12.5% of total emissions), residential buildings (11.4% of total emissions) and commercial buildings. (6.7% of total emissions). Emissions from these activities include both direct emissions from burning fossil fuels and indirect emissions from electricity consumption.
But now Audi car owners in Mexico can offset their emissions by purchasing carbon credits that come from forests in Oaxaca. There are 250 pesos for each ton of CO2 that you want to compensate. In return, the client gets a symbolic certificate.
Casal did the exercise: by using his vehicle he generates about 3,800 tons of emissions each year. To compensate for it and be a neutral driver, he bought bonds equivalent to 4,000 tons of CO2, for which he paid 1,000 pesos charged to his card.
The maximum limit that a customer can offset by buying carbon credits on the Audi website is 10,000 tons or 2,500 pesos, to avoid possible money laundering practices. Cash deposits cannot be made, it is only charged to the credit card.
“This initiative, called Audi Go Green, was born in Mexico and the purchase of carbon credits will remain in the country. We are the first to create a carbon credit calculator and we are very proud to be pioneers,” says Casal, who He explained that the most common thing is that these carbon bonds are bought internationally.
“A company from Germany, for example, could buy carbon credits in central or southern Africa, to say the least. But we wanted these carbon credits to stay in Mexico, so that the country would benefit from the contributions of our clients”, detailed the director.
The profits from the sale of these carbon credits will be invested in the reforestation of forests in Oaxaca and will benefit the Carbioin project managed by the Integrator of Indigenous and Peasant Communities of Oaxaca (ICICO), which works with 12 indigenous and peasant communities from four regions of the state.
Clients will also have the option of donating to Pronatura Mexico an amount equivalent to planting a tree in the Valley of Mexico. In exchange, the customer can download a receipt that is tax deductible.
Casal explains that projects for the voluntary purchase of carbon bonds or credits can offer other social or environmental benefits in addition to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as reducing poverty, preserving habitat and increasing the local standard of living. A company that is able to promote participation in fringe benefit programs reaps valuable public relations gains for its shareholders.
Audi is one of the car brands that has made global commitments to transition its operations to some form of carbon neutrality, meaning net-zero GHG emissions in the near future. “This initiative (Audi Go Green) was born with the intention of linking up with this strategy that we have at a global level to try to be CO2 neutral in the value chain”, concludes Casal.
