Meeting with Thomas MARTAL, President at STOCK CO2, the startup created in 2019 which accelerates the French ecological transition thanks to carbon offsetting
Who are you ? And where does your entrepreneurial spirit come from?
Once I graduated from the Ecole Urbaine de Sciences Po, I started in the professional world with the real estate developer Icade, developing large urban projects for a few years. This is where I became interested in more detail in the issues surrounding our carbon impact and the possibilities for territorial carbon equalization.
It was while looking for solutions to offset the carbon impact of the urban operations that we were planning with the communities that I realized that there was a lack of a solution for connecting project leaders wishing to promote their efforts and companies wishing to offset their emissions.
It is on the basis of this simple observation, shared with my two partners, that we contacted Icade's startup studio, Urban Odyssey. The teams helped us structure our vision and transform it into a business model. It was also at this time that we joined the HEC incubator, and that we met Hervé Dechene, VP Strategy at SprintProject.
How your business was born (context, findings, initial objectives, evolution, etc.)
STOCK CO2 was born from the observation that it is urgent to act to limit the impact of anthropogenic emissions (all greenhouse gas emissions relating to human activity), and that carbon offsetting is one of the levers for accelerate the decarbonization of our territory.
Until the creation of Low-Carbon Label, in 2019, there were no solutions to offset greenhouse gas (S) emissions in France. The creation of a state framework for carbon credits, supported by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, has thus enabled the emergence of virtuous and local environmental projects financed by the carbon credits they generate.
From the start, it seemed clear to us that the “hole in the racket” inherent to French carbon offsetting was a problem linked to the meeting of supply and demand. Through STOCK CO2, we thus wish to create the first multi-sector carbon offset operator allowing project leaders to benefit from corporate financing, in the form of an integrated platform.
Who are your clients ? And what is the need you are meeting?
We have a varied clientele, with around fifty accounts, ranging from small businesses to the CAC 40 group, covering different areas: energy, transport, real estate, digital... Their common point is their commitment to a proactive approach to measuring and reducing their own emissions, combined with a broader vision supported by compensation, in order to actively contribute to reducing the carbon impact of a sector or territory.
How can your solution improve the existing Supply Chain?
Supply Chain players know that controlling their carbon impact is becoming a necessity. But in a certain number of cases, they may feel helpless in the face of the 2050 carbon neutrality objective. This is where we come in.
We seek to create and push with them solutions that will allow them to minimize their environmental impact in the future, by participating in the organization and financing of low-carbon sectors. The Low-Carbon Label is a fantastic tool if we look at it as a catalyst for good practices. It also allows us to reconnect worlds that rarely speak to each other.
If I take an example, the carbon contribution of a Supply Chain group to the implementation of low-carbon rapeseed crops, or the methanization of livestock effluent helps to structure biofuel sectors, which comes ultimately reduce the impact of the transport sector as a whole. We always seek to target projects with direct or indirect impact for the decarbonization of our clients' activity chains.
More directly linked to mobility issues, we are closely following the development of new carbon compensation fields validated by the Low-Carbon Label, such as the consideration of facilitating the electrification of trucks, or the replacement of thermal vehicles by tricycles or cargo bikes.
Where are you today in developing your business? And what is your action plan?
STOCK CO2 is today a carbon offset operator established in France. We have labeled approximately 25% of French carbon offset volumes since the creation of the Low-Carbon Label. We develop projects throughout France thanks to our network of local partners. We offer a wide variety of forestry, agricultural and construction projects.
In 2019, during the creation of STOCK CO2, we dreamed of creating a territorial carbon compensation operator. We are convinced that the carbon contribution of companies must play a major role in the decarbonization of a territory, which pushes us to develop a “multi-local” approach, like territorial acupuncture. The sum of decarbonization actions distributed over a territory promotes good practices and encourages new players to engage in the ecological transition.
Thus, in the medium term, we wish to develop carbon compensation platforms allowing territories to manage their decarbonization strategy by mobilizing companies wishing to get involved. We are currently in discussions with public stakeholders (regions, departments, metropolises) in order to set up the first pilots.
Finally, we are impatiently awaiting the emergence of a European framework for certified carbon offsetting at the level of the European Union in order to develop our multi-local carbon offsetting activity, beyond French borders.
How does Stock CO2 rank within the framework of HQE certification?
There is no direct link between carbon compensation and HQE (High Environmental Quality) certification. For example, offsetting the emissions of a building does not make it easier to obtain HQE certification. However, HQE “sustainable buildings” certification and voluntary carbon offsetting are moving in the same direction. In fact, the circular economy and reuse are among the solutions available to project owners to reduce the carbon footprint of their constructions in terms of HQE certification, but also make it possible to promote carbon credits in certain situations.
Generally speaking, carbon credits are used in sectors which incur additional costs linked to the implementation of the carbon reduction or sequestration solution. As HQE buildings are demanding in their construction processes, it is possible to imagine synergies between HQE and carbon compensation in the future.
For the record, the fundamental principles of local carbon offsetting are:
- carbon additionality (reality of carbon emissions avoided and/or reduced)
- economic additionality (need for financing)
- the sustainability of the project is assured
- there carbon flow modeling is scientifically recognized
- the audit of verification is independent of the protagonists
- THE carbon credits are unique
Carbon offsetting is a real incentive mechanism for the ecological transition, but we must nevertheless remain attentive to the risk of double accounting. In fact, emission reductions recorded in the carbon footprint of a building cannot be transferred if they are attributed to the client.
THE STARTUP MINUTE
Learn more: www.stock-co2.com
