Ecotrophies: CarbonNeutral

Last autumn, we carefully packaged up and shipped out 56 Ecotrophies to CarbonNeutral award recipients all over the world. CarbonNeutral® certification is a service of Natural Capital Partners, which works with more than 300 businesses such as Sky, Microsoft, M&S, ING and H&M to deliver action and impact on climate now. Since 2002, Natural Capital Partners’ CarbonNeutral Protocol has provided a rigorous and transparent framework for companies to reduce their carbon footprint to zero through a combination of in-house efficiency measures and supporting external emission reduction projects.

carbonneutral ecotrophies

Natural Capital Partners wanted to celebrate the long-term commitments of its clients, some of whom have now held CarbonNeutral certification for seventeen years.

a set of carbonnetural ecotrophies

The company commissioned 56 Ecotrophies for its clients who have achieved various milestones in carbon neutrality with CarbonNeutral company, business travel, packaging, delivery, fleet and flight certifications. We produced three different versions of the design, to celebrate companies with more than three, more than five, and more than ten years of CarbonNeutral certification. The tall, square section trophies were created in FSC certified ash, brown oak or cherry, with an inlaid strip denoting their achievement – oak in the ash trophies to celebrate more than three years, a silver coloured strip of aluminium in the brown oak trophies to celebrate more than five years, and a “gold” coloured strip of brass in the cherry wood to signify more than ten years.

carbonneutral ecotrophies

The metals were chosen for their low impact credentials and sourced from reputable UK suppliers with a clear and progressive environmental policy; aluminium is the most recycled of any industrial metal with 75% of all aluminium ever produced still in use, whilst brass (a copper based alloy often produced from recycled scrap metals) has the capacity to be recycled an infinite number of times and is a less energy intensive process than for aluminium or steel. We applied a synthetic felt base to the bottom, made from post-consumer waste plastic bottles, and the trophies were finished in an eco-wax oil.

ecotrophy for carbonneutral in production

The trophies were produced here in Cornwall and then packaged up and shipped directly to the recipients. We used Flexi-Hex®, a novel cardboard packaging solution designed by the Boex brothers in Porthleven and originally intended for protecting surfboards, to protect the trophies in transit. Flexi-Hex is a cardboard honeycomb structure that was so successful at protecting fragile surfboards whilst being shipped that they developed it further for applications such as protecting expensive bottles of wines or spirits. It is a recyclable, biodegradable and compostable packaging solution. Many of these trophies were being shipped internationally, to locations as far and wide as Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Santiago and San Francisco, and we had to be confident that they would arrive in pristine condition. To support one of its certified clients, Natural Capital Partners chose to use UPS’ CarbonNeutral® shipping service.

carbonneutral ecotrophie packaged in flexihex sustainable packaging

It’s wonderful to think that Ecotrophies that we’ve designed and produced are now sat in the offices of carbon neutral businesses all over the world, some who were well ahead of their time in pioneering and championing zero-carbon business practices.

There’s one thing all these companies have in common. They have recognized the value of achieving bold climate targets and have chosen to make a clear and simple statement to demonstrate their action. No matter whether you’re an SME or a household-name multinational, no matter your location or certification type, we’re seeing businesses around the world embrace carbon neutrality as an immediate and cost-effective climate action, that not only reduces emissions, but delivers value to their business and beyond. Put simply, carbon neutrality is part of the global solution to climate change that business can and will deliver.”

– Rebecca Fay, Chief Marketing Officer at Natural Capital Partners

Read the full article here.

You can find out more about our Ecotrophies and commission trophies or awards for your event by visiting www.ecotrophies.net.