BRICS Climate Forum Turns Carbon Neutral

RUSAL, one of the world’s biggest aluminum producers, and the Roscongress Foundation have agreed to use a carbon offset mechanism to offset the carbon footprint of the BRICS Climate Agenda in Contemporary Conditions Forum, which is taking place in Moscow on 29–30 August 2024 as part of the BRICS High-Level Climate Dialogue. Thanks to RUSAL’s Siberian Forest climate project implemented in Russia, the Forum will be the first BRICS carbon neutral event with confirmed verification.

Ecopolis Certification and Services, a member of the international expert network Verico SCE (Germany) and representative of the verifier Petroltecnica Environmental Services (Qatar), will certify the calculations and confirm the carbon footprint of the BRICS Climate Forum 2024 as per the ISO 14021 international standard.

Carbon units are transferred to offset the carbon footprint of the BRICS Climate Forum 2024 using the Nature's Thread platform, which allows for transactions with carbon units and quota fulfilment units on a marketplace basis. Nature’s Thread is designed for companies and organizations that implement climate projects and for those planning to cover their carbon footprint by using carbon units and quota fulfilment units. The platform is operated by the Roscongress Foundation.

RUSAL had previously performed the first verification of the results of the forest climate project, with more than 1.3 million carbon units credited to the company's account in the Russian carbon registry.

A climate project is a set of activities reducing or preventing greenhouse gas emissions or increasing their uptake.

Carbon units (CU) are a verified result of a climate project expressed as a mass of greenhouse gases equivalent to a tonne of carbon dioxide. A company can offset carbon units against its own carbon footprint or transfer them to other stakeholders.

“RUSAL is a driving force behind the climate agenda both in Russia and abroad. The company not only makes products with a low carbon footprint and works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also implements unique climate solutions. For example, the carbon units that RUSAL donated to the Forum to offset its carbon footprint were generated as a result of a forest climate project for aerial protection of forests against fires in a key region for us – the Krasnoyarsk Territory,” explained Elena Myakotnikova, RUSAL’s Chief Sustainability Officer and member of the Executive Committee (Board).

“The Roscongress Foundation has unique expertise in organizing large-scale business events. We see our mission not only as creating platforms for dialogue between government and business representatives but also in promoting such important initiatives as the fight against climate change. Cooperation with RUSAL is a vivid example of how we can use joint resources to address environmental challenges, collaborating with businesses and promoting innovative green solutions not only within the scope of the national Climate Doctrine but also in the international arena. In particular, we are creating conditions for active exchange of experience with BRICS countries in order jointly to implement ambitious sustainable development goals,” said Alexander Stuglev, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Roscongress Foundation.

“Within the BRICS framework, the climate agenda has always been a top priority. BRICS, as a platform for dialogue among growing economies, which account for more than 40% of the global population and almost a third of the world’s GDP, is essential for achieving the ambitious task of developing a common vision of the climate change threat and a common approach to proceeding with global transition to low-carbon development. We are pleased to participate in the certification of the completed calculations and confirm the carbon footprint redemption as per the ISO 14021 international standard for the first BRICS carbon neutral climate event. I hope we have launched a great tradition – to make future BRICS events carbon neutral!” commented Vyacheslav Vekovtsev, CEO of Ecopolis Certification and Services.

Roscongress Foundation acts as the operator of events related to Russia’s BRICS Chairship.