In December 2022, Be Energy was certified to issue carbon credits on the voluntary market. This is a source of great pride for the company based in the south of France, but also a major step forward in line with its commitment to the environmental transition. Be Energy, a member of the Coq Vert community (BPI France), has been awarded the EETE (Entreprise Engagée pour la Transition Écologique) label by ADEME (the French Environment and Energy Management Agency).

Carbon credits: what are they and what are they used for?

Carbon credits are certificates that allow the holder to emit a certain quantity of greenhouse gases, often expressed in tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Created as part of international protocols, including the Kyoto Protocol, they aim to limit global emissions of gases that contribute to global warming.

Carbon credits work on the principle of "cap and trade", which sets an overall emissions ceiling and divides this total into individual units (carbon credits) that are then allocated or sold to companies.

A company that emits less than its greenhouse gas quota can sell its surplus credits to another that exceeds its own quota. In this way, carbon credits aim to encourage the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by assigning a monetary value to the environment, while allowing companies a degree of flexibility.

Issuing carbon credits: a meaningful action for Be Energy and its customers

To date, Be Energy has generated more than 500 tonnes of carbon credits. At the new industrial site in Avignon, the company will very shortly be reaching a cruising speed of some 1,500 tonnes of CO2 per year, as part of its battery regeneration activity. Ongoing projects to regenerate oil, Nimh batteries and small lithium batteries will undoubtedly increase the capacity of Be Energy, currently one of the only companies in the south of France to be awarded the EETE label and to emit carbon credits.

Anticipating the tightening of European taxonomy and non-financial accounting rules

The new European taxonomy defines the classification of economic activities that have a positive impact on the environment. The rules and measures in place encourage companies to direct their investments towards "green" activities. "The constraints are going to get tougher, because the regulatory environment is going to change," says Bertrand Coste, founder and director of BE Energy.

From 2026 onwards, the introduction of extra-financial accounting rules will have an impact on companies, whose balance sheets will be examined in terms of more than just their financial results. "Companies with good non-financial accounting will have easier access to affordable credit rates and more attractive loans", explains Bertrand Coste, urging both large and small companies to anticipate the new regulations.

Solutions in response to companies' CSR initiatives

The transport decarbonisation products offered by Be Energy, battery regeneration on the one hand and oil regeneration on the other, meet the needs of the market and the CSR constraints of companies in every respect.

With its innovative solutions, BE Energy is responding to six of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 13: "Action on Climate Change". This objective, recalled in the certification report of 8 December 2022, states: "The reconditioning of batteries contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by promoting the use of renewable energy and reducing electronic waste. A battery reconditioned using Be Energy technology has 89% less impact than a new battery".

"For the past year and a half, we have been offering our customers CO2 equivalents, and from 2024, these will be systematically included on our invoices," explains Be Energy's CEO. The purchase of carbon credits is therefore an obvious option for companies wishing to anticipate changes in European taxonomy rules. Thanks to Be Energy, it's also an opportunity.

For more information, contact Be Energy.