The award highlights the best stakeholders in the voluntary carbon market in 17 categories.
ISA, with its flagship sustainability program Conexión Jaguar, is the only Colombian company in the ranking.
The winners of the 2020 Environmental Finance Voluntary Carbon Market Ranking, one of the most recognized voluntary carbon market awards worldwide, have been revealed. ISA, through Conexión Jaguar Program, in technical alliance with South Pole and Panthera, was voted by external organizations as the “Best Corporate Emission-Offsetting Program.”
ISA has a strategy to address climate change, aligned with the priorities and joint actions of governments, society, and companies. Since 2011, the multi-Latin group began to offset its emissions through the purchase of carbon credits, today with more than 25.000 tons of CO2 offset in several of its energy transmission companies, it is one of the few companies in Colombia to be carbon neutral.
But the commitment goes further with Conexión Jaguar, the company has moved from a role as a purchaser of credits to support forestry projects in Latin America, where carbon credits certified under the highest international standards are issued and traded. Currently, the program supports seven initiatives in Colombia, Brazil and Peru that add up to a potential reduction of more than 6.000.000 tons of CO2 in 784.908 hectares of forest, with 167 species of fauna registered in the Jaguar Corridor, which coincide with the territories where the company is present.
“Without a doubt, we are very proud to receive this recognition. As a company, we have a clear commitment to operate our business within a framework of environmentally sustainable development and to contribute in a decisive manner to global causes such as biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. We extend the invitation for other companies to join us by offsetting their emissions with projects from our program,” said María Adelaida Correa, ISA’s Sustainability Director.
This is the only Colombian company in the ranking with Conexión Jaguar and was described by one of the voters as “an emblematic initiative in the public services sector”, while another recognized the work done by the program to educate local populations so that the initiative has “a lasting impact”.
The award is granted by Environmental Finance, a British organization that is an international leader in environmental markets analysis, green finance, and sustainable investments. Its website receives about 125.000 hits per month, mostly from financial institutions in North America and Europe.
Categories of the Environmental Finance Voluntary Carbon Market Ranking
- Best corporate Offsetting Project
- Best Trading Company
- Best Advisory Service/Consultancy
- Best Law Firm
- Best Verification Company
- Best Wholesale
- Best Broker
- Best Project Developer – renewable energy
- Best Project Developer – energy efficiency
- Best Project Developer – forestry and land-use
- Best Project Developer – public health
- Best Project Developer – overall
- Best Offset Retailer
- Best Registry Provider
- Best Voluntary Standard
- Best Individual Offsetting Project
- Best Initiative
Conexión Jaguar, a commitment to the planet
The program contributes to meeting the global goals of the 2030 agenda such as the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Biodiversity, and the Sustainable Development Goals. By 2030, Conexión Jaguar has set a goal of supporting 20 forest conservation and restoration initiatives along the Jaguar Corridor in Latin America, with which it expects to contribute to the reduction of 9 million tons of CO2.
Call for Forestry Projects 2020
Each year, the Conexión Jaguar program opens a call for proposals to support the best rural initiatives in Latin America that contribute to climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection. The selected projects will issue and trade carbon credits, certified to the highest international standards.
There are two types of projects that can participate:
– Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR): planting, cultivation and/or assisted natural regeneration of trees to increase carbon stocks.
– Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), which seek to conserve forests by reducing deforestation and forest degradation.
More information at conexionjaguar.org
