questions & answers 

Aren’t carbon credits a way for companies to greenwash their business?  

That depends how companies use carbon credits and what environmental claims they make.  

Accusations of greenwashing can be avoided by not making unverifiable claims related to the impact of the carbon credits on the business.  

The carbon credits themselves are no way directly related to greenwashing which is when individuals or companies make false claims about their environmental impact or credentials. Projects that do not offer transparent Additionality & Permanence create huge ‘greenwashing’ and reputational risks for buyers of these credits.  

What if the forest burns down?  

This risk has been identified in our risk management process and will be mitigated by our permanently staffed and managed projects.  

This risk however is low in Brazilian rainforests, which is a wet and humid environment, which requires fuel and active burning for a fire to take hold. Additionally, the forest can be insured so that in the event of a fire or other loss the forest can be restored. 

 

How will your projects impact local people?  

TBN projects are on low productivity agricultural land without local indigenous inhabitation. The local population will benefit from multiple new work opportunities, investment in the local economy and the positive impact of the forest preserve TBN is creating.  

 

How can you claim it’s permanent when other tree planting projects can’t?  

Reforestation projects that are developed on leased or third-party land offer zero guarantee that these forests will be left standing. At TBN we aim for maximum permanence by  

1)  owning the land  

2)  registering the land as RPPN (permanently preserved private land) and  

3)  a comprehensive risk management and process to minimize and mitigate all project risks.  

As such, TBN projects are under our control at all times and protected into perpetuity under Brazilian law. 

 

Why don’t you do any timber or agroforestry, not even sustainable, when there’s a need for sustainable timber?  

We are a habitat restoration and carbon removal company. The additionality and overall quality of our projects is ensured by the simplicity of our model, which is only based on carbon removal credits. 

 

How do you make sure it won’t become a monoculture, like some other tree planting projects?  

We plant it ourselves on our own land and we plant over 90 species of trees per hectare, so biodiversity is assured from the beginning.  

 

How do you measure how much CO2 the forest absorbs and stores?  

Multiple independent third parties measure and verify the carbon.  

The credits are verified and issued by Verra under their international recognised program. 

 

How can I verify where my money will be spent?  

We have a fully transparent financial model that is also designed to maximize investment into the local economy and can show in detail the costs and uses of all funds. 

 

What is the price of a carbon credit from your forest?  

This varies depending on the details of project and the size of the carbon credit contract. As we purchase the land and our sole income is from carbon credits, our credits are of higher quality and more valuable than some available on the market. 

 

When do we pay?  

Under our standard offtake agreement it is payment on delivery of Verra issued carbon credits.  

We can negotiate alternative payment structures. 

 

Why do you make a profit?  

TBN is a for profit habitat restoration company. Our goal is to achieve restoration at scale and this requires investment and the potential for profit. Charities have been shown not to achieve quality restoration at scale. TBN is run as a regenerative business. 

 

How can we get information from our own project to share?  

We have a fully interactive project dashboard which includes up-to-date data covering key aspects of the project including species proliferation, both flora and fauna. The carbon project data will be publicly available on Verra. If you like you can also visit the project. 

 

How does TBN ensure the additionality of the project?  

We ensure additionality by: 

• only undertaking removal projects  

• purchasing degraded cattle pasture with a demonstrably low and objective carbon baseline.  

• we have a simple business model that is based exclusively on carbon credits.  

• undertaking a fully verified Verra project.  

 

How long does it take before the forest is totally restored?  

A year after initial restoration, plants and bushes will be a metre high.  

After 2 to 3 years the pioneer trees will reach 2 to 3 meters and the canopy will be closed, shading the understory.  

Thereafter the forest will be self-sufficient. After ten years trees will be up to 20 meters.  

Growth, biodiversity and density will continue to increase through time. Biodiversity and other benefits will increase alongside the growth of the forest. 

 

Won’t Tech do the job?

To mitigate climate change all mitigation methods must be applied. Nature based solutions (NBS) are one important piece and must scale. Tech industries are developing methods for carbon capture that will be at scale by 2050.  

Even then, NBS will capture important and material amounts of atmospheric carbon far more than Tech but Tech will be an important player. NBS offer additional benefits beyond carbon capture and can be scaled immediately.