On 18 August 2008, Vega signed a LowCO2 Emissions Monitoring Contract and Certification Plan with The Carbon Reduction Institute (CRI), who Vega had commissioned to develop the most effective strategy for offsetting its carbon footprint.

Through conducting a greenhouse emissions audit, the Carbon Reduction Institute established a “LowCO2” greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory for Vega.

The LowCO2 certification program is designed for companies who wish to offset a percentage of their climate change impact immediately with a plan to drive further reductions over time.

The LowCO2 logo displays the percentage reduction Vega has committed to, so that consumers are aware of the carbon emission reductions initiated by the company.

Vega has agreed to offset 100% of its Scope 1, 2 and major scope 3 greenhouse emissions.

This has been achieved through the purchase of carbon offsets from CRI. CRI currently choose carbon offsets from the Karnataka Project in India. This project meets or exceeds the criteria set out by the Kyoto Protocol, the Marrakech Accords, is registered with the United Nations, has been accredited with world’s best practice benchmark status and is independently audited by a UN approved third-party auditor.

Emissions Monitoring and Reporting: LowCO2 Certification
Under the NoCO2 certification program, the CRI engages NoCO2 and LowCO2 certified companies in quarterly emissions reporting. This is done for the following reasons:

• To cover and account for any changes in the greenhouse gas inventories of certified companies to ensure that the amount of carbon credits purchased truly matches the amount of greenhouse gases emitted
• To ensure that carbon management and offsetting is something that is not a ‘set and forget’ feature or a guilt abatement, rather an integral part of an organisation’s operations, thus ensuring that companies continue to search for reduction opportunities
• Works on the premise that organisations will act to drive costs down, and so it gives these organisations the chance to reduce their emissions and be rewarded through a reduced offset purchase cost.

Visit the CRI website for more information.