Net Zero 101: Don’t “Make Vs. Buy”. Hire a third-party manager
By Jordan Levine, Founder Dynamic Sky
Congratulations. You and your enterprise have seen the writing on the wall and have elected to become a “Net Zero” organization. And even more exciting (given you are reading this blog), your board of directors or CEO has designated you to be the point person that gets it done.
Unfortunately, for you. You’re no expert.
I know you’re not an expert because there are no experts in this field (although there are plenty that claim to be….).
It is simply too young to have anointed any legitimate subject matter experts.
(This blog asserts that Twitter doesn’t crown winners, long-term financial returns do.)
You, a serious business manager, most likely already completed the first big step of any major initiative, a precursory investigation into whether you and your enterprise do it yourself (“make”) or trade currency for it (“buy”).
You probably explored “make” and immediately balked. What possibly do you know about planting trees or the latest direct air capture technology? Conceptually you get it. Operationally? This isn’t your world.
You then probably investigated “buy”.
First you did some rough math. To offset 500,000 tons of CO2 at $20 per ton puts the “buy” option at roughly $10M per year. Across a decade, that is $100M in spend. Your board of directors might go for it.
But two clicks later you see a fraud red alert.
- This July 2024 Washington Post article pops up.
- Then this infamous John Oliver video from 2022 starts playing on some random window (computers are the worst).
And you realize, “buy” is not only expensive, but also fraught. (I can think of another “f” word to describe it.)
You are sitting squarely on the horns of a dilemma. Neither “Make” nor “Buy” is a good option.
The good news is that there is a third option.
The third option is a third-party management team that can run the “make” process for you.
This type of team will do the following:
- Confirm your requirement by validating your Scope 1 and Scope 2 reporting.
- Identify offset projects (e.g., agriculture acreage) that fit your enterprise.
- Negotiate deals with landowners (e.g., farmers or forest owners).
- Create and execute carbon dioxide sequestration plans.
- Arrange the proper validation and verification of the projects.
- Get your credits issued with a high integrity rating.
An effective and efficient third-party management team should be able to deliver these projects at a significant cost advantage (in some cases as low as 10-20% of the current market “buy” costs). In our notional example, we’re talking $10-20M versus $100M over a decade. Furthermore, your ownership of the projects and their underlying data will shield you from any claims of fraud by a frenzied opposition.
Net Zero matters. And you, fearless business leader, can lead the effort on behalf of your organization.
Just remember your three options: “make”, “buy”, and pay someone else to “make” it for you.
To learn more, please contact Jordan Levine at .
