Private search and discovery browser Xayn becomes carbon-neutral
Xayn will offset 100% of its direct carbon emission from 2020 onwards
- Xayn’s carbon offsetting is part of larger sustainability strategy that includes privacy as a human right and transparent, ethical AI
- Xayn partnered with climate-tech company Planetly to offset 102 tCO2e for 2020
- First steps to becoming more climate-friendly already taken in 2019
Berlin, 20 September 2021 – Xayn, the private search and discovery browser, is committing to offset 100% of its direct carbon emissions from internal operations, procurement, and product usage. This effort is an essential part in the company’s larger sustainability strategy which also includes its commitment to privacy as a human right and to transparent, ethical AI. For this climate protection pillar, Xayn partnered with Planetly, a climate-tech startup from Berlin, to analyse its carbon release and point out how to avoid, reduce and compensate its CO2 emissions. According to Planetly’s audit, Xayn emitted 93 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) for the year 2020 which leads to a recommended 102 tCO2e offset due to a 10% security margin.
"We started Xayn because we wanted to solve the problem of protecting digital privacy – what Apple’s Tim Cook called the biggest challenge of our time next to the climate crisis. It only makes sense that we now also focus on what we can do to protect the livelihood of humankind. We don’t want to be part of the problem, we want to be part of the solution," emphasizes Felix Hahmann, Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer. "That is why Xayn focuses on avoiding, reducing, and offsetting our carbon emissions."
Partnering with Planetly to limit and offset its CO2 emissions is another step in Xayn’s path to sustainability. The AI startup already introduced the first climate-protection measures in 2019 – such as a no-fly policy for all travels within its home market Germany or a paperless office. As the majority of Xayn’s emissions (78%) for 2020 were caused by procurement and external service providers, the company is already taking action here, consciously favouring sustainable companies even if it involves a higher price point.
Because the best CO2 is the one not released, the privacy tech startup also focuses on avoiding carbon emissions altogether – which leads to it emitting only 50% of tCO2e in comparison to what other software companies Planetly audited emitted for each team member (3,6 tCO2e, instead of 7,2 tCO2e). Planetly calculates carbon emissions according to the Green House Gas Protocol, the world's most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards, by analysing the direct emissions from controlled sources, the indirect emissions from the purchase of energy, as well as the indirect emissions from the supply chain.
"With their focus on online privacy, Xayn is tackling a very serious challenge of our modern times and I am very excited that we accompany them on their journey to net zero," says Anna Alex, Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer at Planetly. "Xayn has already implemented different reductions measures in the past – with the transparency of knowing their carbon footprint, they can now strategically move forward."
Xayn offsets the full amount of direct carbon emission of 2020 and the ongoing years by investing in the Borneo Rainforest project in cooperation with Planetly. The Indonesian project protects 64,500 hectares of carbon-rich peat swamp forests with high biodiversity and supports local communities by training them in sustainable agriculture. The UN REDD+ project is also accredited by the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards (CCBS). In addition, it is the first forest conservation project globally that has its own contribution to the environment, biodiversity and social Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) independently verified under the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta).
Learn more about how Xayn plans to avoid, reduce, and compensate carbon emissions in cooperation with Planetly: www.xayn.com/company/sustainability
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About Xayn
Xayn is the private search and discovery browser for the internet. The fusion of a search engine, a discovery feed and a mobile browser focuses on privacy, personalisation and intuitive design. Using the latest AI technology made in Europe, the company of the same name ushers in a new generation of user-friendly privacy tech.
The AI company started as a research project at The University of Oxford and Imperial College London by Leif-Nissen Lundbæk (PhD) and Professor Michael Huth. Together with Felix Hahmann, they founded the tech company in 2017. To this day, that academic vision remains with a workforce comprised of around 30% PhDs. The company’s open-source framework for federated analytics and learning, XayNet, is the basis of the discovery browser Xayn. The Berlin-based company has received investment funding of 19.5 million EURO from Global Brain Corporation, KDDI Open Innovation Fund, Earlybird as well as Dominik Schiener. Xayn has worked with corporations such as Porsche, Daimler, Deutsche Bahn, and Siemens.
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