ONE BY ONE
TONNE BY TONNE
Balance makes it easy for organisations to Balance® their environmental impact over the long term by planting and protecting biodiverse forests.
Welcome to
Balance
Welcome to Balance®, the global organisation that makes it easy for people and businesses to ‘balance’ their environmental impact after taking all feasible efficiency and reduction steps. Balance helps to create long-term biodiversity and protect the climate through responsible planting and protection of forests. Balance is a major step forward from the ‘Carbon Neutral’ concept – going far beyond offsetting to support the enduring biodiversity that is essential to the sustainable future of life on Earth.
Balance is a practical, solutions-oriented organisation. Good intentions are not enough: we can only make a difference when people act together. So Balance helps people and businesses to take positive action, by providing a growing range of services, initiatives, tools and apps that are designed not only to support the environment long-term but to catch imaginations in the here and now.
We connect positive environmental action to other topics that people are interested in, such as music and art or (for business owners) attracting customers and satisfying investors.
Our initial products include an easy way for businesses to balance their environmental impact in a biodiverse fashion over the long term and a creative music app that lets fans add their voices to actual performances by their favourite bands and artists….with many more on the way.
Balance aims to be at the heart of a vibrant and stimulating community of environmentally conscious people from many walks of life, combining their efforts to address the critical problems of our age – climate change and species extinction.
BALANCE
IN BUSINESS
Our philosophy is that balancing environmental impact shouldn’t be a burden – it should be a pleasure, or at least as close to painless as possible. That balanced philosophy underpins what we offer today and what we’re developing for the years to come. And while Balance products can make a big difference to biodiversity and climate protection, they need to be accompanied by other measures which help people and companies to reduce their environmental impact. Some of these are listed in the ‘Knowledge and Tools’ section.
Daniel Morrell founded Balance, a leading environmentalist for over thirty years, his previous work has led to the planting and protecting of millions of hectares of forest. He helped the Rolling Stones and other legends to grow their own forests and pioneered / co-coined the term ‘carbon-neutral’, which became the ‘Word of the Year’ and brought climate issues to the heart of the language. An expert team with vast experience in environmental action as well as deep roots in technology, business, art and music supports him. Balance will be a certified Benefit Corporation (B Corp), balancing profit with people and the planet. B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.
What is Balance
in Business?
Balance® in Business makes it easy for organisations to balance their environmental impact by planting and protecting biodiverse forests. It is not ‘carbon offsetting’, but a commitment to supporting biodiversity and nurturing vital ecosystems over the long term (including the interests of local populations). Balance in Business is transparent and fully peer-reviewed; it is partnered with the Community Forest Programme and verified according to the Woodland Carbon Code in the UK and Plan Vivo internationally.
The starting point for any business should be to become as carbon-efficient as possible in the first place. The Efficiency and Reduction section provides some guidance on ways to do so.
Balance Calculator
Balance to Sector is based on the national CO2 emissions factor divided by GDP. Every industry has a published sector turnover and CO2 emissions factor. Your company registration number finds your sector in our algorithm. You only need to input your registration number and warrant your turnover. This gives you an average of what you’re responsible for within your sector. Caters for Scope 1 and 2 emissions including domestic flights. However, please use our flight calculator if you fly intentionally.
If you would prefer a detailed assessment including Scope, 3, please go use the Balance to Assessment option.
How does Balance®
in Business work?
Through a simple, step-by-step process which should accompany ongoing efforts to introduce efficiency and reduction measures to protect the climate.
- You establish your carbon footprint as an organisation. There are three ways to do this:
(a) You may already have a carbon impact assessment showing your CO2 emissions in tonnes.
(b) You can use our quick and simple Balance Calculator to estimate your annual CO2 emissions. This is suitable for organisations with a simple supply chain that trade mainly within the UK.
(c) Alternatively, you can commission a carbon impact assessment. We can provide one in conjunction with our partners at Ecometrica, a leader in environmental monitoring and reporting. Please contact us here. - Your organisation purchases one Balance Unit for each tonne of annual carbon emissions.
- Each Balance Unit is used to plant and protect biodiverse forests.
- The company receives the Balance in Business certificate to show that it has Balanced its carbon impact through the planting and protection of bio-diverse forestry.
- In discussion with the client, Balance in Business will also plant an extra tree for each Balance Unit in addition to those used to Balance emissions in a monitored forest. This can visibly support biodiversity near customers, by schools, or on roadsides.
For a business that has already minimised its environmental impact as far as possible, Balance in Business offers great benefits. These are described in detail below, but here are some of the most important ones.
Forestry
‘Balance’ forestry is planted with care, grown from indigenous species, protected for its lifetime, respectful of local communities, and appropriate for the location. It supports true biodiversity rather than just ‘hitting the numbers’ of tree planting targets and CO2 equivalents and offers a major improvement over the old (and soon to be discontinued) system of renewable energy offsets.
Balance Organisation
The management of Balance in Business’s parent, the Balance Organisation, is made up of respected environmental veterans with many years’ practical experience in improving global biodiversity.
The Balance Calculator
Once a company knows its carbon footprint, it’s simple to buy the appropriate number of Balance Tonnes through this site, not only balancing emissions but supporting vital biodiversity.
Balance Tonnes
Companies can choose where their trees are planted in a carbon-monitored forest, and a proportion of the planting can usually be in a site that their staff and customers can visit. The entire process is highly transparent and verifiable and comes with full ‘Balanced’ certification.
Planting Trees
Balance in Business will also plant an extra tree for each Balance Tonne, in addition to those used to balance emissions. This tree is planted specifically to increase biodiversity in locations that would not receive carbon funding. This can be near customers, or schools, or on roadsides helping to form wildlife corridors around urban centres. Each tree is a living symbol of a particular company’s commitment to the planet and all its inhabitants.Good business owners want to run purpose-driven, responsible businesses anyway. But now this is becoming even more vital as investors, staff, customers, and suppliers all look for evidence of environmental responsibility. They are becoming increasingly knowledgeable and look for a deep-rooted commitment to the environment, not just superficial gestures. That’s what Balance in Business provides. A business is creating Balance in the environment as opposed to just offsetting its CO2.
Calculator