With the need for clear sustainability measures riding high on the national agenda, more landowners are discovering the hidden assets in their fields, trees and peatland that could create a valuable new income stream – while benefitting their communities and the environment.
With the government’s ambitious plans to lead a new growth market and cement the UK as the green finance capital of the world, there are many ways that landowners can embrace the burgeoning opportunities to connect with carbon offsetting initiatives.
As many companies and organisations look to trade carbon credits as part of their decarbonisation strategies, landowners are in an ideal position to meet their own environmental targets and commitments and boost their income by working in harmony with businesses to sell carbon credits.
How can landowners benefit from offering carbon credits?
Organisations and businesses can buy carbon credits to compensate for their unavoidable emissions that they cannot yet reduce as they create a pathway to their net zero vision. On the other side of the equation, landowners can develop a more financially secure future through generating new income that can also improve their land’s long-term value.
A carbon credit represents a tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent that has been reduced, avoided or sequestered through a verified climate-action project. The government says the value of carbon units is increasing, ranging from £10 to £50+ per unit. According to the Woodland Carbon Code, a native woodland could generate around 400 units per hectare.
A successful carbon credit system requires transparent reporting and detailed evidence to demonstrate how the units are being secured. At CSX, we work closely with landowners to assess the opportunities their natural resources can offer for their own environmental land management and in helping companies to invest in high-quality, verified offsetting projects.
These are just some of the ways that landowners can benefit:
1. Building a new financial future
Increasing carbon storage on their land, in trees and by restoring and protecting peatlands can bring financial benefits through the sale of carbon credits to businesses or organisations looking to offset their own emissions as demand increases for net zero supply chains. Creating a woodland could generate an income from selling carbon units and is a proven way to tackle the effects of climate change – trees act as a natural ‘carbon sink’, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.
2. Supporting climate change solutions
Buyers wanting to invest in credible carbon credits can benefit from UK-based, data driven, transparent projects that support sustainability measures with potentially long-lasting effects. As well as accessing new income streams, landowners are playing a vital part in reducing the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. They can do this through carbon sequestration methods such as dedicating parts of their land to planting trees or by restoring peatland.
3. Investment in sustainable land management
Farmers and landowners can generate income to invest into further sustainable land management projects that could add further environmental benefits. They must ensure their land management changes produce measurable, impactful results in carbon emission reduction or active carbon sequestration. For example, restoring peat moorland and raising the water table – which CSX can monitor daily with water table loggers – can protect the stored carbon within and produce an income to help landowners maintain their peatlands.
4. Enhanced biodiversity
Creating native woodlands or restoring peatlands can have a major impact on protecting local wildlife habitats and ecosystems that can foster further biodiversity. Planting woodlands can create corridors that support wildlife movement, while improving air quality. The projects can also improve water quality and reduce flood risks. Landowners can also earn additional income through biodiversity net gain (BNG) payments by supplying off-site BNG units to developers who must secure them for new projects. This work also supports wider climate-change mitigation.
5. Local employment and education opportunities
Introducing a more reliable carbon credit income can help landowners and farmers open up job opportunities such as tree planting, peatland restoration and project management in their own communities. A local workforce could be engaged in improving their local area through projects such as peatland restoration and habitat improvement which will benefit them and their families for many years.
6. Boost your sustainability credentials
Demonstrating a genuine commitment to sustainable land management can enhance a landowner or farmer’s reputation within their local community and their own supply chains. For instance, if they supply to a major supermarket chain, they will most likely be required under CSRD (the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) to submit detailed reports about their sustainability measures and carbon footprint. A word of warning, though – making exaggerated claims can lead to allegations of ‘greenwashing’. Producing relevant, verified data about your carbon and biodiversity footprint can add value to the product entering the supply chain and is essential to avoid undermining the perceived value of the environmental enhancement project.
Why work with CSX on carbon credit strategies?
CSX has been pioneering advanced data analysis systems that empower landowners to gain fair returns through ecological land management. Our platform allows landowners to properly plan, monitor and execute their environmental projects, connecting directly with carbon credit buyers while producing verified positive climate actions.
With increasing numbers of consumers expecting businesses to take sustainability seriously, farmers and landowners play a vital role in ensuring their carbon offsetting is credible and impactful. Partnering with a trusted carbon and biodiversity measurement and monitoring company, like CSX, can assist in this process.
There has never been a more important time to help tackle the climate emergency. Contact us today to discover how our wide-ranging experience in dealing with carbon credits can help you. Call 01609 786655, email us at contact@csxcarbon.com, or visit our contact page.
Discover the 8 top ways businesses can benefit from using carbon credits in our blog.