FAQs

One carbon offset represents one metric tonne of greenhouse gas emissions reduced or removed from the atmosphere. A carbon offset is created by either a) removing one tonne of emissions from the atmosphere by for example planting forests, or b) preventing one tonne of emissions from reaching the atmosphere by, for example, replacing a fossil-fuel burning power plant with a wind farm.

All carbon offsets are issued and verified by independent bodies called registries like Verra, Gold Standard and in Australian the Clean Energy Regulator

Carbon offsetting involves the purchase of an independently verified carbon offset equal to the calculated emissions of an individual or organisation.

Carbon offsetting allows individuals and businesses to invest in environmental projects around the world in order to compensate against their carbon footprint.

One carbon offset is equal to one metric tonne of carbon dioxide abatement.

Offsetting plays a critical role across all businesses carbon strategies including:

• Meeting customer, investor and staff expectations to stick to public climate commitments.

• Meeting other strategic business goals, like Reconciliation Action Plan targets and aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Establish industry leadership.

• Market and geographic synergies from project co-benefits.

• Delivering co-benefits beyond carbon reductions, including biodiversity, gender equality and Indigenous employment.

• Meet emission-reduction targets while working towards long term sustainability changes.

Your purchase goes to the procurement of fully verified and independently audited carbon offset projects. TEM's operational, due-diligence, risk management and marketing costs are also included in the list price. By purchasing from these projects, you are mobilising capital to support the project's ongoing operations and benefits, alongside of ensuring measurable emissions reductions and/or avoidance.

Pollution and emissions do not stay within national borders. CO2 in the atmosphere spreads across the globe and is an international problem. Therefore, you can purchase offsets anywhere in the world and contribute to global emissions reduction. In many cases, carbon offset projects are located in developing countries because community and economic co-benefits from the project will have a bigger impact there. However, you may choose to purchase offsets locally due to the co-benefits that may positively impact your own supply chain or market.

While emissions are a global concern, selecting offset projects that align with your organization's operational regions can optimize impact, support local communities, and address region-specific environmental risks.

Before you're able to finalise purchases of carbon offset units, we need to verify some details to comply with regulatory rules, this typically takes 1-3 days in simple business structures. Carbon market participants in Australia who provide financial advice, trade, or make and operate and market in certain types of carbon credit units, or derivatives of these units, require an Australian financial services license (AFSL).

Tasman Environmental Markets Australia Pty Ltd (TEM) is authorised to provide financial services to wholesale and retail clients (within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001).

Most financial services provided by Tasman Environmental Markets Australia Pty Ltd are also designated services under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing Act 2006. Under the provisions of this Act, Tasman Environmental Markets Pty Limited is obliged to verify the identity of its clients.

TEM is also a signatory to the Australian Carbon Industry Code of Conduct (the Code). The code promotes best practice carbon market integrity, transparency, and accountability for Australian consumers. As a signatory to the Code, TEM has agreed to conduct business in line with the Code requirements.

• Send you content and copy relating to the projects you're supporting.

• Retire the offsets you have purchased with a verified retirement certificate for your records. All retirements will be in your company's name on the applicable registry. This process typically takes 1-3 business days, we will then send you the certificate. This process generally aligns with the requirements of climate certification and reporting schemes.

• The evidence of retirement will include the listing on each registry that relates to the credits you have purchased in a TEM-branded company specific retirement certificate.

• Keep you updated on new projects as they're added to TEM Enterprise.

TEM only supports carbon offset projects that are verified at the highest international standards. Of course, it is critical to ensure that the emission reductions generated by these projects are actually occurring. This is the work of accreditors like the VCS Program and the Gold Standard to ensure that once projects have been certified against rigorous criteria, project developers can then be issued tradable carbon offsets. All the carbon offset projects we support have undergone a rigorous due diligence process to guarantee quality, integrity and measurable carbon abatement impact. Read more on our Due Diligence page.

The price of an offset depends on a range of factors, including the location, size, verification standard and value of the non-carbon benefits (e.g. ecosystem health and employment). The vintage of the offset can sometimes influence the price, but is part of a much larger picture.

At TEM, we believe transparency is the key to both impact and accountability.

TEM engages with carbon standards that are endorsed by the International Carbon Reduction & Offset Alliance (ICROA) and the Australian Government's Climate Active program. These include:

• Verified Carbon Standard / Verra

• Gold Standard

• Clean Development Mechanism

• Australian Emissions Reduction Fund / Australian Carbon Credit Unit standards

• American Carbon Reserve

But TEM goes further than this. Through TEM’s due diligence process, we assess key aspects of carbon projects to mitigate any potential risks such as:

• Whether the project represents emissions abatement that is additional to what would have otherwise occurred in a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario.

• Whether the project methodology has been applied at best practice.

• Any issues identified in the project’s monitoring, verification, and validation reports.

• Any association of the project to bribery, corruption, environmental damage, or landholder mistreatment.

• The reputation of the project developer.

• Local community perception of the projects; and

• The permanence and longevity of the project.

Carbon offsets trade like commodities on an open market, so prices move daily. TEM+ Enterprise pricing follows these market shifts, meaning the same project may be listed at different rates on different days. Each quoted price covers the complete suite of services we provide to identify, evaluate and secure high-integrity offsets—underpinned by our proprietary due-diligence process.