Earthly's 2024 highlights

A year full of challenges, positivity and innovations for nature.

The Earthly team

The Earthly team

17 Dec, 2024

Earthly's 2024 highlights

In 2024, we gained momentum towards our mission of protecting >1% of the planet by 2050 and it was a year full of challenge, positivity and innovation. For Earthly, this year has demonstrated the power of integrity, innovation and collaboration for our success.

Looking at the bigger picture, 2024 brought significant developments for global nature recovery and carbon markets. England's

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

framework was implemented at the start of the year, which paved the way for our biodiversity credits. Internationally,

biodiversity credits

were also a focal point at the COP16 conference in Colombia. And at COP29 in Baku, the carbon market saw a breakthrough with the approval of an international framework governing carbon trading under

Article 6

.

As we reflect on our team’s highlights, we’re more inspired than ever to continue restoring nature, protecting biodiversity, and supporting sustainable communities.

A year of impact, progress and achievements for Earthly!

1. The Earthly badge tackles greenwashing

This year, we remained steadfast in our mission to tackle

greenwashing

- a growing challenge that undermines real climate progress and misleads consumers. As part of our commitment to transparency and integrity, we retired our Climate Positive Certification, t

o avoid ambiguous climate claims being made,

and introduced the Earthly Badge.

The Earthly Badge is a mark of credibility and partnership with Earthy’s high-quality nature projects. It demonstrates a business is genuinely committed to climate action and the date stamp gives clarity on a company’s latest actions for nature. It is awarded to businesses that partner or work with us each year. 

We are looking to empower businesses to make authentic contributions to a more sustainable planet while building trust with their stakeholders - by ensuring accountability and avoiding misleading claims.

2. Our industry-leading biodiversity credits launched

We launched

Voluntary Biodiversity Credits

, a groundbreaking step toward measuring, funding and valuing biodiversity restoration. These credits are designed to not only protect but actively restore ecosystems, offering businesses a tangible way to invest in nature’s recovery beyond carbon.

Our leadership in this space was highlighted when we were

featured in the IAPB Biodiversity Framework

at COP16. The framework highlighted Earthly’s Voluntary Biodiversity Credits as a notable pilot solution and honored our work in advancing high-integrity biodiversity credits in England. Additionally, our CEO, Oliver Bolton, played a pivotal role as a member of the Working Group that shaped the framework. 

This recognition shows Earthly’s leadership in setting the gold standard for biodiversity restoration and accountability.

South-Downs-National-Park-Mount-Caburn

View of the South Downs National Park: the first National Park in the UK to open up a formal scheme for voluntary biodiversity contributions for the private sector, with Earthly.

3. Five new projects empowering communities and restoring nature

Earthly’s marketplace

welcomed

five new projects spanning four countries

, each selected through our rigorous assessment process to ensure they deliver measurable, high-impact results. By upholding the highest standards for ecological restoration, carbon sequestration, and community empowerment, these projects highlight the diversity of nature-based solutions we champion:

Kuamut-27

A new project for Earthly, the Rainforest conservation project in Malaysia protects critical tropical forests, fosters biodiversity and creates sustainable job opportunities for local communities.

4. Awards, recognition and highlights

We couldn’t be prouder of

milestones like these

that validate our approach to climate action. A couple of award nominations stood out for us this year:

The Reuters Sustainability Awards

We were honoured to be chosen as a finalist in the prestigious Reuters Sustainability Awards - a huge event that saw us alongside big players like the World Wildlife Fund and Environment Bank. Specifically, our Voluntary Biodiversity Credits were nominated in the Product Innovation category, just months after their launch and our first purchase.

The Carbon Awards

ESG Investing’s Carbon Awards nominated Earthly for not one but two of their specialised award categories: Best Carbon Credit Marketplace, and Best Carbon Research, Ratings & Data. The judging panel was made up of ten experts from across industry and academia. We were up against some of our amazing peers in these categories and were proud to reach the final round.

