Our company has been in business since 1997, and we have always believed in working to published standards across our whole operation.  This is increasingly important – the carbon market is becoming more complex, a new partially understood lexicon has emerged and there are more and more companies and individuals wanting to reduce CO2 emissions and trying to find their way to the best possible approach.

At its most basic level, there are 10 questions which any customer should ask of a carbon offset partner.

Against this backdrop, we have consistently led the way on standards for the industry – developing, living by and publishing Protocols and Policies which are then more widely adopted:

• Our entire service is operated according to a public standard: the  CarbonNeutral Protocol covers CarbonNeutral programmes from carbon measurement to offset and communication
• Carbon Report and Accounts.  Annually we commission a respected third party (this year PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP) to review and ‘assure’ our carbon stocks and contracts with our clients.         This review is conducted in accordance with the PARC, the  Policy for Accounting and Reporting of Carbon.
• Our work in the area of climate change and under the CarbonNeutral Protocol is subject to the review, advice, and guidance of an Independent Advisory Group (IAG) of climate change experts from academia, NGOs and business.  Click here to see the Terms of Reference of the IAG, and click here to see the current and past membership of the IAG.
• Independent Advisory Group. The Protocol and the CarbonNeutral programme is reviewed regularly by an independent forum of businesses, scientists and NGOs
• Public  Register of offset projects. We are the only carbon offset company to publish a full register of carbon transactions and contracts
• The  Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management. We use the ECCM for independent science advice
• Our  CSR policy - our own CSR policy and brand philosophy demonstrates that we 'practice what we preach'

10 Point Plan for Selecting a Carbon Partner