Earthly Launches Industry's First Project Assessment for Nature-Based Solutions that Includes Biodiversity and Social Impact

For Immediate Release

London, October 11, 2022. Earthly, a purpose-led business that helps companies invest in nature-based solutions, announced today the launch of its industry-first project assessment. The methodology will bring clarity to the rapidly growing voluntary carbon market, helping to increase support for projects that go beyond carbon offsetting, and deliver impact across the three vital pillars of carbon, biodiversity and people. The assessment analyses 106 data points, aggregating information from several data partners, including BeZero and Google Earth Engine.

As the urgency to reverse climate breakdown increases, demand for carbon offsetting is soaring. Businesses increasingly understand the financial benefits of sustainability but need clear evidence to justify investment. Lack of regulation and varying standards means prospective investors often struggle to assess the quality of projects.

Earthly’s project assessment brings clarity, providing a detailed indication of a project’s potential to remove carbon, restore biodiversity and improve the livelihoods of the communities most impacted by climate change. It is transparent, scores across a wide range of aspects, and creates a clear methodology for assessing impact. A total overall project score is given based on the impact on carbon, biodiversity and people.

Oliver Bolton, Earthly’s co-founder and CEO, explains, “Driving funding to the world’s most impactful nature-based projects is exactly why we created Earthly. I am excited to launch our holistic assessment, which looks across carbon, biodiversity and people to de-risk our customers’ investments. It will enable them to invest in high-integrity projects that align with their business goals and company values.”

This methodology enables businesses to compare verified and unverified projects that follow different standards and bodies (i.e. Verra, Plan Vivo, Gold Standard). The goal is to compare, fully understand, and communicate the impact of projects, such as the species protection and flood alleviation benefits of mangrove planting in Madagascar or livelihood programmes focused on employment, education, energy, health and equality in local villages of Indonesian Borneo.

Science-backed nature-based solutions like those in Earthly’s marketplace are widely considered the gold standard of carbon reduction pathways. Laura Rudoe, Founder of Evolve Organic Beauty and Adaptology, has partnered with Earthly for two years, "Our aim at Evolve Organic Beauty is to go beyond Carbon Neutral to Net Zero, and eventually to become a regenerative beauty business. Working with Earthly helps us to offset our emissions on projects that have been assessed to genuinely make a difference."

Effective nature-based solutions recognise that alongside climate change, the biodiversity crisis threatens future livelihoods and sustainability. Poorly designed offset schemes can negatively impact people and nature. Evidence shows that projects driven by communities, prioritising local ownership and expertise, are more likely to succeed. Earthly’s approach, which values social and natural capital, creates an innovative solution to challenges faced by today’s businesses and the carbon reduction sector.

Head of Research, Olivia Crowe, adds, “We’ve created an effective, robust and transparent assessment methodology. That means complex concerns about quality, such as additionality, permanence and performance, are easily understood by businesses, who can trust that due diligence has been carried out. This methodology goes beyond the short term and gives a clear indication of how projects will survive and thrive into the future.”

About Earthly

Earthly connects businesses to high-quality nature-based solutions, helping remove carbon, restore nature and improve livelihoods. Earthly's 400 customers include global brands like Innocent, Good Ventures, Envision Formula E Racing, and SThree. Supporting organisations that wish to voluntarily decarbonise and benefit biodiversity and communities around the globe, Earthly accelerates investment towards nature and helps companies go beyond Net Zero to become regenerative, giving back to our planet more than they take. Visit Earthly at earthly.org. 

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For more information , please contact press@earthly.org or Shelby Torrence shelby@earthly.org +44.7380318009