Since non-fungible tokens (NFTs) first entered the market, they’ve gained popularity as a means for artists and companies to establish ownership of specific pieces of digital media via blockchain technology. They’ve also gained attention for the record-breaking speed and values at which they’ve been bought, sold, and traded. However, NFTs have also made headlines for the energy required by their blockchain networks to operate.
With the United Nations having declared climate change the single biggest threat to the human race, the time to act is now. KlimaDAO, the global leader in blockchain-based carbon offsetting, is proud to offer users a number of options to make your creator-owned NFT projects environmentally sustainable via five simple, cost-effective strategies.
Determine your NFT offsetting strategy
Each strategy is built around a different degree of climate impact – once you’ve taken the initial step of calculating your project’s carbon footprint, you can select how best to go about managing it. The strategies range from simple offsetting (Carbon Neutral Strategy), to offsetting a greater amount (Climate Positive Strategy), to establishing a regular offsetting schedule (Continuous Offsetting Strategy).
For those wanting an even more proactive stance, KlimaDAO also has strategies where you can opt to offset while staking KLIMA to back your NFTs (KLIMA-Backed Strategy), or elect to permanently embed carbon credits directly into your NFTs, converting them into cNFTs (Embedding KLIMA Strategy).
Several NFT projects have successfully implemented the full spectrum of these strategies, for example:
Climate Positive Strategy: Halls of Olympia
Continuous Offsetting Strategy: gm.studio
KLIMA-Backed Strategy: Digital Charity Art
Embedding KLIMA Strategy: co2 Compound
Execute your NFT offsetting strategy
In each case, the offsetting is carried out via KlimaDAO’s treasury of tokenized carbon credits, which drive financing to projects that are mitigating climate change. For example, BCT represents predominantly renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar installations, while MCO2 focuses on nature-based projects such as South American forest conservation. Other token types include UBO (renewables with a vintage of 2014+) and NBO (nature-based credits that were developed globally).
With each geared towards a different objective, you will need to select one that aligns with your project’s overall goals. Once you’ve decided, you can offset in two easy steps:
1. Calculate your NFT project’s footprint
If you have an existing Ethereum-based NFT project, use carbon.fyi to calculate your approximate carbon footprint. If you have an upcoming project, simply multiply the number of NFTs in your collection by 0.2tCO2e (tCO2e stands for ‘tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent’), as per Offsetra’s formula (which assumes utility token emissions of 0.01tCO2e/txn, while mint and distribution of NFTs = 0.2tCO2e).
For Polygon users (who generate a mere 0.21 grams CO2 per transaction), 1,000 NFTs would yield a footprint of less than 0.0004 tonnes CO2e. With Polygon going carbon negative in 2022 through KlimaDAO, your NFT project has a head start in becoming climate positive – consider multiplying your footprint in order to offset for future years.
2. Offset your NFT project’s footprint
Once you’ve calculated your footprint, you can offset using the KlimaDAO retirement aggregator – the fastest, easiest, and most cost effective solution available.
i) Polygon users should head to the KlimaDAO App and execute the offsetting transaction using USDC, KLIMA, or tokenized carbon assets.
ii) Ethereum and EVM blockchain users (Fantom, BSC, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Optimism, etc.) can use the cross-chain offset functionality powered by LI.FI and Etherspot. Head to the KlimaDAO App and click on LI.FI and Etherspot to execute the offsetting transaction without having to bridge across to Polygon.
In both cases, be sure to include a message along with your offsetting transaction, as this message will be featured as a Love Letter to the Planet, providing an opportunity to amplify your climate-positive transaction.
Amplify your NFT offsetting strategy
Making your NFT project carbon neutral – or even climate positive – using KlimaDAO has fundamental positive implications for the future of our planet. It also comes with the added benefit of your project tapping into the Regenerative Finance (ReFi) movement, and thus being able to leverage marketing support to amplify awareness around your commitment to the future.
When you include a message with your offsetting transaction, you will receive co-marketing support from KlimaDAO:
Your message, transaction, and project branding will be featured on loveletter.klimadao.finance
You will receive a branded banner
You will receive a customized Love Letter
Your banner and customized Love Letter will be amplified in KlimaDAO marketing campaigns
Large clients also receive bespoke co-marketing campaigns, including community activation, multimedia, and omni-channel initiatives
Costing your NFT offsetting strategy
The value of carbon is projected to rise from current levels of roughly $3 per tonne on average to $20-50+ per tonne by 2030. Coupled with KlimaDAO’s offset transaction costs, offsetting your NFT project’s footprint is highly favorable – and the sooner you act, the better.
We have included below an indicative overview to show the cost for various NFT projects to achieve the benefits of different offsetting strategies.
Get started now
With your carbon retirement out of the way, it’s time to make our KlimaDAO collaboration official. Just fill out a collaboration request – where we’ll need your strategy and transaction hash numbers – and send us your branding assets, including logo, boilerplate text (describing your project and your view for the partnership), date of minting, and your preferred date for us to announce. We’ll take care of the rest!
By using KlimaDAO to offset your project’s footprint, your NFT project becomes part of the drive for carbon neutrality and climate positivity, proving that embedding change isn’t just possible, it’s an ongoing, responsible process that we are all proud to be a part of. If you are interested in getting involved with KlimaDAO, join us on Discord and follow us on Twitter.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post pertaining to KlimaDAO (“KlimaDAO”), its crypto-assets, business assets, strategy, and operations, is for general informational purposes only and is not a formal offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, options, futures, or other derivatives related to securities in any jurisdiction and its content is not prescribed by securities laws. Information contained in this blog post should not be relied upon as advice to buy or sell or hold such securities or as an offer to sell such securities. This blog post does not take into account nor does it provide any tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the specific investment objectives or financial situation of any person. KlimaDAO and its agents, advisors, directors, officers, employees and shareholders make no representation or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of such information and KlimaDAO expressly disclaims any and all liability that may be based on such information or errors or omissions thereof. KlimaDAO reserves the right to amend or replace the information contained herein, in part or entirely, at any time, and undertakes no obligation to provide the recipient with access to the amended information or to notify the recipient thereof. The information contained in this blog post supersedes any prior blog post or conversation concerning the same, similar or related information. Any information, representations or statements not contained herein shall not be relied upon for any purpose. Neither KlimaDAO nor any of its representatives shall have any liability whatsoever, under contract, tort, trust or otherwise, to you or any person resulting from the use of the information in this blog post by you or any of your representatives or for omissions from the information in this blog post. Additionally, KlimaDAO undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by, third parties in respect of the matters discussed in this blog post.