Ground Transportation Provider To Offset All Emissions

Global chauffeured service provider Blacklane has pledged to address all of the remaining emissions accumulated over the company’s 10-year history at the end of 2021 by partnering with climate project developer and consultancy South Pole, the Berlin-based company announced Nov. 26 in a news release.

The partnership deal was signed on Black Friday to mark Blacklane’s “Give Back Friday” pledge, which encourages mindful spending and more sustainable lifestyles. For its part, Blacklane is supporting South Pole’s Carotino biogas project in Malaysia through the purchase of certified carbon credits. As of today, Blacklane’s guests will also have the opportunity to support a selection of South Pole’s certified emission reduction projects.

“There’s no better time to give back than the start of the holiday season, and there’s no better recipient than the planet,” said Dr. Jens Wohltorf, CEO and co-founder of Blacklane, in the news release. “South Pole’s projects have accelerated our existing green initiatives and given us a new way to invite guests into our sustainability journey.”

In addition to its latest commitment to offset all historical emissions, Blacklane has signed The Climate Pledge, which requires signatories to carry out regular and transparent reporting of overall greenhouse gas emissions, to put in place decarbonization strategies that are aligned with the goals of the Paris agreement, and to compensate for unavoidable emissions. Blacklane is pursuing dedicated activities to reduce its emissions, including:

• A target of 75% of rides done in electric vehicles by 2025.
• Refining its dispatching algorithm to reduce chauffeurs’ empty legs and distance driven to begin new rides.

In 2017, as part of its overall climate action strategy, Blacklane was the first global ground transportation company to offset emissions of all rides and business operations. The Carotino investment will offset pre-2017 emissions and emissions from 2021 rides and business operations. Blacklane and South Pole will complete a greenhouse gas assessment in the coming weeks so Blacklane can achieve carbon negativity before the end of the year.

“Real change does not happen in silos,” said Renat Heuberger, CEO of South Pole. “It calls for strong collaboration with customers and business partners. Blacklane will be our first travel and mobility customer to offset all of its historical emissions and to invite guests to join its climate journey, setting an example for others in the industry.”