Climate Commitment

Click on one of our initiatives below to learn more.

How does afforestation help fight global warming?

Forests are not only among the planet’s most important carbon reservoirs. They also are home to an enormous diversity of species and are the livelihood for all people. However, global forest areas have declined sharply in recent decades due to increasing settlement, agricultural use, illegal logging and mining.

The afforestation of new or reforestation of degraded areas is an important contribution to increasing the biosphere’s carbon storage capacity. Afforestation takes place in different ways. Sustainable forestry is able to absorb large quantities of carbon due to the use of fast-growing species. Other projects aim at providing shade and soil improvement in agroforestry. The storage capacity of afforestation areas depends on the type of tree and the geographical location. New forests create habitats for animal and plant species and opportunities for local people.

Bamboo for deforestation-free products

Our project in eastern Nicaragua has planted more than 1 million plants of a native species of giant clumping bamboo, covering 2,361 hectares while protecting an additional 1,000 hectares of old forest as a conservation zone. It has transformed a degraded landscape into a flourishing and biodiverse ecosystem. Bamboo is one of the most efficient biological tools for fighting climate change. The project contributes to mitigation by preventing deforestation and capturing CO₂ as well as to adaptation by reducing temperatures, creating micro-climates, supporting a low-carbon economy and creating livelihoods for vulnerable communities.

In contrast to cutting trees, harvesting giant clumping bamboo does not kill the plant. Once fully mature, selective poles are harvested from each bamboo clump annually, leaving enough time for other poles to regenerate. Thus the carbon stored within the bamboo becomes a permanent sink, with the bamboo clumps having a lifetime of 80 years. The bamboo fibre from the plantations forms the base for a broad range of sustainable, deforestation-free products like fibres or building materials.

How do clean oceans contribute to climate protection?

The ocean stores a quarter of the CO₂ from the atmosphere and even 93% of the heat caused by the greenhouse effect – making it a major brake on climate change. Warming, overfishing, pollutants and waste endanger this balancing function. Several initiatives prevent plastic waste from entering the sea and thus indirectly protect the climate. Because these activities do not generate verified emission reductions, Winch & Co supports ocean protection initiatives in combination with internationally recognised carbon offset projects. This allows for climate neutrality and ocean protection at the same time.

Stopping plastic waste from entering the oceans

Over 8 million tons of plastic waste end up in the sea every year. Especially developing countries often lack infrastructure for proper waste disposal.

Stopping ocean plastic while improving the lives of those who are most affected – this is the approach taken by the Plastic Bank. In Haiti, Indonesia, Brazil and the Philippines, people collect plastic waste. At local collection points, they can exchange it for money, food, drinking water or even school fees. The project makes sure that less plastic ends up in the sea. Instead, it is recycled and turned into so-called Social Plastic, which serves as raw material for new products such as packaging.

The carbon offset is done via a Gold Standard project, a wind farm in the Philippines or our wind power project in Aruba. For each compensated tonne of CO₂, 10 kg of plastic waste is collected.