Key takeaways
- Shift offset 706.16 tonnes of CO₂ in Q2 2026, our third consecutive quarterly offset
- User growth from the Shift AI launch and fast follows drove a larger footprint this quarter, and a larger offset to match
- We continue to lean on the same verified partners and projects as previous quarters
- The Shift Impact Grant remains part of our broader environmental commitment
- Unlike much of the tech industry, our climate commitments haven't wavered
Where the last quarter took us
Growth, and the footprint that comes with it
This quarter didn't slow down, and neither did our footprint. We launched Shift AI, followed it with a run of fast follows, and watched our user base grow right along with it. More people building inside Shift means more collective browsing, and more collective browsing means a larger measured footprint. We're not going to bury that math in a footnote. Growth costs something, and this quarter it cost more than last quarter.
Responsible tech and green browsers: reimagining what that actually looks like
Shift CEO Neil Henderson gets honest about what it really means to build responsibly in an era where AI's environmental cost is still being calculated. Here's Shift browser's candid take on responsible AI, the limits of what we know, and why reimagining has to mean more than a better product.
Read MoreThe same partners, on purpose
That's exactly why the system exists. We leaned on the same carbon partners and the same verified projects we've used since our first offset: Carbonzero handling the credits, with funds going toward protecting old-growth forest in the Great Bear Rainforest and supporting low-carbon cement production across the U.S. We didn't go looking for something new to announce. Consistency is the point. A partner you've vetted once and trust again is worth more than a new logo every quarter.
Restating our commitment
Where the commitment extends outward
That commitment doesn't stop at our own operations. Each year, the Shift Impact Grant puts $25,000 USD in unrestricted funding behind an organization building at the intersection of tech and climate, under our theme, Reimagining. Our first recipient, FireSwarm Solutions, went from an early-stage wildfire drone startup to a NATO DIANA Challenge Programme participant in the space of a year, proof of what unrestricted, early support can unlock when it lands with the right team.
We already know who this year's recipient is. PhyCo Technologies is turning seaweed into a compostable alternative to the agricultural plastic that covers over 25 million acres of farmland worldwide, backed now by the same unrestricted funding model that helped FireSwarm scale. That's the bar the grant is built to clear, every year, not just the first one.
Introducing PhyCo: our 2026 Shift Impact Grant recipient
Meet PhyCo Technologies, the seaweed-based plastics biotech turning seaweed into compostable alternatives to agricultural plastic. Our 2026 Impact Grant recipient.
Read MoreA quieter industry, and where we stand instead
Most of the tech industry isn't matching this pace. A 2025 analysis by NewClimate Institute and Carbon Market Watch rated the climate strategies of Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet as poor, citing outdated emissions accounting and surging AI energy demand. At the same time, global climate coverage fell 14% in 2025 and is down 38% from its 2021 peak, according to the Media and Climate Change Observatory at CU Boulder. Less scrutiny, less pressure to follow through.
We're keeping our cadence anyway. Three straight quarters, measured and verified the same way each time. Learn more about our sustainability program at shift.com/sustainability.
