Photos by Kristine Angeli Sabillo/INQUIRER.net
PARIS — Water bottles to reduce plastic cup waste, notebooks and pencils made of recycled materials. There are a host of creative campaigns and products showcased at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) in Paris as nations meet to finalize a legally binding agreement to address climate change.
One of the items that have caught the attention of COP21 attendees is The Change Chocolate, a brand of Swiss chocolate bars given away for free as a “sweet reminder” to push for a climate neutral world.
An initiative of the organization Plant-for-the-Planet, The Change Chocolate was conceptualized to help cocoa factors and offset carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions produced by manufacturing chocolates.
Income from the sale of the chocolates is used to give cocoa farmers fair wages and for the planting of trees.
According to its website, Swiss chocolate manufacturer Chocolats Halba produce the chocolates and forego their profits while cocoa farmers are taught to cultivate precious wood or wood species that are highly valued for its appearance and other properties.
“The farmers can receive a wage which meets fair trade standards and can increase their earnings even more further through the sale of the precious wood. The sustainable cultivation of precious wood offsets CO2 emissions, which are released during the production process of the chocolate,” the group explained.
In addition to that, 20 cents from the sale of each bar is allotted for the planting of trees. This means the sale of five chocolate bars paves the way for the planting of one tree.
The chocolate bar currently being given for free at the COP21 had the tagline “A sweet invitation to support Climate Neutral Now and the biggest afforestation project ever.”
READ: LOOK: New UN website allows users to compute carbon footprint
Climate Neutral Now is a United Nations initiative that pushes for net zero carbon footprint by encouraging people and groups to offset their emissions through the use of renewable energy or by buying carbon credits.
Afforestation, on the other hand, refers to establishing a forest in an area where there is no forest cover.
The Plant-for-the-Planet initiative aims to plant one trillion trees worldwide by 2020.
Also given away at the event are reusable water containers called Gobi.
The tag that comes with the container says that it is eco-designed and made from France. It also points out that many people use around 650 plastic cups per year, which is equivalent to “25 Eiffel Towers of waste.”
Notebooks and pencils made from recycled materials are also included in the kits given to media.
The COP21 aims to come up with a legally binding agreement on climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting the global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. The 21-page draft agreement will be up for negotiations next week.
