Maxol is the latest fuel retailer in Ireland to announce a carbon-offsetting scheme for its petrol and diesel products. The fuel company says that the emissions caused from burning its products can be offset by a number of projects, both abroad and here in Ireland where Maxol has committed to planting 10,000 trees.
10,000 trees planted in Ireland
Those 10,000 trees can be dedicated to a person or a family, as part of an effort to get people involved and start them thinking about offsetting. The 'Trees On The Land' concept will only use native Irish tree species, planting them "in rural and urban areas that will grow for many years and provide valuable resources, beneficial ecosystem services and a lasting legacy for future generations."
Some of the other offsetting includes wind farm projects in Bulgaria and Inner Mongolia, which produce electricity from a renewable energy source and promote the sustainable development of the regions. There's also reforestation projects in Scotland to create new areas of woodland.
Maxol's new premium-priced fuel product has been launched in conjunction with international sustainability company GreenPrint, which calculates the carbon emissions and offsets them through investments in certified carbon offset projects around the world and local environmental initiatives across the island of Ireland.
Journey to sustainability
Brian Donaldson, CEO, The Maxol Group commented: "Environmental issues have never been so pertinent and all of our green initiatives, including the recent launch of bright energy, are part of our group's journey towards a more environmentally sustainable company. The transition will not happen overnight, but we are taking important steps to get there. Maxol Premium is currently our best fuel option in terms of sustainability. We're not saying that the greener option is carbon free, but it is more environmentally friendly, offers better fuel economy and has fewer pollutants.
"In addition, the green projects we are supporting help to negate, or balance out, the carbon emissions from your tailpipe. Some of the projects such as the wind farm projects will have an immediate impact. Others, such as the tree-planting are more long-term, but they are all focussed on reducing our collective carbon footprint."
Maxol says that this initiative is the next step in its long-term environmental strategy. Already the company has introduced 100 per cent recyclable deli packaging, 100 per cent compostable single-use cups and lids, it harvests rainwater for its carwashes, has invested significantly in installing compostable and recyclable bins, and encourages customers to reuse keep cups by offering a 25c discount on hot drinks.
Pete Davis, CEO of GreenPrint commented: "Sustainability is a journey where small positive actions over time lead to great impact. We are proud to partner with Maxol to bring their Carbon Neutral Programme to the island of Ireland and help them build a bridge to a more sustainable future."
Does it actually work?
The question is; does any of this work? Offsetting is considered by many environmental activists to be at best misguided, and at worst 'greenwashing' - allowing companies to claim environmental friendliness when the truth is rather different.
Equally, there are others who say it's a good thing - such as the Department of Agriculture in Ireland, or Oxford University's economics of sustainability programme, which has said that at the very least, carbon offsetting is better than doing nothing at all. The trick is that the projects which are invested in to offset the carbon have to be exceptionally carefully regulated - for instance an investigation by ProPublica found that offsetting trees planted in Brazil were later cut down by logging companies after their offsets had been sold. Equally, trees (which do absorb carbon dioxide from the air) are not necessarily the best solution. They absorb carbon very slowly, over decades, whereas your next car journey can just pump it straight into the atmosphere. On top of which, many fear that carbon offsets act as a sort of mental fig-leaf, fooling you into thinking you're doing your environmental bit when actually they're just the tip of a very large iceberg of things we all have to do to reduce our carbon output.
So, is it worth it? Possibly, yes - if the offsetting projects are very carefully regulated and followed up on, then offsetting your fuel at the point of purchase is at the very least potentially useful. But don't go thinking that it suddenly makes your driving carbon-neutral.