In this episode of EnvironMental with Dandelion, we caught up with Freddie Catlow – the Cofounder of Planboo – to talk about carbon removal! It’s been a year and a half since Freddie was last on the Pod, and he had a ton of exciting updates for us!“The more people that get into this industry, they realize it is actually one of the very clear tangible ways that we can tackle climate change and solve climate change.”
Freddie Catlow on Carbon Removal.
In case you missed that first chat or need a quick refresh, Planboo’s mission is to help businesses and individuals achieve their net-zero goals through carbon removal. They do this by fostering projects that create biochar and then they sell carbon credits. For every 500kg of biochar their projects create, they remove one ton of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!
Since our last interview, Planboo has grown impressively, expanding from three to nine team members and developing five projects across four different countries. Freddie shared that they’ve improved their understanding of the project development process and have developed a methodology for generating carbon certificates through biochar production. While they are growing and figuring out business plan, being a pioneer in a new industry does come with additional challenges.
The Challenges of Pioneering & Carbon Removal Literacy
The transition to sustainability as an industry is relatively new and very niche. While there have been talks and people around the world “waking up” to the impacts we have on our planet for decades, this is the first time in human history where sustainability is at the forefront of business and investment conversations.
In this podcast, we reflected on the importance of connecting with like-minded individuals and also the dangers of being trapped in a bubble within such a niche industry. For those of us that spend our days steeped in the sustainability conversation, it’s easy to take new language and new science for granted.
We approached it like as customers ourselves, we were looking at carbon credits going, “would I buy a carbon credit?” And personally we were like, “No, I don’t trust it. I don’t get enough detail. I don’t get enough transparency to believe that this carbon credit I’m purchasing on a website, on an airline is is legitimate.” A lot of other people felt similar. And that’s why there’s really been an overhaul or a rebirth of what a carbon credit is in the last couple of years.
Freddie Catlow on trusting carbon credits
For instance, Freddie mentioned that even one step out of the sustainability bubble and carbon removal literacy is basically non-existent. Carbon capture, credits, reductions, and removals all have different meanings. And it also doesn’t help that in the early stages of carbon crediting there were a lot of challenges and blind spots in the science. That lead to a lot of shady business dealings and a serious loss of trust for the whole carbon credit industry.
But Planboo wants people to understand that there are high quality carbon credits that really remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere rather than just avoid it. Encouraging more people to join the carbon removal sector is vital for its growth and success. By raising awareness and promoting carbon removal literacy, we can inspire more individuals and businesses to take action against climate change.
Raising awareness is exactly what Freddie and Planboo are doing – and we’re proud to share their message! Here’s where you can find them:
Planboo website: planboo.eco
Planboo Insta: @planboo.eco
Freddie’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/freddie-catlow
How do you feel about carbon credits? Are you buying them for yourself and your business? Let us know in the comments!
