FAQ About our Carbon Offsets & Carbon Software Solution

Carbon offsetting involves calculating the amount of carbon emissions generated by a particular activity (such as shipping a package) and then purchasing an instrument that pays for avoiding or sequestering the same amount of carbon elsewhere in the environment.

Because the earth is one giant carbon sink, removing an equivalent amount of emissions elsewhere in the environment has the same net impact as if your emissions didn't occur. Buying an instrument that reduces or eliminates greenhouse gases also creates a market that spurs the creation of additional carbon-removal projects.

The instruments that Cloverly uses fall into 2 main categories: carbon offsets and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs).

A carbon offset is an instrument representing the reduction, avoidance, or sequestration of 1 metric ton (2,205 pounds) of carbon emissions. It's called an offset because it's used to compensate for an equal amount of carbon emissions elsewhere. Carbon offset projects are verified by third parties to make sure that they indeed reduce, avoid, or sequester the amount of carbon that they claim.

For a current list of the offset and Renewable Energy Credit projects in Cloverly's portfolio and an interactive map showing their locations, go to dashboard.cloverly.com/offsets.

Renewable Energy Credits, or RECs, represent the intangible environmental attributes of energy generated from renewable sources, like wind or solar, and delivered to the grid. A REC is issued for each megawatt-hour (1,000 kilowatt-hours) of renewable energy generated and delivered.

For a current list of the offsets and RECs in Cloverly's portfolio and an interactive map showing their locations, go to dashboard.cloverly.com/offsets.

Cloverly's API calculates, in real time, the amount of carbon emissions that a particular activity will create—for example, shipping an online purchase. We then purchase an offset instrument for reducing, avoiding, or sequestering the same amount of carbon somewhere else in the environment, making the activity carbon neutral.

Learn more on our How It Works page.

Anyone can access Cloverly: sustainably minded consumers, developers, small businesses, environmental organizations, and enterprise level corporations. Our API was created to be a flexible resource to contribute toward your specific sustainability goals. Build your own tool directly with our API, or download one of our applications.

To read about potential offset activities, check out our case studies on the Cloverly Blog.

All offsets that are publicly available via the Cloverly API are registered and tracked by generally accepted and reputable organizations in the voluntary markets, and verified by third parties. Gold Standard, the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the American Carbon Registry (ACR), and other internationally recognized organizations ensure the quality, accuracy, and integrity of the offsets.

These entities ensure that the carbon savings would not have happened without the offset project and that the project would not have happened without the ability to sell carbon offsets. Cloverly also works with private suppliers to meet the needs of our partners who want a certain location or type of offset project that we don't already offer.

Whether they're business-related, organizational, or personal, many day-to-day activities produce carbon emissions and therefore negatively affect the environment. Your commute to work, the shipping of your customers' orders, your warehouse operations, and your data storage, just to name a few, all carry a carbon impact.

At Cloverly, we believe that humans should do everything we can to reduce our carbon emissions. However, not everyone can drastically change their lifestyle or business activities to do so. Enter, Cloverly. We believe that offsetting is the most effective and realistic way to mitigate the effect of carbon emissions.

The Cloverly API calculates carbon emissions and corresponding offsets in real time, using inputs tailored to the type of activity. For example, Cloverly would use distance traveled and fuel consumption to determine emissions for fleet trucks, aircraft, or other vehicles. For shipping and ecommerce applications, Cloverly would also consider the package weight, and origin and destination locations. For complex use cases, our team can work with you to determine the best approach. And if you already know the amount of carbon you'd like to offset, you can plug that data into our API, too.

A carbon credit is the same as a carbon offset. It represents the reduction of 1 metric ton (2,205 pounds) of carbon emissions—technically, 1 metric ton of carbon dioxide or its equivalent. "Carbon credit" is often used to refer to the financial instrument. "Carbon offset" often refers to an offsetting action. However, the terms are commonly used interchangeably.

Accessing Cloverly is easy! Simply create an account or download one of our ecommerce apps or plugins. Once you have an account set up, you can add Cloverly to your online store's checkout or use one of our API endpoints to test and integrate Cloverly in a number of other ways. You can also contact our team for more information and assistance with custom solutions.

All kinds of brands use Cloverly. Our partners run the gamut from small businesses to enterprise-level organizations. Visit our Partners page to see what some of them have to say about us. For ideas about creative ways to use our API across various industries, check out our Use Cases.

There are so many benefits to using Cloverly for carbon offsetting! Be sure to check out our Product page to learn about the features of the Cloverly API, such as real-time calculations and carbon offsetting, flexible API integrations, transparent transaction data, impact matching, and more. Cloverly is an accessible, affordable solution to help you or your organization take action today for a greener tomorrow.

Carbon offsetting with Cloverly is a great addition to your organization's sustainability plan and goals. We also encourage other ways of going green, such as reducing emissions where possible and reusing and recycling materials. If you don't have a sustainability plan, we encourage you to make one. You'll join the many organizations that are learning the importance of sustainability and of the health of our people and planet. Not sure how to get started? Reach out to our team, and we'll help you determine the best path forward in partnership with Cloverly.