Heartwood Is Climate Active Certified For Its Business Operations

Heartwood is leading the charge in sustainable beauty as one of the first clean beauty brands in Australia to be Climate Active Certified for its business operations.

WHAT IS CLIMATE ACTIVE?

One of the most rigorous carbon neutral certifications in the world.

Climate Active is a unique government backed program that enables businesses to measure, reduce and legitimately offset their carbon emissions. They provide one of the most rigorous carbon neutral certifications in the world, holding Australian businesses accountable for neutralising and continuing to reduce their emissions in the future.

Being a certified Climate Active organisation means that the carbon sources associated with keeping the Heartwood store up and running – electricity, fuel and transport, postage, water, and waste to name a few – are measured and reported so that we can accurately reduce and offset our outputs.  

Long story short, it means we can offer consumers peace of mind that international best-practice standards have been used to evaluate and offset the carbon footprint from our business operations.

WHY BECOME CARBON NEUTRAL?

Carbon neutral means taking action to reduce and remove as much carbon from the atmosphere as an organisation puts into it. In moderation, carbon is good. It helps to regulate the planet's temperature, saving everything from freezing over. But in excess, carbon emissions can cause global temperatures to rise and increase the ocean's acidity.

It's our responsibility to the environment and our duty in practicing sustainability to do our part to neutralise the carbon emissions from Heartwood’s business operations.

SO, HOW ARE WE GOING TO BECOME A CARBON NEUTRAL ORGANISATION?

TAKING ACTION TO BECOME CARBON NEUTRAL

Even the smallest of changes can make a big difference when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. Here are some of the ways Heartwood is taking action:

• Being conscientious about what is left on overnight e.g. air conditioning, and ensuring appropriate temperature points are being used when air con is in use
• Making sure our overnight lights are LED’s
• Reducing use of all appliances when they’re not in use e.g. towel warmers, electric blankets, kettles and computers
• Ensuring renovations take energy efficiency and thermal performance principles into account
• Exploring the possibility of installing solar panels to reduce dependence on ‘unclean’ energy

OUR CARBON OFFSET PROJECTS

Not all Carbon Offset Projects are made equal.

Carbon offsetting is a way for organisations to cancel out carbon emissions they are not able to eliminate, by investing in projects that reduce or remove emissions. Our carbon offset projects are audited to ensure their authenticity.

We're proud to be supporting two such projects - the Merepah Fire Project and the Moolakar Human-Induced Regeneration Project.

Whilst these projects primarily function to prevent and eliminate carbon emissions, their benefits are multifaceted, supporting biodiversity, habitat protection, and employment in local communities.

Merepah Fire Project

Owned by the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation, this project adopts an emissions avoidance method using a fire management system. The northern tropical savannas are among the most fire-prone ecosystems in the world, Traditional Owners must conduct savanna burning to reduce wildfires and manage country. All savanna fires emit greenhouse gases, but research has clearly shown that it’s the late dry season wildfires that emit much greater levels due to their intensity. The co-benefits of this project are exceptional, with 100% of the proceeds from the sale of credits going towards Indigenous businesses. In addition, the project creates many jobs for local Indigenous workers.

Moolakar Human-Induced Regeneration Project

Moolakar Station is located Northwest of Bourke in NSW in the Mulga Lands bioregion. The project regenerates natural woodlands and shrublands. This is achieved by controlled grazing and feral animal management across the project area along with fencing upgrades. In addition to sequestering carbon, regeneration of native vegetation in the project area reverses land degradation caused by feral goats and livestock and stabilises soils, reducing erosion. To date, the project has sequestered 394,455 tonnes of Co2 and the most recent project audit was completed in November last year, reaffirming the project’s validity.