BlackFriday, Shopify offsets CO2 emissions

One of the most exciting things about the shopping weekend Black Friday Cyber ​​Monday , is to see independent Shopify stores making sales around the world. Our live annual map of the BFCM track orders in real time, showing how commerce connects people globally.

But for each shipment delivered, an average of one kilogram of carbon is released into the atmosphere. On a busy shopping weekend like BFCM, the carbon emissions associated with order delivery grow significantly.

We know that there is a connection between trade and sustainability, and we want to make it a good thing. Therefore, we are joining our mission of promoting global trade with the commitment to contribute to reversing climate change.

Shopify will offset all carbon emissions resulting from the delivery of every single order placed through the platform during the 2020 BFCM weekend.

For the million-plus businesses that use Shopify, regardless of where they are based - and regardless of whether their orders travel overland or go to the other side of the globe - Shopify will offset the carbon emissions of every single shipment.

This commitment is part of the initiatives of the Shopify's Sustainability Fund , which invests a minimum of $ 5 million a year in the most promising technologies and solutions to combat climate change. After having thoroughly analyzed the impact of the BFCM on the planet, we have decided to allocate a share of the investments in 2020 to counteract the negative effects of emissions for shipments during the most intense shopping weekend of the year.

Why the BFCM?

To give you an idea of ​​the proportions of the BFCM shopping weekend, let's look at some figures from 2019:

• Shopify stores have generated sales in 175 countries totaling $ 2.9 billion during the BFCM.
• Over 25.5 million people have shopped from a Shopify merchant, with sales spikes of over $ 1.5 million per minute.
• 19% of these were cross-border orders, so they were shipped from one country to another.

No one can predict what the BFCM will be like this year. But there is a good chance that both the total number of orders and the distances traveled by shipments will grow. And that equates to a huge amount of carbon emissions from order delivery.

Why opt for offsets?

Currently, the shipping process is polluting. The transport sector is responsible for a quarter of total carbon emissions globally. Regardless of whether an order travels by ship, plane, train or truck, most means of transport are powered by fossil fuels. To eliminate carbon from the shipping industry, among other things, companies should use non-polluting fuels and improve vehicle efficiency. But of course it is unthinkable to do so before the BFCM.

The option that we can immediately take advantage of is the carbon offset , i.e. in the offsetting of carbon emissions. Offsets aren't the perfect solution. This is only a necessary tool as we extend the use of technologies for reducing carbon emissions.

Offsetting all emissions caused by BFCM shipments requires a significant amount of offset. As we learned during the first year of our Sustainability Fund, there are simply not enough options for removal carbon. On the other hand, the options present are expensive, and still under development.

The ones that are available quite in abundance at the present time are nature-based compensations. They range from projects for forest protection and reforestation to regenerative agriculture techniques. We have invested in a series of nature-based solutions and an engineering technology solution to cover 100% emissions from BFCM deliveries. These will be calculated considering the weight of the package, the distance traveled and the shipping method used.

Shopify believes in commerce and sustainability - values ​​that can coexist in harmony.

This year, when we launch the BFCM Live Map, you will notice that we have added a new feature compared to the past. This allows you to monitor the amount of carbon that is offset over the course of the weekend. We can't wait to show it to you!

What offsets are these?

Here are the companies that will provide the offsets for the BFCM:

• Pachama : A verified marketplace offering carbon offsets through forest-related initiatives. The platform connects companies that care about the environment with reforestation and forest protection projects, removing carbon from the atmosphere. Pachama uses satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to validate and monitor every project on its platform. In particular, for the BFCM we bought offsets of active projects in Alaska , Uganda And Colombia .
• Nori : A marketplace focused solely on carbon removal credits from verifiable sources. At the moment, the company is collaborating with regenerative agriculture projects; these projects connect farmers with buyers who want to cancel their emissions through soil carbon sequestration.
• Soil Value Exchange : Focused on changing cattle grazing methods on ranches to allow for much more carbon dioxide to be stored in the soil. His first client was Shopify. Since our announcement in September, the company has registered a second buyer and is considering partnering with various ranches.
• CarbonCure : Its technology consists in injecting CO₂ into the concrete during the mixing process. The CO2 mineralizes, increasing the strength and performance of the concrete while permanently removing carbon from the atmosphere. The company has recently completed an important round of investments to continue its expansion internationally. CarbonCure is exploited in nearly 300 batching plants around the world with the permanent storage, to date, of over 90,000 tons of CO₂ emissions.

We have worked with due diligence to ensure that all of these offsets are of high quality, scientifically and technologically sound, and effective in the fight against climate change.

The transport sector is responsible for a quarter of total carbon emissions globally.

But we don't just offset emissions. We are investing in something more . In reality, we are providing the first loans to companies still without customers, to help them expand, improve their testing and control techniques, and prove (or exclude) the validity of their technologies. We are substantially contributing to the launch of these new markets.

What will happen after the BFCM?

At the end of this year's shopping season, our commitment to the climate will not end. Here are two ways Shopify already addresses the negative impact of emissions from shipping orders every single day of the year:

• Offset : This Shopify app allows merchants to choose emissions compensation for shipping all of their orders.
• Shop : For every order placed through Shop Pay, Shopify offsets all emissions caused by shipping.

Global trade is essential. Starting with the oldest trade routes, humans have always bought and sold goods from all corners of the world. And that's a good thing. Shopify will always have the primary goal of starting new businesses. Entrepreneurship improves the way we live and the economic prosperity of people around the world. But for the long term we also need to take care of our planet. Thus future generations will be able to carry on global trade.

Shopify believes in commerce and sustainability - values ​​that can coexist in harmony. And the BFCM this year is the emblem and practical demonstration of this concept.