To achieve CarbonNeutral® status, we worked with The CarbonNeutral Company, one of the world’s leading
providers
of carbon reduction solutions. The CarbonNeutral Company completed a program set out by The
CarbonNeutral Protocol, the global standard for organizations to measure and reduce
their carbon emissions to net
zero. The program involved an independent assessment of the CO2 emissions produced from the manufacturing of
our workstations in the Hudson, MA
facilities. With this data, we were able to counter balance our emissions through
carbon offsetting. This means that for every one tonne of CO2 that we produce, we pay to enable
an equivalent
amount of CO2 to be saved by an offset project somewhere else in the world. Without carbon financing, these
projects would not be viable. Carbon financing also
delivers added benefits at the project site, such as employment.
A carbon offset represents the reduction of one metric ton (2,205 lbs) of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e), the principal cause of
global warming. Although complex in practice, carbon offsets are fairly simple in theory. If you develop a project that reduces carbon dioxide emissions, every ton of emissions reduced
results in the creation of one carbon offset. Project developers can then sell these offsets to finance their projects.
There are a variety of carbon reduction project types that produce carbon offsets. These projects reduce, remove or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. For example, a wind farm generates
clean energy, which reduces carbon emissions from coal-burning power plants. In order to finance its operations, a wind farm can sell these reductions in the form of carbon offsets.
AIS has selected three offsetting projects:
- Conservation-based forest management project in the Big River/Salmon Creek Forests in
Northern California verified
and certified to the Climate Action Reserve. More Info
- Wind power from the Damao Wind Power Project in Inner Mongolia verified and certified to
the Gold Standard.
More Info
Coal mine methane capture project in Tieling China verified and certified to the Voluntary
Carbon Standard.
More Info
As a part of the AIS Lean manufacturing philosophy, we have analyzed our manufacturing streams thoroughly and cut waste from every possible avoidable angle. Although we were able
to reduce our electricity and gas usage substantially and reduce our carbon footprint, we felt this wasn’t enough. We decided to think outside of the manufacturing walls and
investigate ways to offset our carbon footprint by investing in alternative energy solutions and emerging green technologies. We believed this would provide benefits not only to
AIS and our customers, but the industry as a whole by taking a leading step in the right direction.
To learn more...
