From Google to Unilever to fossil fuel dinosaurs like Shell, all sorts of companies today are promising to become climate-neutral—some seriously and as quickly as possible, others rather loosely and at some point in the future. It is no wonder, then, that the term "climate-neutral" has recently come under fire: shady providers, even shadier climate certificates, and trees that were never planted have brought the concept into disrepute. And anyway: what does climate-neutral actually mean? What is genuine CO2 offsetting, what is mere indulgence trading, and how do you distinguish one from the other?
One person who should know is Wilhelm Hammes. Three years ago, Wilhelm founded "planted," a Cologne-based startup that helps companies systematically reduce their CO2 emissions. And whatever residual emissions remain, Planted offsets through renewable energy projects. At the same time, the company also plants trees for its now 350 corporate clients—including, among others, Strichpunkt Design. In doing so, Planted is doing exactly what some climate activists view critically. Plenty of material, therefore, for a discussion with the professional climate protector Wilhelm Hammes.