UK Carbon Offset Providers and Schemes
First published 2020, updated at various times since then.
Carbon offsetting schemes are a popular way for people and companies to achieve carbon neutrality. Once people have measured their carbon footprint, and looked at ways to reduce their carbon usage; carbon offsetting schemes can be used to help achieve their carbon goals, and reach carbon neutral status.
There are only a handful of carbon offset providers in the UK that have a focus on delivering carbon offset schemes in the UK. Our research excludes companies and charities that purchase offsets from third-parties and where carbon offsetting may be ancillary to other initiatives.
Looking for a UK carbon offset provider right now? My Carbon Plan offsets for UK companies from £10 per tonne — verified credits, registry serial numbers, and direct funding into British willow and woodland projects. Clients include Buro Happold, Barnett Waddingham and Sebia. See company offsetting →
We publish this comparison to assist buyers of carbon credits in the UK. We've included ourselves below on the same terms as everyone else.
1. My Carbon Plan
About: My Carbon Plan works with groups and individuals looking to create and manage carbon sequestration schemes in the UK. It is actively on the lookout for new projects to support with funding and insights.
In 2020, My Carbon Plan successfully helped create a short rotation coppice (SRC) willow planting scheme in the Lake District which planted 120,000 trees and is set to sequester over 10,000+ tonnes of CO2e during its lifespan. In 2024, My Carbon Plan provided funding for a second SRC willow scheme in South East England.
My Carbon Plan ran a pilot programme for retrofit in UK buildings, but due to a very low amount of interest from renovators, this scheme didn't progress beyond the pilot stage.
We continue to work with farmers and landowners to identify new sites for SRC willow planting, and are open to supporting new carbon sequestration initiatives in the UK.
Based: Harpenden, Hertfordshire
Established: 2020
Certification: My Carbon Plan works with project operators to determine the level of carbon sequestration, and monitors schemes through their lifespan.
Price per tonne of carbon offset: typically £10, can vary based on the nature of the scheme and the location in the UK.
2. Forest Carbon
About: a leading player in UK-based woodland creation and peatland restoration for carbon capture and offsetting. They are a carbon developer, operating across woodland creation and peatland restoration. Sells both ex-ante (PIU) and ex-post (verified) units from UK projects under the Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code, alongside international credits under VCS, Plan Vivo and the CCB Standards
Based: Durham
Established: 2006
Certification: Woodland Carbon Code, Peatland Code, VCS.
Price per tonne of carbon offset: not disclosed. Woodland Carbon Code PIUs (see below) are typically priced at ~£20/tonne of CO2e.
3. Treeconomy
About: a climate technology business applying remote sensing, drone survey and machine learning to measure carbon stock at individual tree level, then selling the resulting credits through its own marketplace. The measurement layer is the differentiator: buyers get ongoing monitoring data rather than a one-off projection.
Based: London
Established: 2020
Certification: Woodland Carbon Code.
Price per tonne of carbon offset: varies by project; not disclosed publicly.
4. CarbonStore
About: the carbon arm of Tilhill Forestry, one of the largest forest management businesses in the UK. CarbonStore acts as the bridge between landowners creating woodland or restoring peatland and companies buying the resulting units, with Tilhill handling design, planting and long-term management in-house.
Based: Stirling, Scotland
Established: 2019
Certification: Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code.
Price per tonne of carbon offset: varies by project; negotiated & oriented toward corporate-scale purchases rather than retail.
5. Carbon Footprint
Update: no longer offering carbon offsets. we've kept in this list as they were an early pioneer in this market.
About: Operates tree planting, Solar PV for schools and Biodiversity & Conservation schemes.
Based: Basingstoke, Hampshire
Established: 2002
Status: For-profit limited company.
Certification: Projects can be paired with projects in the developing countries which are certified; and Carbon Footprint is ISO certified.
Compulsory and Voluntary Offsetting Schemes
As of 2020, the only carbon offset schemes in the UK were for Voluntary Offsetting.
Following the Kyoto treaty in 1997, some industries in some countries were required to reduce their greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, including reducing carbon, and then offset to reach net-zero - Certified Emission Reductions (CER). Companies could then purchase carbon credits from these carbon offset projects - Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects.
Carbon credits for compulsory emission reduction (CER) are only available in developing countries, in accordance with United Nations protocols. There is some anticipation that following the Paris Agreement in 2018, eligible schemes may become allowed in developed countries, including the UK. From 2023 some peatland restoration and Woodland Carbon Code schemes may be eligible for mandatory offsetting purposes.
Certification of carbon offset projects in the UK
Certification is helpful to ensure that a scheme is being operated appropriately. Whilst certification may not guarantee best practices, it can be a good indicator.
Woodland creation and peatland restoration are the only two types of offset scheme in the UK which have recognised validation codes, through the Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code respectively.
Internationally, groups such as the Gold Standard, Plan Vivo, Verra's Verified Carbon Standard Program - among others - operate certification and validation for CERs and CDMs.
PIUs (Pending Issuance Units) vs Verified Units
A Pending Issuance Unit is a promise to deliver a carbon credit at a future date, based on predicted growth. Most Woodland Carbon Code projects run over a 100-year horizon, with verification at year five and every ten years thereafter.
The distinction is not academic. A PIU is not an offset and should not be reported against current emissions. It is a forward purchase — useful for planning against future emissions or for funding planting that would not otherwise happen, but it does not represent carbon already removed from the atmosphere.
The supply problem remains acute, some 99% of Woodland Carbon Code units transacted are PIUs. Fewer than around 3,000 woodland credits have ever been sold as verified units, and no peatland units have yet converted to verified status at all.
The PIU is not guaranteed, and should not generally be used to report against emissions until verified. However, they can help companies to plan against future emissions, or to voluntarily offset their carbon footprint.
Resellers of Carbon Credits
We have excluded a variety of UK-based companies which resell international carbon credits from our study here. However there are organisations that can assist you with your offsetting requirements in this way.
Carbon Reduction and Carbon Capture
There are two types of carbon offset schemes:
Carbon Reduction: creating a cleaner alternative method of production (e.g. wind energy) or reducing demand (e.g. energy efficiency).
Carbon Capture & Sequestration: capturing carbon from the atmosphere (e.g. by planting trees).
As noted above, only Carbon Capture schemes are currently certified in the UK.
Carbon Neutral vs Carbon Net Zero
Carbon neutral means that carbon offsets have been used to reach a balanced carbon footprint.
Carbon net-zero means that a company has removed all carbon from its activities and supply chain.
Ready to offset? You can voluntarily offset your carbon with a UK-based carbon offset provider for £10/tonne of CO2e.
Please contact us if you think we've missed a UK based carbon offset scheme operator from the list.
Does appear to be a problem. Forest Carbon have just sent their customers an email explaining that they can no longer meet demand in the UK ... to keep prices steady they will be doing most of their offsetting abroad. I sorry to say that I'm sceptical about the level of certification that can be achieved in the countries they list.
Yes - acquiring land will be expensive & difficult. We have started working with a few farmers, and are also looking to work with landowners, who are willing/able to provide land at no cost to help make the scheme work. Otherwise, as you note, the cost per tonne of offset will likely need to be much higher, for tree planting schemes in the UK.
Well done on having a go at this. I fear land aquisiton will be very tough and with around 10ha needed to offset one family (£200k) you may need to switch to more deliverable projects. UK farmers planted around 85m trees through the 1990's under the woodland premium scheme so many of the sites you are looking for went then.