Duotone's CO2 emissions offsetting | What is it and how does it work?

And which kitesurf brand is betting most heavily on this production philosophy? None other than the prestigious manufacturer Duotone. The company distributes its kiteboarding products (neutral products) to more than 1980 retailers in more than 95 countries.

Duotone's mission focuses on creating innovative kitesurf gear and safety-based technologies while improving the sustainability of its products and indirectly helping our lives.

"WE CONTINUOUSLY TRY TO OPTIMISE THE INDIVIDUAL STEPS AND PRODUCTION CHAINS WITH GREAT CARE TO FIND THE BEST COMPROMISE FOR DURABILITY, QUALITY, THE ECOSYSTEM AND OUR WORKFORCE, EVEN IF THAT MAKES OUR PRODUCTS A LITTLE MORE EXPENSIVE. IN THAT SENSE, WE HOPE THAT THE CONCEPT OF 'SUSTAINABILITY' WILL RECYCLE ITSELF AND NOT LOSE ITS CURRENT VOGUE, AS MANY OTHER 'TRENDS' HAVE DONE IN THE PAST ".

TILL EBERLE, CEO BOARDS & MORE

Well, this concept called " CO2 emissions offsetting ” consists of optimising production chains to improve manufacturing processes in line with the sustainability of our planet.

Every manufacturing process, whatever the product… leaves an environmental footprint. Duotone's goal is to strive to minimise the environmental impact resulting from the production of the products we love so much. To do this, Duotone promotes projects based on renewable energy and sustainable activities in order to counteract the environmental footprint of its production.

At Duotone, sustainability is now present in most business processes, through the development of new environmentally friendly packaging and wrapping for its products. A clear example is the packaging Duotone uses to transport and ship its kiteboards, called Flexi-Hex.

They also invest in developing more efficient and sustainable logistics and transport routes.

In addition, Duotone supports organisations fighting global warming and researches the creation of recyclable materials. For this reason it is one of the leading kitesurf companies promoting CO2 emissions offsetting.

You might think these actions by the brand are simply marketing and brand-building strategies… but quite the opposite. Duotone feels a strong responsibility towards this movement, since thanks to its investments and sustainable processes future generations will be able to enjoy kitesurfing and other water sports, as well as incredible natural settings such as Maui, Tarifa or the Baltic Sea.

An important measure Duotone took in 2020 is offsetting the carbon emissions generated by the production and transport of its products.

What does this mean? It means that all Duotone products (and therefore the ones we sell) are produced under the "climate neutral” label, offsetting all the carbon emissions caused.

Carbon offset projects make significant savings in greenhouse gases. Only projects that require additional financial support are recognised as carbon offset projects.

The calculation of each product's carbon footprint is based on several factors such as:

• Raw materials
• The energy used for production
• Product packaging
• Transport logistics

The calculation is made to obtain information on the total amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere to produce the product.

How are emissions measured? CO2 emissions are measured in tonnes of CO2.

The exact amount of carbon each product emits is offset by supporting a carbon offset project that reduces greenhouse gas emissions in the short or long term. These projects are validated and measured to ensure they produce genuine benefits and are truly "additional" activities that would not otherwise have been carried out. The measured amount of CO2 offset by the carbon offset project is shown by certificates. By funding carbon offset projects, companies buy these certificates for the amount of CO2 they need to offset.

Internationally recognised quality standards guarantee that the criteria for carbon offset projects are met.

In particular, they guarantee that CO2 emissions are actually offset in the amount stated.

International standards such as the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) or the Gold Standard cover most of the market. Both meet the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, independent organisations such as TÜV, SGS, PWC and others regularly verify the exact volume saved.

Since September 2009 Duotone has supported the Sri Lanka hydroelectric power plant project. The small hydroelectric plant in southern Sri Lanka supplies clean electricity to the island. It has 6.5 megawatts and uses water from the Kuru Ganga river near Kuruwita in the Ratnapura district to generate emission-free energy.

The project counts as a run-of-river power plant, which means the water only has to be dammed during dry periods and by means of a small dam. As a result, the environmental impact remains almost neutral, and fish populations and the whole ecosystem are not endangered. The power plant generates around 19 gigawatt hours per year for Sri Lanka's electricity grid.

These replace electricity from the thermal power plants previously used to generate electricity in Sri Lanka. The revenue from the carbon offset project made it possible to build and operate the new power plant and, in addition, to make some improvements for the people living in the project area.

All Duotone products are climate neutral, meaning the environmental footprint left by the production of its kitesurf gear is offset by " CO2 emissions offsetting ” (projects that support emissions reduction, care for the environment and renewable energy). Duotone's (climate-neutral) products are classified into different categories such as: