Offsetting works the same way whatever the source of the emissions: work out the tonnes, cut what you can, and cover the rest with carbon credits that are retired in your name. These guides apply that to specific activities, with the numbers and checks that matter for each one.

The same four steps every time

  1. Estimate the emissions in tonnes of CO₂e. Our tools include a flight calculator and a personal footprint calculator.
  2. Cut what you can first. The Oxford Offsetting Principles start with reducing your own emissions and treat credits as a complement for what remainsSource 1.
  3. Buy one credit per tonne, rounded up. Each credit represents one tonne of CO₂e reduced or removedSource 2.
  4. Check the retirement. Once retired, credits can’t be recirculated or resoldSource 3. Look up the serial numbers in the public registry.

Start with flights

If you fly, start with flights. Our guide to offsetting a flight covers how much a flight emits, how cabin class and non-CO₂ effects change the figure, which credits suit flights and the claims to watch out for.

Your car, your home and your events

For everyday emissions, see how to offset your car, which works from the distance you drive and your fuel type, and how to offset your home, which turns the kWh on your energy bills into tonnes. Planning a wedding, party or conference? Our guide to offsetting a wedding or event starts with guest travel.

For businesses

Companies can apply the same steps to business travel, their website and e-commerce shipping. Each guide shows where the emissions sit in a company footprint and how to report the credits without overstating them.

Choosing credits

Whatever you offset, the quality checks are the same: a named project, a recognised standard, serial numbers in a public registry and a retirement record you can find. Our guides to how to buy carbon offsets and how to verify carbon credits explain each check, and where to buy carbon credits compares sellers.

A note on claims

Offsetting a trip or an activity doesn’t make it emission-free. A factual statement, such as the tonnes you retired and a link to the registry record, is clearer than a label like “carbon neutral”. The Oxford Principles describe that label as one that has come to be read as a less rigorous, interim claimSource 1.