Hiilikompensaatioinfo.fi website offers help in voluntary carbon offset markets

Global markets for voluntary carbon offsetting have grown significantly, exceeding the limit of one billion US dollars in 2021. Emission offsetting responds to the goals of companies, consumers and other operators to offset the climate emissions of their products or activities. However, more transparency and a shared set of rules are required for offsetting. Trust is required for markets to evolve. 

The Natural Resources Institute Finland’s (Luke) online hiilikompensaatioinfo.fi service collects and shares basic information about carbon offsetting and makes reliable science-based information about the industry available to all in an easily understandable and usable format.  

Buyers of carbon offsets can use the service’s information to assess what offsets are reliable and what they can demand from service providers at the time of purchase. Sellers, service providers and everyone planning to enter the sector can use the information provided by the service to develop their own activities", says Heli Miettinen.

The service is linked to Luke’s strategic goal to support the climate-smart carbon cycle. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry provided funding for the development of the service.  

The hiilikompensaatioinfo.fi website increases the transparency and reliability of Finnish carbon offset markets. One of the goals is to correct the most common misunderstandings related to the sector. The website should be as objective as possible, offer up-to-date information, and be the primary site to search for information about carbon offsetting in the Finnish land use sector.

The website was designed in 2021 and an external partner mapped out what properties service providers and buyers would like to see on the website. The properties were prioritised, and the first version of the service was released in June 2022.  

Both the website and the theme have raised significant interest, and feedback has shown that a website produced by a reliable party is necessary. Based on the considerable increase in the number of queries, basic information about carbon offsetting has been in high demand. In 2023, we will conduct a more comprehensive user survey to identify how well the website has achieved the goals set for it. The content of the website will be specified, and its structure will be modified based on the survey results. 

General interest in the theme also became evident in the three-part Carbon neutrality through offsetting? webinar series held by Luke in autumn 2022, which recorded a total of 824 listeners. During the webinars, Luke’s research scientists, representatives of administration and companies, and other partners discussed carbon offsetting regarding forests (436 listeners), consumers (205), and food, cities and the circular economy (183). 

Regulation on carbon offset markets is developing both nationally and internationally. For example, the terms used in the sector will be specified and modified. New methods will also be developed and introduced. Demonstrating carbon sequestration methods and enabling comparisons are among the particular strengths of the hiilikompensaatioinfo.fi website. The service content is developed and the cooperation and content producer network is expanded continuously.