V-Forest

In order to be carbon-neutral today, we have been fully compensating for our direct emissions and partially compensating for our indirect emissions since 2020 with our own forest – the V-Forest. We chose this project because reforestation is currently one of the most effective methods of removing CO₂ from the atmosphere and sequestering it for long-term storage. To ensure that our compensation contributions are used as effectively as possible, we created a long-term partnership with the Ripa Gar Foundation.

Our V-Forest is growing in Glen Lochay in the Perthshire region of Scotland. The Ripa Gar Foundation has already planted 800,000 trees in an area equivalent to around 700 football pitches as part of the UK Woodland Carbon Code (WCC). The WCC is a British Standard for reforestation projects and offers independent verification and validation where claims are made about the amount of CO₂ sequestered through a sustainable forestry project. Our contributions are helping to grow a native mixed woodland (42% birch, 21% pine, 16% oak and other local species). Over the next 100 years, the areas already reforested will capture and store around 210,000 tonnes of CO₂. As well as sequestering the CO₂, the project has other positive side effects, such as increasing biodiversity, improving local water quality, restoring the moor landscape and helping hinder floods. Native flora and fauna will be able to flourish, and nature will find its balance.

It would be hard to achieve a comparable project of this size in Switzerland. Besides the available space, there were many more reasons why Scotland was chosen. It has advantageous climactic conditions (even with increasing temperatures), good local institutions and the required expertise. It will take a little while before the CO₂ certificates from the V-Forest can be used as direct compensation. The trees need to grow before they can capture and store the required amounts of CO₂. Until then, the Ripa Gar Foundation is supporting another reforestation project in India and is also capturing the CO₂ tonne-for-tonne. The project is certified according to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and is listed on the UN Carbon Offset Platform. The required amounts of CO₂ have already been captured. Our participation in this compensates for double our emissions.

If you are visiting Scotland and would like to see the V-Forest for yourself, it’s a wonderful area to explore on a hike. The starting point is the village of Killin, about two hours northwest of Edinburgh. Just before Kenknock there is a car park, from where it is approximately 9 km to the V-Forest along the River Lochay. Please contact us for tips and suggested routes.

Learn more about V-ZUG’s holistic approach to sustainability.