It has been possible to offset CO₂ with our premium account Zero, but we plan on taking it much further in the future. In an interview, we asked our Impact Manager Elena why we’re changing Zero, what our climate protection contribution will look like from now on and what that means for our customers.
Ever since Tomorrow was founded, we have been working on making money part of the solution and – together with our customers – contributing to protecting our planet and the climate. To do this, we have developed many different ways to generate impact. And one of the most significant is our premium account Zero.
Up to now, our customers have been able to offset the average carbon footprint of a person in Germany (around 11 tonnes per year) with this account. And in the two and half years since it was launched, we have achieved a lot. We are extremely proud of this and can’t thank our community enough for wanting to join us and make a difference to the climate.
Now we’re taking the next step with Zero. To find out what that means in real terms, how the account model is now set up and why it’s exactly the right step at the right time, we asked our Impact Manager Elena, who played a key role in restructuring the new Zero model.
How will the Zero climate protection contribution change?
Climate protection requires all-embracing solutions. As a response to this, we are constantly developing new impact features and products. And we want to take an even more comprehensive approach to climate protection in the future – also with our Zero premium account. That’s why, with a share of their account fees, our Zero customers will soon be supporting three different measures to combat the climate crisis: Restoration of ecosystems, new CO₂ storage facilities and important work on a climate political level. This means that our customers will be supporting a range of new, active solutions to help tackle climate crisisin the future. And the Zero community will be saving CO₂ in the long term. I’m really excited about this new chapter for our premium account and hope it will set new standards for the future of sustainable finance solutions.
Why are we taking this step now?
Offsetting carbon emissions by purchasing certificates as a contribution to climate protection, which we also used for Zero, has become increasingly popular. In the past few months, the demand for CO₂ certificates has hugely increased and with it also the costs. This is actually a good development, but for Zero it also means that we couldn’t have kept the account fee the same if we want to generate the same impact in the future. And the demand is currently greater than the supply. So our current approach is no longer viable – and, for us, also no longer adequate in light of the challenges of the climate crisis.
The current report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change clearly shows us that we need to do three things if we want to tackle the climate catastrophe: we need to reduce our emissions, develop CO₂ storage capacities and become politically active.
Changing up the projects and organizations will enable us to take more of an all-round approach to the climate protection contribution. We are convinced that this is an appropriate way to face the current challenges of the climate crisis. And thanks to the new impact projects, we will be in a position to react faster to crises, new technologies and findings and constantly optimize our project portfolio in the future.
What does that mean for our customers?
In mid-August, we are changing Zero’s climate protection contribution. From then, new customers will automatically set up the “new” Zero account and existing Zero customers can easily agree to the change and switch to the new model in the Tomorrow app. All customers with the new Zero model will be supporting the restoration of ecosystems, innovative technologies for CO₂ storage and political change for more climate protection. As the Zero community, we will ensure that more CO₂ will be saved in the future – and therefore contribute to a climate-friendly approach to carbon emissions.
Thanks a lot, Elena!
What else you should know about our new Zero model
All other smart features of the premium account will remain and the account fee of 15 euros isn’t changing either.
You will be the first to find out exactly when the changeover is taking place – in the app, by mail and on our social media channels.
For all those who want to know more: here’s a detailed rundown of our new Zero projects.
Interested in getting in on the Zero action now too? Then click here for all details about our premium account.