OFFSET: how an app can offset your CO2 with every purchase

What if every purchase automatically became a climate action?

Imagine: you pay for your morning coffee, fill up your car, buy a train ticket, do your weekend grocery shopping. And with each transaction, a fraction of that amount — intelligently calculated based on the actual carbon footprint of that purchase — is automatically directed to certified carbon offset projects. Without thinking about it. Without filling out a form. Without any calculations. Just a normal life, with a positive impact running in the background.

That is exactly the promise of OFFSET, the French app that turns your bank spending into continuous climate action.

The problem OFFSET solves

Individual carbon offsetting has existed for years. But its adoption remains marginal, for one simple reason: it requires effort. Calculating your footprint, finding a reliable project, creating an account on a platform, deciding on an amount, making a bank transfer... So many steps that discourage even the most motivated people.

The result? According to a 2024 study, fewer than 3% of French people regularly offset their carbon emissions, despite the fact that 78% say they are concerned about climate change. The intention is there. The action is not.

OFFSET was designed to bridge exactly this gap between intention and action — what psychologists call the "knowing-doing gap." By making offsetting automatic, continuous, and proportional to the real impact of each purchase, OFFSET removes the friction that prevents most people from taking action.

How OFFSET works technically

Step 1: Secure connection via open banking

OFFSET uses open banking — the European regulatory framework (PSD2) that allows users to authorize trusted third parties to access their banking data in read-only mode. You connect your bank account in seconds, with your explicit consent and the ability to revoke access at any time.

OFFSET can only see your transactions. It cannot issue unauthorized transfers or access your banking credentials. Security is ensured by the same protocols used by apps like Linxo, Bankin' or Finary — leading players in the sector.

Step 2: Intelligent analysis of your purchases

Once your account is connected, OFFSET's AI analyzes your transactions and automatically classifies them by carbon footprint category:

• Energy and fuel: fuel fill-ups, gas/electricity subscriptions, heating oil.
• Food: restaurants, supermarkets, meal deliveries.
• Transport: rail companies, airlines, ride-hailing, car rentals.
• Fashion and consumption: clothing, electronics, online shopping.
• Services: hotels, events, leisure activities.

For each category, OFFSET applies certified emission factors from ADEME databases and the International Energy Agency to estimate the actual carbon footprint of each transaction.

Step 3: Automatic proportional contribution

Based on this analysis, OFFSET calculates an offset contribution and deducts it automatically according to your settings. You choose:

• The contribution mode: rounding up to the nearest unit, a fixed percentage of the amount, or a contribution proportional to the estimated footprint.
• The monthly cap: you set the maximum you want to contribute per month.
• The spending categories included: you can include or exclude certain categories.

Step 4: Funding partner NGO projects

The collected funds are directed to carbon offset projects rigorously selected according to strict quality criteria:

• Certified Gold Standard or Label Bas-Carbone.
• Verified by accredited independent third parties.
• With measured co-benefits: biodiversity, local jobs, access to clean water.
• Reporting annually on their actual impacts.

OFFSET's partner NGOs include recognized players in international and French carbon offsetting. Each user can view in real time the details of funded projects and the tonnes of CO2 offset to their credit.

The numbers that illustrate the impact

For a typical user with 2,500 euros in monthly spending:

• Estimated monthly carbon footprint: 650 to 850 kg of CO2 depending on the profile.
• Monthly contribution via OFFSET (rounding mode): 8 to 15 euros.
• Monthly contribution via OFFSET (proportional mode): 15 to 30 euros.
• CO2 offset per month: 200 to 600 kg depending on the amount contributed and the projects.

In proportional mode, OFFSET allows a user to offset between 30 and 70% of their monthly carbon footprint — without any calculation on their part.

Total transparency: your carbon dashboard

OFFSET is not a black box. The app gives you access to a personal dashboard that displays:

• Your estimated carbon footprint, month by month and by category.
• The total amount contributed since the beginning.
• The tonnes of CO2 offset and the projects funded.
• Recommended actions to reduce your most significant emissions.
• Your progress compared to the national average (8.9 t CO2/year).

This transparency is essential: OFFSET does not encourage offsetting as a substitute for reducing. The app first helps you understand your footprint, then reduce it, and finally offset what you cannot yet eliminate.

"We built OFFSET on a simple principle: the best environmental action is the one you actually take, not the one you plan but never follow through on. Automation serves real action."

— The OFFSET team

OFFSET's security and privacy commitments

The question of banking data is legitimate and central. OFFSET makes the following commitments:

• Read-only access: OFFSET can never initiate payments without your explicit authorization for each offset transaction.
• Anonymized data: aggregated data may be used to improve carbon footprint models, but is never resold to third parties.
• Full GDPR compliance: right to erasure, data portability, explicit consent.
• Secure infrastructure: hosted in Europe, end-to-end encryption, AISP (Account Information Service Provider) accreditation obtained from the Banque de France.

Join the OFFSET beta

OFFSET is currently in beta testing with its first pioneer users. Joining the beta means:

• Free access to all features during the testing period.
• Co-building the product with the team: your feedback shapes upcoming features.
• Joining a community of early adopters who share the conviction that technology can accelerate the climate transition.
• Getting early access to new features: gamification, collective challenges, personalized annual carbon report.

To understand why automation is the most powerful lever for democratizing carbon offsetting, read our article on why automating your carbon donations changes everything.

And if you want to deepen your understanding of carbon offset mechanisms before getting started, our complete guide to carbon offsetting answers all your questions.

The ecological transition cannot rely solely on climate superheroes who calculate their footprint to the decimal and meticulously select their offset projects. It needs millions of ordinary people who act a little, regularly, automatically. OFFSET is designed for those people. For you.