At CTL, we pride ourselves on environmental responsibility. We were one of the first companies to register with EPEAT to produce products that meet their strict environmental criteria. Our environmentally-friendly Chromebooks have been recognized with an Energy Star Certification. We offer robust buyback and recycling programs, and just this past October we received accreditation from the Green Business Bureau.
We are proud to announce our new environmental initiative, which is made possible by our relationship with Shopify. Via the Shopify Planet app, we are now offering carbon neutral shipping. Each time you make a purchase at CTL.net, Shopify will automatically calculate the carbon emissions produced from transporting our product to you. We will then donate to an organization working to remove carbon emissions from the environment.
When you shop with us, you’ll be directly funding nature-based carbon-removal solutions like reforestation and soil sequestration. Grassroots Carbon will use our donations to help farmers learn better land management practices for healthier soil and a healthier ecosystem. Healthy soil can capture carbon from the air and store it for a decade or more, keeping it out of the atmosphere. Shopify has been with Grassroots Carbon from the beginning as their first purchaser and has helped them expand their program to more ranchers. Grassroots Carbon and other cutting-edge carbon removal projects have the potential to reverse the effects of climate change.
Human technology has made incredible leaps forward in the last 200 years. While CTL would have never been possible without the advancements set in motion by the consumption of fossil fuels, we acknowledge that these advancements have come at a cost to our planet. Humans have created a feedback loop that now endangers our survival—dramatically rising carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere are causing rising sea levels and increased drought, flooding, and ocean acidification.
At this point in time, it is no longer enough to simply prevent new carbon compounds from entering the atmosphere—we must be actively working to remove them from our air. Most carbon offsets don’t do this. If they work at all, they only work to slow emissions. The only effective, permanent solution we have to reduce carbon emissions is direct-air carbon sequestration. Direct-air carbon sequestration removes CO2 molecules from the air, breaks the carbon out of them, and then transforms it into a valuable product that will never release that carbon back into the air.
Currently, the biggest barrier to widespread direct-air carbon sequestration is the cost. Working with Shopify, we are striving to use the market principles of supply and demand to make direct-air carbon sequestration more accessible and affordable. Learn more about their plan on their website. At CTL, we strive to work with other organizations that share our values. That’s why we are committed to continuing our relationship with Shopify.
Shopify launched their Sustainability Fund in 2019. Each year, they spend at least $5 million on environmental initiatives. At least $1 million of that is allocated to buying sequestered carbon at any price. All of their operations and data centers are run on renewable energy. Shopify’s offices are housed in LEED-certified buildings. The Shopify Fulfillment Network uses sustainable packaging as often as possible in its operations.
If you share our commitment to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we encourage you to download Shopify’s Arrive app to track your next CTL purchase of eco-friendly Chromebooks or Chromeboxes. Shopify automatically offsets the carbon impact of all shipments tracked through Arrive. If you are interested in learning more about CTL’s commitment to the environment, as well as our other corporate responsibility pledges, visit our Stewardship page.