5. New partnerships for impact around the world

This year, we were pleased to establish key partnerships with global organisations including Deloitte and DMCC.

Earthly’s role in our partnership with Deloitte will be to help them source high-quality nature-based solutions for their member firms. We’re focused on accelerating sustainability across different businesses and sectors, and are working together to incorporate nature into ESG strategies. 

Equally exciting is our

collaboration with DMCC

. The organisation represents progressive businesses that want tohave a positive impact on climate and nature. Earthly is supporting the DMCC as part of their Sustainability Hub, offering companies within the group nature-based solutions to meet their sustainability goals. 

UAE's shift toward sustainability with DMCC's Sustainability Hub and Earthly

Co-founder and CCO Lorenzo signed our partnership agreement with the DMCC

6. Our voice at global climate events

We had the privilege of taking part in nature-inspiring events this year, by sharing the importance of nature-based solutions at:

  • Blue Earth Summit:

    Co-founder Olly gave his inspiring keynote talk about the innovations that are driving the future of nature restoration. In addition, our other Co-founder Lorenzo pitched Earthly to the judges as we were selected for the BE100 finals.

  • Ecology Calling:

    Olly was invited to speak as part of the event’s section on “Frontiers in Nature-Finance: capital, compliance, and checks & balances”.

  • Saatchi Gallery Lates:

    Lorenzo joined a panel to discuss communicating sustainability. The panel explored real-life stories of how storytelling and creativity can drive true impact in the fight against climate change. 

  • The Climate Change Summit:

    In Bucharest, Olly took to the leafy, green stage to present his ‘Regenerating Earth’ keynote, which inspired the international climate leaders in attendance.

These opportunities allowed us to connect, inspire, and further the discussion on the role of nature in solving global climate challenges.

Olly at Climate Change Summit 2024

Co-founder and CEO Olly gave a keynote speech at the Climate Change Summit in Bucharest

7. Our LinkedIn community rocketed

Mid-way through the year we were delighted to surpass

10,000 followers

on LinkedIn. We’re now racing past

15,000

and are excited to see the community grow. There’s a lot of ‘noise’ out there about nature, climate and sustainable businesses, but we see so much hope, passion and positivity in our feed.

A huge thank you to everyone following along as we share stories of our customers’ and projects’ global impact and nature restoration. If you haven’t already, connect with us here:

Earthly on LinkedIn

, and enjoy close looks at the amazing people, species and spaces our projects support.

8. We welcomed new team members

At Earthly, our impact is driven by the incredible people behind the mission. In 2024, we were proud to welcome five new team members to our

global team

. Our new starters are based all around the world, in

Spain

,

Northern Ireland

and

India

. Our growing, multicultural team reflects not just the biodiversity we aim to protect but also the diversity of ideas, skills and perspectives that strengthen our efforts.

We’re incredibly proud of our team’s shared passion and commitment to driving meaningful change, and we’re excited to see how their contributions will take us even further in 2025 and beyond.

pub dinner

A delicious pub dinner at our winter retreat to Wales

9. Summer and winter team meet-ups

Working

remotely

with a four-day work week allows us the flexibility to balance our personal lives and professional commitments. However, coming together in person is always a wonderful experience. 

This year, our

summer and winter company meet-ups

in rural

England

and

Wales

gave us the chance to reconnect, share ideas, and recharge as a team. Meeting in person allowed us to strengthen our team spirit and collaborate. It was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the impact we’re making and bond over our shared mission. 

Looking ahead to 2025!

As 2024 comes to a close, we’re incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made and the milestones we’ve achieved. It’s been a year of tangible impact and growth.

As we close out the year, we’re energised by everything we’ve achieved together, with businesses, partners, and communities across the globe.

We’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible, and we can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store. We are motivated to help

protect over 1% of the planet by 2030

, by scaling up funding for nature-based solutions and helping businesses integrate sustainability in their operations.

Thank you for being part of our journey.