For the second consecutive year, Arval, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas and a specialist in long-term vehicle leasing, has chosen to partner with EcoAct as part of its voluntary carbon offsetting efforts. This year alone, it has offset 4,805 tonnes of CO₂ emitted in 2011.

All Arval employees in each of the 22 countries in which the company operates were able to participate in selecting the carbon offset project for the 10 Arval subsidiaries which opted for a common carbon offset programme; the other subsidiaries chose to work with local players. Voting took place over a two-week period in April this year.

The result: the Arval subsidiaries in Austria, Greece, Hungary, India, Morocco, Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia and Slovakia offset their carbon emissions through the Deforestation Prevention project in Kenya, which received 50% of the votes.

This REDD-approved project (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) embodies our commitment to proactively offsetting our CO₂ emissions, with the choice of taking upstream actions to prevent deforestation in preference over downstream efforts directed at reforestation. VCS- (Verified Carbon Standard) and CCBA- (Climate Community and Biodiversity) certified, this project is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by protecting local forests, which have been damaged by traditional burning techniques used to produce wood charcoal. The programme also aims to increase soil fertility to enhance cultivation. Finally, this long-term programme is carried out in consultation with local communities to facilitate sustainable and biodiversity-friendly economic development in the Kasigau Corridor region.

Arval Turkey has chosen to offset its emissions through “Wind Power”, another EcoAct programme located in Turkey, designed to produce clean electricity and reintroduce it into the public network while contributing to a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This project is helping the country to stimulate and commercialise the use of renewable energy. It provides enhanced energy security and improved air quality, while creating additional income for the local community by contributing to the acceleration of regional economic development.

Since 2008, Arval has fully offset the CO₂ emissions of all of its employees’ corporate vehicles. The diverse range of carbon offset projects that Arval has conducted internally has enabled us to test and validate the compensation solutions that we offer to our clients.