Everyone is looking for innovative ways to lower their carbon footprint. In your research, you may have thought of expanding your portfolio by purchasing environmental credits. It is not a stake in a company — it is an investment in the planet. How does this concept work and where are the best places to buy them?

What Are Environmental Credits?

Financial management has moved almost entirely online. Now, there are countless marketplaces and trading sites where you can exchange, sell and purchase investments in sustainable projects. 

These take several forms and the best-known is carbon credits. Companies and individual consumers pay for these allowances so they can produce greenhouse gas emissions guilt-free. Think of it like a tax for harming the planet. If you accrue excess credits, you can resell them, which is why marketplaces are in high demand. 

The money spent on the permit goes to ecologically trustworthy and beneficial projects, ideally offsetting your activities. The goal is to make people more aware of their impact, while funding climate action. Here are some examples of projects environmental credits could support:

• Renewable energy expansion
• Reforestation
• Electrification infrastructure
• Water treatment
• Wildlife protection
• Climate resilience

Many companies offer unique decarbonization packages for credit offerings. You can buy directly from project developers, make a one-time purchase or set up a contract. Environmental credit brokers and exchanges are also available. Where can you get them from reputable sources? These are places to trust.

1. Indigo Carbon

Indigo is one of the most legendary names in agricultural support. The company promises the credits you purchase will yield returns for farmers. An expected 75% of the value of the credit investment will impact workers with enriched soils and boost climate resilience. The company has issued over 300,000 credits, exemplifying its commitment and experience in supporting climate action.

The agency offers high-tech solutions, so investors always know how much they are spending and what their environmental credits are worth. You can log in to see your money in action. The program also offers support from carbon credit experts to answer your questions. Eligibility varies on the timeliness of implementing carbon-friendly practices, but prices average between $30 and $40 per credit.

2. Carbon Solutions Group

Carbon Solutions Group has 40 years of experience and 20 states’ worth of electric vehicles and renewable energy expansion with the help of credits. It is a valuable competitor because it offers a comprehensive solution for decarbonization beyond credit. 

Carbon Solutions Group’s services include environmental, social and governance consulting services. Its strategy encompasses all emissions scopes to ensure companies consider every phase of their life cycle. It also helps with:

• Regular and international renewable energy credits
• Carbon offsets
• LEED certification points
• Carbon consulting
• Carbon project development

So far, the team has helped clients achieve 10,000 LEED certification points and offset 10 million tons of worldwide carbon emissions.

3. Carbon Credit Capital

Carbon Credit Capital is a well-known environmental credit marketplace that works with local and global projects to decrease emissions. It has earned numerous eco-friendly credentials, including B-Corp, Gold Standard and 1% for the Planet. It offers carbon footprint calculations so you know how to offset and exceed your immediate impacts.

Carbon Credit Capital notes 82% of businesses worldwide want to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030. With this deadline quickly approaching, it ensures the value of your credit with life cycle assessments, transparent pricing and flexible financing. These assets help the organization meet its overarching goal of supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The company also offers wholesale carbon brokerage, if you are in the market for long-term due diligence.

4. Toucan Protocol

Are you into Web3 and modernizing technologies? Toucan is for customers seeking to align their interests in cryptocurrency, blockchain and tokenization with sustainability. There is a vast and growing market for this Venn diagram of investors. Tokenized carbon dioxide is tradable like other digital assets, including NFTs. 

However, TCO2s are unclaimed or old offsets. While cryptocurrency versions of carbon credits may seem unnecessary, they represent an excellent way to prevent fraud in the industry. Online ledgers verify every carbon offset, making purchases transparent and traceable to their impacting initiatives. The credits engage in diverse projects, from biodiversity expansion to overcoming deforestation.

Finding Trustworthy Sources

People want to give their money to reliable authorities. With environmental credits, you want to be confident you are investing in a cause that will have a lasting impact. Going through accredited platforms will ensure you only pay for quality, sustainable credits. You have already started by doing your research and now you can make the world a better place.