We are the World! And as responsible inhabitants here, we have been looking into potential ways of becoming more sustainable as a company. This is a complicated and rather long process since it includes several levels within our supply chain – raw materials, production, packaging and delivery.
In order to move quickly, we decided to delve into the concept of carbon offsetting and become CO2 neutral as a design studio and to make our products CO2 neutral as well.
As you can see from the video above, we have done this by partnering with CHOOOSE;
CHOOOSE reduces CO2 by pooling all the funds from their members, and then using these funds to buy carbon credits directly from hand-picked projects in developing countries. All projects supported by CHOOOSE are UN verified green projects with Gold Standard verification -the strictest and highest standard within the carbon credit system. For a project to qualify, it needs to have a documented CO2 reducing effect, for example by replacing coal and oil by building renewable energy sources like wind or solar farms.
As CEO, Andreas Slettvoll says:
"CHOOOSE is for anyone who acknowledges today’s climate crisis and wishes to do more than what’s possible inside your own range of control."
THE CO2 NEUTRAL WORKPLACE
The average CO2 footprint for a world citizen is 4.8 metric ton per year, but the amount of CO2 we emit varies largely depending on what country we live in. For example, the average person in Nepal emits a lot less (0.3 ton) than the average person in Canada (15.2 ton).
By subscribing to CHOOSE’s programme and offsetting the CO2 footprint of each of us here at the design studio, LARSEN & ERIKSEN is a completely CO2 neutral design studio and workplace.
THE CO2 NEUTRAL WATCH
Since our beginning in 2016, we have been looking into sustainable alternatives for both materials and production. However, the options available so far haven’t proven to be of a satisfactory quality.
For instance, we have looked into the recycling of used stainless steel. Unfortunately, the recycled stainless steel is not of a proper quality for us to incorporate in our designs.
We are not giving up, though. We are continuously exploring new possibilities for watch straps and bracelets, considering everything from recycled plastic to faux leather made from pine trees.
Generally speaking, a watch with a battery-driven movement is never the most sustainable option when purchasing a watch. It would, of course, be a more sustainable alternative to buy a mechanical watch.
However, by designing timeless high-quality pieces and partnering with CHOOOSE we have come up with a business model that is now our first step towards significantly changing our company’s environmental footprint. Onwards from now, we are not only a CO2 neutral design studio, but we also offer CO2 neutral products.
By offsetting 50 kg carbon for every watch sold, we can provide you with a CO2 neutral watch.
MORE ABOUT CHOOOSE
At LARSEN & ERIKSEN we are proud to partner with CHOOOSE.
These Norwegian trailblazers have a wide variety of projects to support such as wind power in Turkey, solar power in Vietnam and biomass projects in China.
They also give you the chance to offset your vacation or business trip by purchasing climate credits to offset the amount of carbon dioxide your flights emit.
With the slogan “Protect Our Playground”, CHOOOSE is a climate action streaming service. They invite you as an individual or a business to fight climate change by subscribing to solutions that reduce your environmental footprint. Your subscription funds selected CO2-reducing projects in developing countries replacing oil and coal with renewable energy.
CHOOOSE projects are verified by the United Nations, and CEO Andreas Slettvoll states:
"Our promise is to always pursue the most efficient way to reduce CO2 emissions, and up until today, the UN system is what we have judged to be just that. In half a year, things may look different. That’s why we constantly keep track of emerging technologies like carbon capture and storage, figuring out how to make it available for people.”
Visit CHOOOSE.
