GWI is proudly carbon neutral.
Our commitment to being an environmentally conscious organisation runs deep. An independent assessment of our annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions revealed that GWI emits 75% less GHGs than our industry average.
For more than 18 months, we have partnered with Ecologi to do our part to help protect our planet. We fund reforestation, carbon reduction, and carbon offsetting projects all across the globe, whilst also offsetting our own CO2 emissions.
Here is our climate impact according to the numbers
Generating electricity from landfill gas in Brazil
Brazil as a country is the 5th biggest producer of waste in the world, with majority of this waste ending up in landfills, where it decomposes and releases methane gas. Methane is around 34 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and, when released into the atmosphere, has a significant impact on warming.
The objective of the Uberlândia landfills I and II project is to collect the landfill gas produced in the Uberlândia landfills and use it to generate electricity.
The project covers two landfill sites: Uberlândia landfill I which received 2,100,000 tonnes of domestic waste between 1995-2010; and Uberlândia landfill II which will receive 4,500,000 m3 of solid waste during its lifetime. The project will collect the methane gas that is produced from this waste, and implement the infrastructure needed to convert this gas into clean energy.
Wind power generation in Bac Lieu Province, Vietnam
Demand for electricity in Vietnam has grown by an average of 10% each year over the past five years, and continues to grow in line with Vietnam’s rapid economic growth. This is resulting in demand outstripping supply in many areas, leading to power shortages across the country.
Projects such as this wind power plant in Bac Lieu Province will also help to pave the way for upgraded power transmission lines, which will increase both Vietnam’s ability to switch to renewable energy sources, and the local availability of electricity, helping to prevent power shortages in the future.
By replacing electricity generated from fossil fuel fired power plants with electricity generated using wind power, this project will prevent around 143,000 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere every year.
Rainforest protection in central Brazil
The project is located in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil, known as the ‘deforestation arch’, due to the intense deforestation pressure locally.
As well as its core aims of protecting over 70,000 hectares of Amazon rainforest, the project plan also provides co-benefits in the local community of Perseverança Pacutinga – including technical training, women’s empowerment workshops, wildlife monitoring and more. As rated by Sylvera, the project has achieved – and exceeded – its claimed emissions reductions. Compared to the baseline scenario, the project has achieved considerably lower rates of forest loss.
We are exceptionally proud of the positive climate impact we have made in the last 18 months – but we will never be complacent.
You can view the progress of the GWI Forest and learn more about the climate projects we fund here: https://ecologi.com/gwi
