Frequently Asked Questions

A carbon credit is a financial unit of measurement that allows organisations and individuals to support the transition to a low carbon future. Each carbon credit represents the removal or avoidance of one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) from the atmosphere - roughly the monthly energy consumption of an average American household.

Certificates are issued for only the extra carbon absorbed after a third-party verification of the product has proven that it is carbon net-negative from cradle-to-gate. After having reduced your emissions as much as you can, purchasing certified carbon credits is another way to take climate action beyond your own area of influence.

Accor has partnered with myclimate, a non-for-profit organisation who is a frontrunner in carbon accounting, carbon credit project development and specialist in carbon markets. myclimate applies only the strictest independent quality standards such as Gold Standard, VCS and Plan Vivo when designing and developing its climate protection projects.

Read more about myclimate quality standards.

On completion of an order you receive an email notification from myclimate confirming your transaction and including a carbon credit certificate number. The certificate provides formal confirmation that the room night or event are confirmed as net-zero or carbon neutral consistent with the assessment methodology.

No. Carbon credits are an investment in emission reductions to drive the transition to a low-carbon economy. Even with clean energy gaining momentum, there is a tremendous gap to fill to meet the ‘1.5°C’ or ‘well below 2°C’ targets the Paris Agreement sets for limiting global temperature rise. Companies that set ‘Science Based Targets,’ that is, internal emission reduction targets in line with what science tells us to limit warming to 1.5 or 2C’ and then go beyond by supporting projects that reduce global emissions are demonstrating best practice corporate climate action. Purchasing carbon credit also helping to bring sustainable development benefits – like access to energy and water, new jobs, and better health – to communities around the world.

Read more.

The price of one carbon credit, (equal to 1 t/CO₂eq) is dependent on a large variety of factors including but not limited to the type of project methodology (tree planting vs mangrove protection etc), the local cost of labour associated with implementing the project, verification costs, the credit vintage year (ie, businesses generally want to buy more current vintages, older vintages are generally cheaper) and the certification standard (ie. Verra or Gold Standard).

Insetting refers to a company who compensates its emissions through a carbon offset project within its own value chain. In contrast to a typical carbon removal project, emissions are avoided, reduced or sequestered upstream or downstream within the company's own value chain.

Read more about carbon insetting.

Carbon credit projects are designed so that each project takes climate action in tandem with sustainable development. As a part of the certification process, project developers are required to adhere to the ‘do no harm’ principle, consult with local stakeholders, and ensure that their projects not only help protect the climate by contributing to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13, Climate Action, but also benefit local communities by contributing to two additional SDGs. These safeguards and requirements ensure that the project impacts are real, measurable, and verified by an independent third party.

Read more about global goals.

Greenhouse gasses from human activity are building up in the earth’s atmosphere faster than nature can absorb them. This is heating the planet and driving climate change. Subsequently this is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, droughts and sea level rise. These changes have variety of flow on impacts that include everything from biodiversity loss to changing crop yields.

Read more about the effects of climate change.

Around 84% of all anthropogenic (man-made) CO₂ emissions are created in electricity and heat production, agriculture, industry and transport. The hotel sector accounts for around 1% of global emissions

Read more about who produces CO₂ and the engagement of the global hotel industry.

Everyone can make a contribution to climate protection! In line with the motto "Avoid, reduce and balance", we can take responsibility for our own ecological footprints, i.e. for our CO₂ emissions. The most common everyday causes of harmful emissions are heating and electricity usage, travel with cars, aviation or our other consumption behaviors which includes everything from the food we eat to the clothes we wear.

Read more about measures and solutions.

Accor has set a target with the Science-based Target initiative who validate the ambition of businesses globally. Accor’s targets are to reduce absolute CO₂ equivalent emissions by 2030 from a 2019 base year:

• Scopes 1 & 2 hotel emissions: 46% absolute reduction by 2030.
• Scope 3 relevant categories (Purchased goods & services, Energy and Franchises): 28% absolute reduction by 2030.

Accor has also joined the SBTi “Business Ambition for 1.5” program and committed to set a net-zero emissions by 2050 target.

To deliver on its targets, Accor has established a dedicated carbon strategy and workstream program built around 4 pillars:

1. Promote a low-carbon mindset to embed climate in our business strategy and operations.
2. Transition to smart green hotels with new energy efficiency technology, eco-design and new partnerships.
3. Accelerate green energy with the purchase of wind and solar energies.
4. Reach net-zero faster by launching new product offerings for our guests by expanding investment in carbon removal projects to balance current emissions.

With this program Accor is first focused on reducing emissions within hotel operations globally as the priority. The scale of the change required to realise the targets is significant. Based on this Accor’s 2030 targets timeline is ambitious but achievable.

Carbon markets can be either voluntary or mandatory. The main difference between the two is that the voluntary market is unregulated.  Recognised international standards, such as Gold Standard, Verra and Plan Vivo exist to monitor and verify the quality and validity of the carbon credits that are traded in the voluntary market.

Compliance carbon market schemes, traditionally developed by government regulators are aimed at the most “energy intensive” emitter industry sectors. These include power generators, oil refineries, iron and steel production and processing companies, those who produce commodities such as cement, glass and ceramics and the paper and pulp industry.

The voluntary carbon market serves the purpose of businesses, government departments, NGOs and single individuals wanting to be accountable for their carbon footprint and help drive the transition to a low-carbon future while emission reduction measures are put in place.

