Fact check: ClimatePartner’s carbon offset projects in Guanaré and Kumasi

As the need for credible climate action increases, so does public interest in carbon neutrality and carbon offset projects. As a market leader incorporating climate action solutions, ClimatePartner welcomes constructive discussions. However, ClimatePartner will always set the record straight when it comes to misreporting - because the climate issue is a critical matter. 

The criticisms of the certified carbon offset projects in Uruguay and Ghana made by the German lobby organization foodwatch and the German public television program ZDF frontal on June 21st are in large part, incorrect.  

The global leading quality standard - Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) by VERRA - released the following statement: 

“In its June 21 episode of  frontal, German broadcaster ZDF fundamentally distorts the role that carbon finance plays in promoting sustainable land management, thereby undermining efforts to meet the climate challenge that the producers purport to be supporting. 

This distortion flows directly from the misstatements of two campaigners whose opinions featured prominently in the piece – despite the fact that they run contrary to the overwhelming preponderance of scientific thought and available evidence. This tendency to “magnify the minority” is exactly the kind of coverage that has undermined trust in climate science and delayed climate action for decades.” 

The facts at a glance: 

• CO₂ offsetting is always carried out via certified international carbon offset projects. Additional regional commitments, such as tree planting in Germany, is always a desirable action but it is merely an additional way of doing something positive for the planet, as there are no certificates available for this.  

• The Afforestation Project in Guanaré in Uruguay meets the internationally recognised VCS standard as well as the FSC standard for sustainable forest management. Guanaré is regularly audited and monitored by the accredited neutral auditor, SCS Global Services. The reports and findings confirm the additionality and the effective nature of the measures, also gained through the planting of eucalyptus. Eucalyptus is very efficient at absorbing CO2 and producing oxygen as these plants have a higher capacity for growth and dense wood characteristics. It is also ideal for the sustainable wood production envisaged for this project. 

• The Clean Cookstove Project in Kumasi, Ghana is registered with the internationally recognised Gold Standard. The project aims to provide affordable, efficient cookstoves. These serve as a replacement for traditional cooking stoves that only burn non-renewable biomass (primarily wood). Gas cooking stoves are not part of the project design for a good reason: gas is too expensive for low-income households and scarce in rural regions of Ghana. 

• The monitoring plan for the Clean Cookstove Project in Kumasi, Ghana specifies that each stove sold can be traced directly from the manufacturer to the user, thanks to its unique ID. This has a proven track record of success, as shown by the audit report from the independent auditors Earthood Services Private Limited. Target groups include both individual households, communities and small businesses that purchase several cooking stoves. Individual households can always be traced back through communities and small businesses. 

Alvaro Perez del Castillo, Agroforestry Engineer and Managing Director Carbosur, explains the additionality of the project in Guanaré:

Alvaro Perez del Castillo elaborates on the ecological and economic purpose of the project:

Alvaro Perez del Castillo provides insights into what happens to the harvested wood:

Dan Guapura, General Manager Agroempresa Forestal explains how timber production complies with FSC standards:

Dan Guapura explains the background of the ZDF visit in the Guanaré project:

Alvaro Perez del Castillo comments on the importance of project support from international companies:

José Zarazola, forest worker at Agroempresa Forestal, talks about how the local population and workers benefit from the project:

Our complete fact check as of June 28. 

Our impact report the carbon offset project in Guanaré. 

Statement of the standard organisation VERRA of June 22, 2022. 

Statement of the standard organisation Gold Standard from June 27, 2022. 

Information on the project standards.