In November 2019, easyJet became the first ‘carbon-neutral’ airline, compensating all its flights-related emissions with carbon credits sourced on the voluntary carbon market (8-10MtCO2e per year). Climate Focus was the technical advisor to easyJet, identifying, evaluating – and ultimately recommending – potential partners and projects that generate emission reductions units.

Selection of projects with high-qualits emission reduction credits 

More specifically, Climate Focus assisted in the selection of registered projects under the VCS and Gold Standard, guaranteeing easyJet with a supply of high-quality emission reduction credits that are additional and provide measurable environmental and sustainable development benefits. Carbon projects assessed for easyJet were located in Africa, Asia and South America and included activities such as forestry, renewable energy, clean cooking and clean drinking water. We leveraged our 20+ years of experience in carbon markets to provide easyJet with an independent assessment of projects considered, and empowered the airline in their understanding of a complex market.

Due diligence and risk assessment

The project's main deliverables consisted of comprehensive due diligence reports for each candidate project, focusing on key risks from a buyer’s perspective (supply, additionality and baseline, as well reputational). In addition, Climate Focus assisted easyJet with their communication strategy (internal and external), capacity building, interaction with mainstream media, addressing concerns raised by politicians, decision-makers or the press, and even featured in a documentary about offsetting and aviation.

Depending on the sector recovery and future plans for the airline, Climate Focus could be supporting easyJet in the future in the transition from using off-the-shelf credits to developing bespoke carbon projects.