Associate Portal - Carbon Offsets 101

Carbon Offsets 101

What do we mean when we talk about offsetting emissions?

“Offset” is a shorthand way of saying the carbon emissions from your car are cancelled out by environmental projects designed to capture or destroy carbon emissions in the air—or even prevent emissions from being released in the first place.

By investing in these carbon reduction projects based on the fuel purchased from Stop & Shop, Restore reduces the overall impact of customers’ tailpipe emissions.

Carbon Offsets: What Are They and How Do They Work?

What is a carbon offset?

A carbon offset represents the reduction, destruction, or capture of one metric ton of CO2e emissions. When an individual or company wants to reduce their carbon footprint, this is how the carbon impact of their activities is measured.

How do carbon offsets make a difference?

Beyond reducing the overall impact of carbon emissions, purchasing carbon offsets is a direct way to support existing carbon reduction projects and encourage ongoing innovation. These projects may also benefit local ecosystems or provide better livelihoods for communities.

What types of projects offset carbon?

Since carbon emissions affect every community, carbon reduction projects vary widely in methodology. Reforestation and renewable energy are common, other methods may involve capturing methane gas at a landfill or altering an industrial process.

How are carbon reduction projects verified?

Several international environmental organizations define and maintain standards for the carbon offset industry. Carbon registries track the purchase and retirement of carbon offsets, so all financial investments and actual carbon reduction are captured on public records.

Restore & Offsets: Behind the Scenes

A customer fills up at Stop & Shop and creates carbon emissions.

Did you know? The average driver has a footprint of 10,141 pounds of CO2.

PDI Sustainability Solutions calculates the carbon emissions that will released based on that customer’s fuel purchase.

Remember: the amount of carbon that is offset varies by fuel grade.

Restore offsets those emissions through investment in carbon reduction projects by purchasing carbon credits.

Carbon reduction projects generate carbon credits, each with their own unique serial number. Think of carbon credits like gift cards—each one has a monetary value, and once it is used, you can’t use it again.

Carbon credits are retired on a public registry, and the entire process is audited and verified by third-party organizations.

Projects in the Restore portfolio are tracked on registries like the APX Verified Carbon Standard.