For almost 2 years our subscription plans for individuals wanting to offset their carbon footprint have remained the same. Due to recent changes in the price of carbon offsets, we’ve made some changes - here’s an explanation of how and why.

If you’re reading this, you no doubt understand the power of taking climate action by putting a price on carbon emissions and investing that money in projects that support climate solutions. And we’ve been so heartened to see that in recent months, so many more people, like us, are seeing the powerful role carbon offsetting can play in responding to the climate crisis. 

Particularly following COP 26 in November last year, demand for carbon credits has skyrocketed, largely driven by companies moving to set net-zero targets and offset their emissions while they develop longer-term emission reduction strategies.

As a result, the price of carbon credits has also increased.

‍But don’t panic! We think this is good news, because:

• It means the price of carbon is beginning to more accurately reflect the impact of our emissions on the environment and the true value of the projects that carbon credits fund (beyond just carbon reductions).
• At trace, we believe carbon offsets are a vital tool in responding to climate change, but that nothing beats stopping emissions before they are created, and this increase in the price of offsets creates a greater incentive for everyone to focus on reduction activities.

You can read more about this in our recent blog here.

What this means for our subscribers 🌱

When we developed the pricing of our subscription plans back in early 2019, this was based on the price of carbon offsets at the time. Since then, prices have risen around 30%! At the same time, the price of tree planting has also increased by 50% to keep up with growing demand and to allow our tree planting partners to keep doing their amazing work. As a result, our subscription plans need to change to reflect these market changes.

• One option was for us to skew our project portfolio towards cheaper, international credits, but we're committed to never compromising on the quality of our portfolio.
• Another option was to increase our subscription pricing, but we decided that paying more should be your choice.
• So we have decided to adjust the volume of CO2 we offset in order to maintain the pricing and integrity of our plans.

‍

What’s changing 💁

Effective from 23 February 2022 rather than increasing the prices of our plans, the level of impact in terms of the number of tonnes offset and trees planted, will change.

To see a breakdown of how each plan is changing, click here. 

What’s not changing 🙅‍♀️

• The price of each tier. The amount you are charged each month will not change unless you decide to choose a new plan to better match your carbon footprint.
• The way we make money. We still charge for the offsets in our portfolio at cost, and our small fee of $3 per tonne is also staying the same to cover the cost of our small team who select our projects and manage our portfolio and some marketing activities to spread our positive impact. 
• Our commitment to selecting high-quality carbon offset projects to go into our project portfolio.
• The regular emails subscribers will receive from us with updates on our latest projects and your growing impact.
  

If you’re already a subscriber, what do you need to do? 👆

• If you’re happy with the changes to your current plan and feel they reflect your current needs, then absolutely nothing!

• If you’re not sure if your plan will still adequately over the emissions you or your household produce, take our carbon footprint calculator to double check.
• If you would like to upgrade to a different plan, log into your profile here on our website and manage your account preferences. (Hint: Follow the instructions below!)