Yook - More climate awareness in e-commerce. Are you in?

Yook's mission is climate protection. Therefore, the company from Hamburg offers CO2 transparency as a service for eCommerce sellers, to make the future of online trade more eco-friendly. We are proud to be a part of their mission! 


In our interview with climate activist and founder Varena, you can learn how Yook works, which climate protection projects are supported and how you can make your shopping more environmentally friendly with just one click. 


How did the idea for Yook come about?


Yook co-founder Antoine and I have been moving forward with the initiative since September 2020. After working for a long time on climate protection in the mobility and energy sectors I realised that there was still a huge gap, especially when it came to consumption. The lack of transparency for shoppers makes it difficult for consumers to make eco-conscious decisions. I wanted to develop a way that allows everyone to do something for climate protection with just one click. Super simple, fast and uncomplicated.


Was there a specific moment of inspiration for the foundation?


There wasn’t a specific event, but a catalyst was the emotions you go through when shopping. Firstly, it’s easy to get lost in greenwashing, and secondly, we wanted to eliminate the guilty conscience caused by consumerism. Every purchase decision we make is also a climate decision. Yook helps with this without pointing fingers, in an easy and simple way. 


Who is behind Yook?


We are a diverse team of 10 spread across Europe, consisting of permanent employees, working students and freelancers. As the founder, I am responsible for our partnerships with online stores and product development. 


What is the goal of Yook?


Our goal is to enable sustainable options where purchasing decisions are made,  whether by companies or end customers. We are convinced that climate-friendly action must become incredibly simple, so that as many people as possible do it. It must not be an additional effort or process that requires specific knowledge or a detailed examination of the topic. 


What are the main obstacles to achieving these goals?


Many are hesitant as they are afraid of too much transparency or greenwashing accusations, yet theory and practice shows that transparent, authentic and honest communication always wins. Plus, more shoppers than previously expected made climate contributions on our partner’s online stores, which surprised many. 


What does climate protection mean to you? 


For me, climate protection means taking responsibility and working together to promote ideas across a wide variety of levels and platforms. This in turn will hopefully change the way society thinks and give us more time to fight the climate catastrophe. Above all, I think that this is possible through education and cooperation, because we only lose important time by blaming others.  


Where do you see the "decisive lever" for reducing CO2 emissions in order to achieve the climate goals?


If you think of the climate crisis like a house fire, it becomes clear: we can't just put out the fire in one place, we have to try to contain it everywhere and with all available means. In other words, we must question all areas of life and industry and avoid, reduce and compensate at the same time.

In the area of consumption, the bigger levers include less consumption, long-lasting products and reusable materials. But ultimately, every small purchase decision contributes to the world we want to live in.


Tell us a bit more about Yook products. What do you offer? 


We have created a climate protection plug-in for online stores, through which you can easily integrate a climate contribution, or the possibility of compensation, into the shopping cart. This makes it easy for shoppers and online stores to make their own contribution to climate protection. If you want to go even further, you can use our software to calculate the carbon footprint of your products. This creates transparency that helps both online stores and shoppers make better decisions, from the raw material to the purchase. 


What criteria do you use to choose the climate protection projects you collaborate with? 


We select our partner projects based on the "Oxford Principles for Net-Zero Aligned Offsets”. We are particularly concerned about the integrity and transparency of the projects. This includes honest communication about challenges, including things that go wrong! Besides the ecological effects, social aspects are important to us too. If projects are developed holistically, we believe they will be successful in the long run. 


Which climate protection projects can consumers support with Yook?


Through REBEL FIN CO. you can support Fairventures Worldwide in Borneo. This is a great project because Fairventures reforests former rainforest areas, whilst involving the local population. We also have lots of other projects in our portfolio, allowing us to find the perfect match for every store. 


Can customers see the positive effect? For example, in reforestation?


Yes, our project partner Fairventures publishes the reforestation measures on their world map, and you can also see the positive development via satellite images too, which is really impressive. In addition, we show the total reforested area of all store partners on our impact page.


How does "Click for Climate" (as integrated at REBEL) work?


REBEL customers shop online as normal, but will find our "Click for Climate” link in the shopping cart. With every order, one square metre in Borneo is reforested via the Rebel store and Fairventures. Customers also have the option to double their climate protection contribution with just one click at the checkout. We forward the climate contributions to the selected climate protection project on a monthly basis. 


What is your top tip for a more environmentally friendly everyday life?


Do more things that really put you in a good mood, these are often very climate-friendly! Cycle through the city, shop less and spend more time with friends, be outside in the fresh air, use delicious vegetarian and regional ingredients, and appreciate what you have!