Since we started Cabify in Madrid some seven years ago, a few proud moments really stand out. There was the day we first started operations in Latin America. Then there’s that slightly surreal Monday morning a few years ago when we found out we’d reached 1 million rides worldwide. But I think today’s announcement makes me even prouder.
Today, we have officially become the first mobility app in Europe and Latin America to be 100% carbon neutral. We have taken responsibility for our environmental impact and we have decided that until the day arrives that Cabify runs on clean energy, we’ll compensate for every bit of CO2 we generate. That’s not just the CO2 generated by the vehicles that use our platform but also by our app servers, our office spaces, even our employees’ commutes.
What’s more, this doesn't start from tomorrow, or even today; we’ve gone back and compensated for all our activity this year.
How?
Carbon offsetting is essentially investing in clean projects that take out of the atmosphere the carbon dioxide that your activity has put into it. Working with our partners First Climate, we found a project that is certificated as having a real and measurable impact and is recognised worldwide for its exceptional work: the Madre de Dios project in the Amazon rainforest in Peru.
It was important to us that we chose a project based in one of our principal markets and when we were shown how Madre de Dios protects one of the richest ecosystems in the world, we knew this was the right one for us. The project employs local communities to prevent deforestation in a part of the Amazon where illegal logging is rife, thus combating global warming and preserving biodiversity. It’s a great project, inspiring and truly impactful. It makes us immensely proud to be able to say that if someone rides or drivers with Cabify in any one of the 11 countries we’re in, they’ll be helping to safeguard part of the Amazon rainforest. The project covers an area of land the size of Portugal, and so far we’ve already helped protect over 5.3 million trees.
What next?
This is a huge step forward in minimizing the impact we have on the environment and reflects our long-term commitment to ensuring that the impact of our activities truly makes cities a better place to live. It’s not a full solution, and we know that year on year we must strive to reduce the emissions we generate in the first place. But it builds on the important steps we’ve taken this year to align ourselves along the 17 objectives for sustainable development as outlined by the United Nations. This has meant changing our water bottles away from plastic to carton in Spain, upgrading the recycling facilities in our offices around the world, and signing up to the UN’s Global Compact.
Of course, there’s still a long way to go and there will be plenty more changes and initiatives to come over the next few months. If there’s anything we’ve learned in these seven years, it’s that the really worthwhile things don’t happen overnight. But we’re on the right track. With the support of our community of riders and drivers, we can continue to make cities a better place to live while progressively reducing the impact we have on the environment.
Juan de Antonio, founder and CEO, Cabify.