The carbon credits that Accor provides access to via myclimate represent voluntary carbon market credits.

Read more.

A carbon footprint refers to the total carbon dioxide equivalent emissions caused by an individual, event, organization or product. Greenhouse gasses (GHGs), including carbon dioxide emitted during the production and consumption of food, fuels, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads, hotels, transport and other services.

The carbon footprint of a company, a country or an individual is calculated by adding up the CO₂ emissions of their various activities: transport, energy consumption, but also purchases and eating habits.

Accor’s methodology for measuring the carbon footprint accounts for the different greenhouse gases emitted by hotels and the Group. The study is based on the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard developed by WRI. This aligns with the Life Cycle Analysis methodology (ISO standards 14040 and 14044). The indicator is expressed in kg CO₂-eq and the emission factors of the GHG Protocol are used. CO₂ emissions are closely tied to energy consumption, especially when only non-renewable energy consumption is considered. For the study, the emission factors used to calculate the carbon footprint of every flow were updated.

Read the study.

While the terms “carbon neutrality”, “climate neutrality” and “net-zero emissions” have distinct definitions in the scientific context (e.g. IPCC SR15), these terms have been used with more flexibility and often inconsistency in the corporate sector. More importantly, corporate neutrality targets are often set and implemented following very different approaches to mitigate climate impact. While the intention behind the terms are usually similar (ie. neutralising the impact of human activity on the climate system), here is a quick summary of the differences:

• Carbon neutrality or net-zero CO₂ emissions (CO₂ emissions only) – Net zero carbon dioxide emissions are achieved when anthropogenic CO₂ emissions are balanced globally by anthropogenic CO₂ removals over a specified period.
• Net-zero emissions (all GHG emissions) – The term extends the scope of Carbon neutrality or net-zero CO₂ emissions to include the multiple different greenhouse gases involved including for example; methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). The quantification of net zero emissions depends on the climate metric chosen to compare emissions of different gases (such as global warming potential, global temperature change potential, and others, as well as the chosen time horizon).
• Climate neutrality (all GHG emissions) – Concept of a state in which human activities result in no net effect on the climate system. Achieving such a state would require balancing of residual emissions with emission (carbon dioxide) removal as well as accounting for regional or local biogeophysical effects of human activities that, for example, affect surface albedo or local climate.
• Climate positive (all GHG emissions) – Concept of a state in which human activities result in a positive effect on the climate system. Achieving such a state requires balancing of residual emissions with emission removals plus the inclusion of additional surplus emissions removals beyond the original emissions scope.

Accor aligns its approach with the net-zero framework defined by the Science Based Target initiative. The purchase of carbon credits don’t contribute towards the realisation of Accor’s 2030 carbon reduction targets which are dependent on emissions reductions.

Read more about the science based approach.

In order to be able to maintain the international climate protection process after 2020, a new climate agreement was required. This was adopted in 2015 at the COP in Paris as the "Paris Agreement", which, for the first time, included a specific target for limiting global warming to “well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change”.

The ratified countries set their own reduction targets, whereby a review and strengthening of the climate protection efforts take place every 5 years. In October 2016, the threshold for the entry into force of the Paris Agreement was achieved. As of March 2021, 194 states and the European Union have signed the Agreement.

Read more about the Kyoto protocol and the Paris Agreement, the Paris Agreement document and additional background of the Paris Agreement.

No, myclimate is a non-profit foundation that guarantees that at least 80 percent of climate protection payments will be used directly in climate protection projects. The foundation requires the remaining amount (maximum 20 percent) to cover administration and internal costs. The average percentage of myclimate’s organizational overhead over the last 17 years is 18%. myclimate is subject to an independent audit each year and reports publicly all financial in line with swiss legislation.

Read more.

myclimate is one of the forerunners in voluntary carbon market development and a trusted partner for corporate clients as well as for institutions like the UN Gold Standard, German Environment Agency (UBA) and Swiss Federal Office for the environment.

The foundation has a track record of more than 18 years of experience and with a portfolio of more than 140 projects worldwide in almost 40 countries and is not allowed to make a profit. The goal is simply to enable as much climate protection on a global and on a local level as possible.

Although the foundation’s roots are in carbon markets, it also offers programs and products which aim to fully remove or avoid CO₂ emissions or to reduce the existing CO₂ footprints. myclimate values carbon removal as a bridging technology and as a proven tool for climate protection.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – also called Agenda 2030 – are common, universal goals for member states of the United Nations to transform the world into a fairer, more prosperous and peaceful society until 2030. All myclimate activities contribute to Goal 13 - combating climate change! myclimate also contributes to the realisation of other UN goals. Whether it's carbon offset projects in developing countries, climate education projects with schoolchildren, trainees or students or CO₂ and resource management for businesses in Switzerland.

Read more about another partnership of myclimate.

Room night and event footprints are calculated using a combination of Accor data from hotels on energy consumption, products & services purchases and waste, which enables myclimate to calculates the full footprint of the activities.

The myclimate flight calculator determines the quantity of CO₂ emissions that an airplane emits per passenger for a given flight distance. Nitrogen compounds and aerosols are also included and converted into CO₂ equivalents.

The calculation is based on average consumption data for typical short-haul and long-haul airplanes. The calculation also takes into account whether you are flying economy, business or first class.

Read more about calculation principles of the myclimate flight calculator.