With the replacement of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) no longer applicable due to Brexit, the Basic Payments Scheme (BPS) is being replaced in 2024 by the Environmental Land Management System (ELMs).
Within this we may see provisions for domestic offsetting, where farmers can be rewarded for increasing sequestration on their land through active management such as tree planting. We would hope that a domestic system for this is set up, so that private businesses can access farmland for localised tree planting.
Below you’ll find a full list of different schemes that we recommend.
However, if you want to take action now then below are the two major players that we recommend looking at. Neither is better or worse, but depends on what you want to achieve.
Some prefer the story of UK planted rewilding, while others love the impact and scale that Ecologi can faciliate.
Ideally, use both!
< £1 Per Tree
Worldwide
Brilliant for affordable tech integrations at scale easily for big international impact.
£6 Per Tree
Scotland
Brilliant for story building and accountability within the UK that you can visit.
Best overall because of user-friendly calculators, third-party certification, and flexibility in purchasing offsets.
Best air travel because of STI’s extensive expertise in the sustainable travel industry and commitment to certified offset projects.
Best B Corp because of the value in offering sustainable business services. It’s possible to request a quote tailored on a business’ goals and budget, thus making the 3Degrees scheme a better option for businesses that are interested in large offsets and that want to take advantage of other available sustainability services.
Cost: £12.90 per tonne of CO2
| Name | Location | Type | Cost per tonne CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Carbon | UK | Restoration and Biodiversity | £10.80 |
| My Carbon Plan | UK | Tree Planting | £6.50 |
| NativeEnergy | Tanzania | Reduction of Deforestation | $15.50 |
| 3Degrees | US | Methane Capture | Custom |
| STI | US | Renewable Energy Infrastructure | Custom |
When choosing a carbon offsetting program, there’s a few key questions to ask and check the scheme answers fully. Most schemes on this page will meet these requirements and pass them, however if shopping around keep them in mind!
Are the trees being planted additional to what already were planned?
Some schemes offer carbon offsetting through protecting existing trees, which can be less effective than generating new growth and protecting existing trees.
This “Additionality” is important to ensure that your impact is truly being offset, and you’re not simply funding schemes that were already in place.
Trees take 15 to 20 years before they fully start absorbing carbon. Therefore the scheme needs to guarantee that any trees planted are actively managed and maintained, and that the metric is trees grown, not planted.
Alternatively, some schemes have a guarantee that if a tree planted doesn’t grow, more are planted following years to ensure that the total amount is credited.
It may also be worth exploring Carbon Synching for this, where you offset more heavily upfront due to the rate of tree growth.
We’ve split our schemes into both UK and International.
Which you go for is a matter of personal choice, though we recommend doing both. International schemes can offer better impact for the investment thanks to lower costs, and tie into other Sustainable Development Goals.
However, UK schemes can tie into other social impacts, team building activities and brand stories, while also potentially providing more accountability in that emissions are being dealt with “at home”.
However, as long as the scheme is of high quality and verified, it doesn’t matter too much where it’s based!
Other common questions we have are:
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