How do you turn eCommerce into climate action? We sat down with Carma to find out.
Carma makes social and environmental impact simple and affordable for businesses. We sat down with Jim Holland from Carma to chat about everything Tree Commerce and how retailers can get started in building a more sustainable future. With Carma, shoppers can round up the amount in their basket and put it towards environmental solutions such as trees and kelp planting, helping reduce the carbon footprint that comes with commerce, and putting down solid roots for sustainability with every sale made.
I had lots of time on my hands during lockdown and got together with a few old team mates from Royal Navy Rugby League to help form a charity to help people post leaving the Navy. Through this process I reconnected with Dr Andrew Steel who told me all about The Green Task Force which he had founded in order to provide veterans and service leavers with positive pathways to employment through nature-based tasks. When he went on to explain that some of the veterans had PTSD and that they treated them through nature-based therapy and everyone as a bare minimum got a vocational qualification in horticulture, I knew I had to do something to help. That something was Carma (short for Carbon karma), essentially we are a digital platform that connects businesses and consumers to deforestation and reforestation projects around the world and makes giving back to people and planet simple and transparent.
Carma started by simply planting trees in the UK. We now plant trees and kelp globally and bring this all to life digitally. We see ourselves evolving to become a single-pane view of a company's ESG endeavours that will give them, and their clients, assurance that they are meeting the expectations that are set in their objectives and governance frameworks.
Climate change is important to all of us, but certain generations place a huge value on sustainability. What are the benefits for a business that chooses to partner with you? What does Carma offer them to reach their sustainability goals?
It is widely documented that consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products however not all merchants can demonstrate their sustainable endeavours easily. Carma sees itself as the next best action to satisfying customers that they are vested in making a difference to people and planet by planting trees and kelp. Not only does this provide employment for global communities but helps with social mobility and of course net biodiversity. Carma offers merchants the ability to make an impact in this space and will work with them, as they wish, to educate, measure, minimise and offset their current impact at the same time as planting trees and kelp.
How do you measure your impact?
Impact is measured using the free Carma Impact Hub which allows merchants to see for themselves how many trees or kelp they have planted and how many work days this has created. This Hub can easily be embedded into any website and gives a visually striking overview of their company's contribution to people and planet.
What are the biggest challenges you have faced since inception and how have you overcome them?
For the first few years at Carma we were challenged almost daily on how we proved that trees were actually planted. We solved this problem with technology and developed the Impact Hub which details exactly where the trees are planted in the world, the species and when they were planted. Now companies can quickly overcome these objections by sharing the data via their own website. All Carma trees are triply verified and our overseas partners deploy blockchain technology which ensures trees cannot be either double counted or sold more than once.
We have talked a bit about Tree Commerce, can you share why this should matter for retailers?
Tree Commerce represents a transformative approach for retailers to integrate sustainability into their business model. By partnering with Carma, retailers can directly link their sales to tree planting, which resonates with the growing consumer demand for environmental responsibility. This initiative not only offsets carbon footprints but also enhances the retailer's brand image, demonstrating a commitment to sustainable practices. Furthermore, by participating in Tree Commerce, retailers contribute to global reforestation efforts, supporting biodiversity, and creating employment opportunities within local communities, particularly for veterans through nature-based therapy initiatives.
What sort of benefit does Carma have for retailers selling online?
For online retailers, Carma offers a seamless way to enhance their sustainability credentials and appeal to eco-conscious consumers. By integrating Carma's tree planting initiatives into their sales processes, online retailers can differentiate themselves in a competitive market. Benefits include:
Can Carma work in an in-store environment too?
Yes, Carma can be integrated into in-store environments as well. Retailers can incorporate tree planting initiatives at the point of sale, offering customers the option to contribute to environmental projects with their purchases. In-store benefits include:
How can retailers get involved and started?
Getting started with Carma is incredibly straightforward. For Shopify merchants, simply download the app, and for Visualsoft platform merchants you can integrate through Patchworks - Speak with your Client Services team!
By partnering with Carma, retailers can not only enhance their sustainability efforts but also create a positive impact on the planet and their communities, all while meeting consumer demand for environmentally responsible business practices.