The Carbon Credit Dilemma with Kees van Santen, co-founder of Cawa

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/fe/74/64/fe7464d2-029b-0b10-5420-84547dc76e74/mza_11046631873778339003.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

Impact Innovators at the Fireside

Arje Cahn

5 episodes

5 months ago

How do ambitious innovators turn some of the world's biggest problems into tomorrow's breakthrough businesses? Around a crackling campfire deep in the woods, tech founders share their journey from global challenge to game-changing solution. Host Arjé Cahn, who built his own startup into a unicorn before becoming an impact investor, digs deep into what really works. Raw, thoughtful conversations about building companies that matter.

All content for Impact Innovators at the Fireside is the property of Arje Cahn and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Entrepreneurship

Business,

Science

https://img.transistor.fm/xxJvaCZzKsqvsXJzQTr0RAMXAc7KX9tH0-AK0MUOJJg/rs:fill:3000:3000:1/q:60/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS84NjVl/YTE3NmEwMGFlNDhj/ZDlkN2Y2MDIzNDY3/ODRiYy5wbmc.jpg

The Carbon Credit Dilemma with Kees van Santen, co-founder of Cawa

Impact Innovators at the Fireside

1 hour 14 minutes

11 months ago

The Carbon Credit Dilemma with Kees van Santen, co-founder of Cawa

In this captivating fireside conversation, host Arjé Cahn sits down with Kees van Santen, founder of Cawa, to explore the complex world of voluntary carbon credits and the quest for genuine climate impact. Against the backdrop of a crackling campfire in the Dutch forest, they dive deep into the challenges and opportunities in the carbon credit market.

Key Discussion Points:

The real mathematics behind carbon sequestration
The critical difference between carbon removal and avoidance credits
The current state of the voluntary carbon market and its transparency issues
How intermediaries can take up to 80-85% of carbon credit value, leaving little for actual climate projects
Cawa's mission to bring transparency and efficiency to carbon credit transactions
The growing importance of ESG reporting and the EU's Green Claims Directive
The challenge of greenwashing and how regulatory frameworks are evolving
The founder's "oh shit moment" when confronted with the reality of carbon credit trading

Location: Recorded in a forest setting in The Netherlands

Chapters
👤 Follow Kees van Santen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kees-van-santen-606a22b2/
🌿 Learn more about Cawa: https://www.cawa.tech/
🔍 EU Green Claims Directive: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy/green-claims_en
🌳 Gold Standard for Carbon Credits: https://www.goldstandard.org/
✅ Verra Carbon Standard: https://verra.org/

📱 Follow Arjé Cahn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjecahn/

Referenced in Episode:

EU ETS (Emissions Trading System): https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/eu-emissions-trading-system-eu-ets_en
CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive): https://finance.ec.europa.eu/capital-markets-union-and-financial-markets/company-reporting-and-auditing/company-reporting/corporate-sustainability-reporting_en

Note: This episode was recorded in late 2024. Regulations and market conditions discussed may have evolved since recording.

Production credits and thanks yous:
Music by Allerd van den Bremen
Production by Peter van Dijk, podcastvoorbedrijven.nl

Disclosure: Through Shamrock Ventures, the host has invested in some of the companies featured on this podcast, including Cawa.