A new study by Berlin-based climate platform goodcarbon finds that Europe’s 50 largest publicly listed companies plan to offset 81.8 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2030 through voluntary carbon credits.
The analysis draws from 2023 and 2024 sustainability reports of firms listed on the Euro Stoxx 50 index, with 29 companies including carbon offsets in their climate strategies.
Currently, most firms intend to purchase these credits in the target year, often through the spot market.
However, goodcarbon recommends a more strategic approach: making early, binding financial commitments to specific climate projects.
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This wouldn’t require immediate payments but would lock in support for selected initiatives, providing greater predictability for developers.
Early commitments would shield companies from anticipated price spikes in 2030 and allow project developers to secure financing sooner.
This would lead to better-planned, higher-quality climate initiatives, ensuring meaningful engagement with local communities and enabling additional goals like biodiversity and coastal protection.
According to Jérôme Cochet, Co-Founder and CEO of goodcarbon, the combined funding allocated by these companies could exceed one billion euros.
It is not a huge sum given the urgency of the climate crisis, but if companies commit earlier, the climate impact of that money could be dramatically increased—at no extra cost, he explained.
Cochet also said that with corporate climate spending likely to grow, the time to activate this potential is now.
Unlocking funds earlier could turn passive strategies into powerful tools for global climate action.
