CARBON SOURCING
- INDUSTRY
- Sporting events
- SERVICES USED
- Strategy advisory
- Carbon sourcing
Goal
The aim was to develop and implement a credible, high-impact climate contribution strategy that delivered tangible, measurable outcomes for climate, nature and people – while also demonstrating leadership in climate responsibility and international solidarity. Through working with Abatable the Paris 2024 Organising Committee decided on a climate contribution approach. The calculated emissions from the games following direct emissions reduction measures were used as a basis for the amount of carbon credits to purchase, without claiming climate neutrality.
Background
The Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 aimed to set a new benchmark for global sporting events by embedding climate action at the core of its legacy. On top of dramatically reducing direct emissions through re-using existing infrastructure and powering the games with renewable electricity, the Games’ Organising Committee worked with Abatable to create a wider ‘climate solidarity’ approach – one that would deliver high-integrity, global impact beyond the event’s boundaries.
Delivering lasting climate legacy
Find out more about the projects supported here.
Solution
Abatable worked in partnership with Paris 2024 through the years leading up to the Olympic Games to design and execute a robust climate contribution programme that aligned with evolving best practices in voluntary carbon markets. Abatable provided:
- Strategic planning: Abatable advised on a contribution approach that extended beyond neutrality to support long-term global climate goals.
- Market-wide carbon sourcing: Projects were located through Abatable’s sourcing platform, which covers 95% of the voluntary carbon market. A total of 94 projects from 25 leading developers were offered, representing 23 million tonnes of CO2.
- Rigorous quality assurance: Abatable reviewed the proposals to identify those that met Paris 2024’s stringent quality criteria, with our team then running in-depth quality assessments on the shortlisted projects and developers to construct the final 1.3 million tonne portfolio.
- Innovative offtake structuring: Abatable then structured and delivered an innovative carbon offtake strategy to provide certainty for the Games and early-stage financing for the project development partners, utilising our pricing and policy insights to maximise impact.
Partnering with Abatable
Over a multi-year engagement, Abatable acted as the outsourced carbon procurement team for Paris 2024, ensuring alignment with the Games’ sustainability objectives and guiding the Committee through a complex and rapidly evolving voluntary carbon market.
Our partnership with Abatable has enabled us to amplify our impact in a credible and tangible way. Their strong market access and expertise allowed us to feel confident that our climate solidarity portfolio was aligned with our ambitions to achieve high-integrity impact.
Georgina Grenon
Director of Environmental Excellence
Impact
The resulting portfolio of six high-integrity carbon projects delivered climate impact alongside deep, measurable co-benefits for both people and the planet:
- 400,000 hectares of threatened forest protected
- 45 threatened species habitats conserved
- 200,000 households benefiting from clean energy access
- 600,000 clean cookstoves distributed, improving health and livelihoods, especially for women
The projects supported forest and community conservation in Guatemala and Kenya, clean cookstove distribution in DRC, Kenya, and Nigeria and renewable energy development in rural Senegal.
Find out more here.
Results achieved
- 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 avoidance contributed through high-quality carbon projects
- The delivery of a climate strategy that goes beyond net-zero claims to embrace credible climate solidarity
- Advancement of global equity, gender empowerment and nature protection through carbon finance
- A replicable model for corporate sustainability leaders seeking to align carbon procurement with long-term impact, integrity and brand values