Singapore App Capture Helps You Track Your Carbon Footprint & Offset It

Singapore-based startup Capture has just created an app for individual users to track their carbon footprint from their everyday transport choices and auto-offset them on a monthly basis through certified tree planting projects. The app is a part of a growing group of digital platforms providing solutions for the climate crisis, our planet’s most urgent issue. 

Founded by Abdul Aziz and Josie Stoker this year under the Antler incubator program, Singaporean startup Capture has built a prototype app that aims to empower people to live a carbon conscious life. Inspired by their own personal challenges of trying to reduce their own carbon footprint on a daily basis, the app helps users keep track of their climate footprint from their everyday transportation choices, and offsetting their impact through forestry planting projects all over the world. 

It works by collecting GPS information to estimate each person’s daily modes of travel, and the equivalent average carbon emissions associated with the journey. It also asks for additional information from users to make better and more accurate calculations, such as the model of the car taken. Over time, the more information the app collects, the more precise its predictive modelling system in tracking each user’s footprint. The app gives you real-time feedback on your week-to-week progress towards a lower carbon lifestyle, such as tips on alternative lower carbon transport modes. Each month, users can auto-offset their emissions through supporting verified carbon offsetting projects on the apps, which range from tree protection to regenerative farming and replanting programs all over the world. While the free app is not yet available for download, the startup is hoping that they will be able to launch later this December. 

Given that the wealthiest 10% of the world’s population are responsible for almost half of global carbon emissions, according to an Oxfam report, the app is a useful solution for individuals, especially in developed countries and urban cities, to do their bit to reduce their footprint. 

A number of other tech-forward companies and organisations have also risen to help with this challenge using tree planting as the offsetting solution for users. Browser extension TreeClicks, for instance, helps online shoppers offset the carbon of some of their purchases, while online search engine Ecosia supports tree planting projects with every web search without tracking users’ private personal data. 

Once Capture is up and running, the company hopes to continue to expand its functions to encourage more eco-friendly individual choices. Some of these planned features include tracking carbon emissions from food, fashion, consumer purchases and home electricity use. The “food choices tracking” feature, which will give users tips on how to adopt a low-carbon plant-centric diet, will be expected to launch by the end of March 2020. Capture will also offer B2B services, dubbed “Capture for Events”, where the company hopes to provide tracking and offsetting services for business and conference travel emissions.

Lead image courtesy of Capture.