Alex Manning
Kendyll Humphreys
JD Hodge-Adams
Loyola Marymount University
Ingrid Greene
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Neutrl created an innovative way for consumers to cancel out their carbon emissions on e-commerce orders by just paying a few cents more when purchasing a product. With the simple click of a button, consumers can add an extra price to their purchase and turn it into a carbon neutral purchase. Neutrl will help offset any carbon emissions during the transportation process by providing money and efforts towards carbon removal projects that contribute to a carbon neutral world.
Neutrl is a tech startup that partners with brands to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Neutrl achieves this by reaching out to different brands in order to create a virtual partnership that allows Neutrl to put a clickable box at the bottom of the brands website whenever a consumer is about to make a purchase. When this box is clicked, Neutrl’s algorithm will automatically calculate how much extra money should be added to the cart in order to make the order carbon net neutral. This extra money typically comes to about 1-2% of the total order cost and it is completely optional for the consumer to choose. If the consumer decides to opt in, then that money contributes to a carbon removal project that Neutrl is partnered with.
Neutrl will take some of the profits and the rest will go to one of the world leading projects that have the potential to reduce up to 1 billion carbon tons. Neutrl is involved with 7 different carbon offset groups that range from Zurich, Switzerland to San Francisco, California. Each project has its own unique way of reducing Carbon but they are all effective in helping to keep the Earth a cleaner place. Cooper Heaphy notes that these carbon removal projects are cost efficient, so their 1-2% revenue on an e-commerce order can substantially cover the costs.
Some examples of the projects that Neutrl is contributing to right now are: Running Tide (kelp planted in the ocean to help remove CO2), Carbo Culture (turning natural products such as walnut shells into functional biocarbons), Charm Industrial (injecting bio-oil into geologic storage), along with others.
Neutrl is an incredibly new company and was founded in 2021. The current CEO and founder, Ian Lazarus started the company during the pandemic as a way to address the growing issue of climate change. During the COVID-19 pandemic the global supply chain has been severely impacted with many factories being forced to shut down with their workers falling ill. Rising prices and every increasing demand forced companies to get their goods to their consumers at all costs. Neutrl arose as a way to combat this while also helping the everyday consumer practice sustainability. With a simple click of the button, this puts the power of saving the Earth in consumers hands. Neutrl also came about due to the increase in the ecommerce industry. In the interview conducted with the company, Cooper Heaphy described the industry as “expected to be a trillion dollar industry”. Since ecommerce is so new, Neutrl believes that they are on the right path towards achieving sustainability and creating business.
With Neutrl’s 1.5℃ climate goal, they have to be prepared to make a substantial impact on carbon emissions. Even though Neutrl is a startup company, they have already made contributions towards carbon elimination projects that are listed on their website. Right now, their goal is to raise awareness of their company and get people to learn about Neutrl so companies are willing to partner with them and consumers are willing to make their purchases carbon neutral, with the addition of Neutrl. Since Neutrl is not relying on future technology or preconceived ideas, they are able to immediately make an impact. They partner with NGOs and choose projects that are verified through the Verified Carbon Standard to ensure they are using the latest technology that can make a substantial impact on the world right now.
In the future, they hope to partner with multinational retail brands, such as Nike, to help raise capital to put towards carbon elimination projects and to raise awareness of their brand in hopes that other companies will follow along. By contributing to carbon elimination projects, they are assisting consumers and organizations alike in helping the world become carbon neutral. Although they know the substantial impact they can make on the environment, they know they cannot do it alone. They encourage their partners and consumers to take action towards climate change in addition to adding Neutrl to their online shopping carts.
Since Neutrl is so new, it is difficult to measure their impact thus far. However, it is a growing company that has the ability to make major contributions towards a carbon neutral world. They make it easy for society to make their orders carbon-neutral, they receive a profit, and ultimately are creating a cleaner environment because of it.
When the consumer chooses to add Neutrl to their cart, Neutrl will take a portion of the profits to grow their business, and the rest will go towards the carbon neutral projects that Neutrl is partnered with. The cost that is added when a consumer adds Neutrl to their cart will vary depending on the cost of the order, but due to the increased volume of e-commerce orders and need to offset emissions during the transportation process, Neutral has a great opportunity to make a substantial profit while benefiting the environment.
Neutrl is an extremely new company but is already growing at an accelerated pace. They started about a year ago and are now at a healthy size of 16 employees while they are still actively hiring to continue their growth. This innovation has drawn in people of various backgrounds all who wish to contribute to a growing business that is dedicated to saving the planet.
It is clear that Neutrl has the potential to make a substantial impact on the environment. With increased popularity of e-commerce purchases and the sheer volume of orders that companies are facing, Neutrl has the ability to partner with companies around the world and use a few cents on each order to make a substantial impact. As Cooper Heaphy puts it, it is a “feel good tax.” Not only is Neutrl making it effortless for the companies they partner with, they are helping build sustainable cities and communities by giving back to the environment, rather than taking form it.
They are giving the consumer the choice to engage in responsible consumption, and given that the cost of a carbon neutral order is only a few cents, it only seems right to add this on to every e-commerce order. Since consumers can then track how much carbon they have removed from the environment, it creates a loyalty and excitement for the customer that no company has been able to replicate.
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Cooper Heaphy, Account Executive
Neutrl created an easy an effective way for consumers to offset their carbon emissions through a simple click of a button. They are involved in carbon-offsetting projects around the world to achieve their 1.5℃ climate goal.