Sandbag (non-profit organisation)


Sandbag or Sandbag Climate Campaign is a Community Interest Company, campaigning for changes to European climate change policy, especially emissions trading. The organisation was launched in 2008 by Bryony Worthington and was the first member of The Guardian's Environment Network.

Launch

Sandbag Climate Campaign was launched as a campaign on the European Union's Emission Trading Scheme, allowing its members to campaign to reduce the number of permits in circulation and to purchase permits and cancel them. Large corporations must obtain these permits from the EU if they need to emit greenhouse gases during production. The purchase of these permits by the public prevents their use by corporations. Worthington described her organisation as "a bit like burning money in front of someone so they can't spend it on something bad."
Worthington gave the first public talk on Sandbag at a geeKyoto meeting in London during May 2008.
In 2018, 10 years since its launch, Sandbag registered a Brussels based organinsation, Sandbag Climate Campaign ASBL. As of 2020, this became the main Sandbag office for EU policies. Sandbag's current EU Engagement is lead by Suzana Carp.

Current focus

Sandbag currently produces research and campaigns on EU ETS and EU climate policy coal power plants, reducing emissions in industry, and reform of the Effort Sharing Regulation, as well as reform of the European Union Emissions Trading System.
The company is based at 40 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3UD.