SAN FRANCISCO, CA & LONDON, UK, Sept. 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Watershed, the enterprise climate platform, today announced the Watershed Ecosystem, an expanded network of partners and advisors that will drive exponential climate action at the world’s leading companies.

The Watershed Ecosystem gives Watershed customers access to the solutions and guidance they need to accelerate climate results at scale. It includes the Watershed Marketplace, comprising more than 45 partners offering high-integrity carbon removal, virtual power purchase agreements, and sustainable aviation fuel; a new Science Advisory Board whose expertise informs Watershed’s industry-leading methodologies for measuring greenhouse gas emissions and vetting carbon removal projects; and an expanding group of technology, data, and consulting partners that augment and complement Watershed’s platform capabilities. 

“We are on the verge of exponential climate action. We have the technology we need to transition to a thriving lower-carbon economy; we just need to deploy it. The Watershed Ecosystem reflects our conviction that every organization has a role to play in addressing climate change. Exponential climate action happens when companies rally together to build the climate economy. We’re honored to work with so many accomplished partners and advisors to help companies achieve climate impact at scale,” said Taylor Francis, co-founder of Watershed.

Watershed customers can now fund the replacement of fossil-based jet fuel with sustainable aviation fuel through a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA). Watershed will be a member of SABA and its first-ever aggregator partner. Sustainable aviation fuel has the potential to cut the carbon intensity of flights by around 84%, but remains prohibitively expensive for most would-be buyers and constitutes less than 0.1% of total jet fuel supply today. Customers who purchase sustainable aviation fuel certificates will get more sustainable aviation fuel into jets, while helping compensate for existing air travel emissions.

“We are thrilled to welcome Watershed, our newest member and first aggregator partner, to the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance. This partnership further strengthens SABA's coalition—which includes a fast-growing list of Fortune 500 companies—by making these crucial technologies available to Watershed customers of all sizes and sectors,” said Kim Carnahan, Head of Secretariat of SABA. “Through collective action, we're accelerating the trajectory of sustainable aviation and setting a new standard for corporate climate action.”

Patrick Flynn has also joined Watershed as Advisor and Chair of Watershed’s CSO Council, which will convene sustainability executives from the world’s leading companies. Patrick has worked in climate for more than a decade and brings a unique combination of boldness and pragmatism to corporate sustainability. Prior to joining Watershed, Patrick led sustainability at Salesforce, where he spent more than seven years building the program that has become a standard-bearer in corporate climate action. He currently serves on the board of the Ocean Foundation and is an advisor to Generation Investment Management, TOPO, and Humanitas.

“It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come as a climate community—and yet, we still need to move so much faster,” said Patrick Flynn, Advisor and Chair of Watershed’s CSO Council. “I believe with the right tools and community, companies can deliver big change, fast. I’m excited to support Watershed’s vision for the new climate economy.” 

Watershed Ecosystem Components

The Watershed Ecosystem encompasses the Watershed Marketplace, Watershed’s Science and Policy Advisory Boards, and Watershed’s technology, data, and consulting partners.

The Watershed Marketplace enables companies to turn their climate plans into action. Integrated into the Watershed platform, it is the world’s most comprehensive, high-quality climate marketplace, and one of the world’s leading sellers of high-quality, scientifically vetted carbon removal. 

• The Watershed Marketplace includes 45+ partners from around the world with 70+ projects that drive proven impact.
• Watershed is the first-ever aggregator partner of the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA). Sustainable aviation fuel certificates (SAFc) will be a listed option on the Watershed Marketplace. Watershed is the inaugural customer of this program, committing to purchase SAFc to account for emissions from air travel to a recent company offsite.
• Watershed continues to refine its rigorous carbon removal vetting process for Watershed Marketplace suppliers. Watershed accepts only 1% of proposed nature-based removal projects for listing on the Watershed Marketplace.

The Watershed Science Advisory Board will support the evaluation of carbon removal projects and technologies, and provide subject-matter expertise on product development and methodology improvements. The Watershed Science Advisory Board is chaired by Steve Davis, Professor of Earth System Science at UC Irvine, and includes: 

• William Anderegg, Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Utah;
• Inês Azevedo, Associate Professor of Energy and Resources Engineering in the Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford University;
• Joseph Fargione, Science Director at a major environmental NGO;
• Emily Grubert, Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Policy at the University of Notre Dame;
• Matthew Long, Co-Founder and Executive Director at [C]Worthy, Scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and Adjunct Scientist/Oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution;
• Destenie Nock, Assistant Professor of Engineering & Public Policy and Civil & Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University;
• Adam Pellegrini, Group Leader for the Ecosystem and Carbon Science Group at the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge;
• Anna Trugman, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara;
• Dominic Woolf, Senior Research Associate in the Soil and Crop Sciences Section of the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University.

Watershed’s technology and data partners integrate with the Watershed platform to allow customers to manage and report climate and ESG data in one place. Watershed has significantly expanded its partnerships over the past year to provide customers with industry-specific capabilities and deepen its subject-area expertise. Watershed’s newly announced partners are:

• Arcadia, which makes energy data accessible, comprehensive and actionable for businesses and developers;
• ecoinvent, the international mission-driven organization devoted to supporting high-quality, science-based environmental assessments;
• PCAF, the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials, which is the global standard enabling financial institutions to assess and disclose greenhouse gas emissions associated with financial activities.

Watershed previously announced partnerships with Workiva, CDP, Novata, and Google Cloud.

Watershed’s consulting partners provide tailored expertise throughout a company’s climate journey including scoping, measurement program management, decarbonization and target-setting strategy, stakeholder management, reduction plan implementation, change management, and more. Watershed is now partnering with: 

• Accenture, the global professional services company that helps organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services;
• BSR, the sustainable business network and consultancy focused on creating a world in which all people can thrive on a healthy planet;
• ERM, the global pure-play sustainability consultancy.

Watershed previously announced partnerships with KPMG and Applied Value Consulting.

###

ABOUT WATERSHED: Watershed is the enterprise climate platform. Companies like Airbnb, Carlyle Group, Everlane, YETI, and BBVA use Watershed to measure, report, and act on their emissions, so they can produce audit-ready carbon footprints that drive real reductions. With embedded climate intelligence from the world’s leading climate and policy experts, Watershed is the platform of choice for companies seeking to satisfy regulatory requirements, unlock new business opportunities, and address climate-related risks. Watershed customers also have exclusive access to a marketplace of pre-vetted, high-quality carbon projects and groundbreaking virtual power purchase agreements.

Amelia Penniman
Watershed
amelia@watershed.com