Carbon Offsetting

Carbon offsetting enables companies and organizations to meet ambitious climate goals, puts a price on carbon to incentivize further action, and provides critical finance to accelerate the world’s transition to a low-carbon future.

What is carbon offsetting?

Carbon offsetting is the practice of compensating for carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by funding projects that reduce or remove an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases. Offsetting one tonne of carbon means there will be one less tonne of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than there would otherwise have been. 

To offset emissions, a company must purchase the equivalent volume of carbon credits (independently verified emissions reductions) to compensate for the emissions they cannot avoid. These carbon credits offset their environmental impact by channeling carbon finance to projects that are avoiding and reducing emissions elsewhere in the world, ensuring they are financially viable and sustainable.

How can carbon offsetting benefit my company? 

Offsetting carbon emissions is an interim measure as you work to reduce your own direct emissions. Companies use carbon offsets in different ways. You can use it to help compensate for:

• Your residual carbon footprint after all other means of cutting emissions have been exhausted.
• Emissions from a particular product, service, building, project, or event.
• Emissions from your supply chain.

Carbon offsetting is a cost-effective way to meet multiple social impact, environmental and company targets.

Carbon offsetting demonstrates environmental responsibility, supports your sustainability goals, and can enhance your brand reputation with customers, investors, and stakeholders.

Offsetting is also a practical step toward achieving carbon neutrality or net zero targets while you work on reducing emissions over time.

Why offset carbon emissions with us? 

Because we make it easy for your company to take immediate, credible climate action. 

• Leverage deep expertise: With roots in the voluntary carbon market since 1997, we’ve helped clients deliver ambitious climate goals worldwide.
• Partner with a proven, award winning leader: We deliver some of the largest carbon offset programs globally and are frequently recognized as one of the leading carbon offset providers—we’ve won Best Offset Retailer 12 times and the Best Project Developer 11 times.
• Work with a mission-driven team: As a Certified B Corporation, we’re recognized for upholding high standards of environmental and social performance.
• Go CarbonNeutral® today: We’ll help you take full responsibility for your current emissions through verified carbon offsets.
• Build a path to net zero: Our experts will work with you to develop a long-term carbon offset strategy aligned with your goals.
• Access global, high-impact projects: We partner with carbon finance projects in locations that matter to your company, supporting over 600 projects in more than 56 countries.

How does carbon offsetting reduce climate change?

To limit global warming to 1.5 degrees as set out in the Paris Agreement, we need to halve emissions by 2030. This means we need to take immediate action while also putting plans in place to decarbonize over the next decade. Corporate carbon offsetting is a vital tool to help tackle climate change as it allows you to take action for carbon emissions your company produces today, while you transition to a lower carbon future. While carbon offsetting alone will not solve climate change, it is an important tool on the way to net zero.

How does carbon offsetting work?

Offsetting carbon emissions starts with measuring your company’s footprint, setting a reduction strategy, and offsetting the emissions you can’t eliminate. Offsets let companies take climate action now while working toward longer-term decarbonization.

They are one tool among many and should complement, not replace, direct emissions reductions.

How are carbon offsets measured?

When your company purchases carbon offsets, each credit represents one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) reduced or removed—whether through methane capture, avoided deforestation, or carbon removal like tree planting. 

Carbon offset projects generating these credits measure their emissions reductions against a baseline, using approved methodologies. This baseline is independently validated before any credits can be issued. 

Once the project is registered, its performance is monitored, publicly reported, and verified by a third-party auditor. After verification, the project can issue carbon credits equal to the amount of emissions reduced, giving your company a credible way to offset residual emissions. 

What’s the process for carbon offsetting?

To offset your carbon footprint, start by measuring your company’s emissions and setting internal reduction goals. After internal reductions, address any remaining unavoidable emissions by purchasing high-quality carbon credits verified under recognized global standards. These credits, backed by carbon finance, help reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. You'll receive a certificate showing the tonnes of CO₂ equivalent offset. Finally, share your climate action with stakeholders and continue working to lower your emissions over time.

Partnering with carbon offsetting providers

Partnering with carbon offsetting companies like Climate Impact Partners helps businesses ensure their offsets are credible, verifiable, and aligned with the latest climate standards.

Carbon offset companies offer access to high-quality projects, handle complex regulatory and verification requirements, and reduce reputational and compliance risks.

They also provide strategic guidance, transparent reporting, and tools to track impact—making offsetting more efficient, trustworthy, and aligned with broader sustainability goals.

Examples of carbon offsetting projects

Carbon offset programs can include a variety of carbon projects to meet your corporate objectives. Climate reduction projects can range from nature-based solutions, improved household technology to renewable energy solutions.

Some projects prevent carbon emissions entering the atmosphere, such as those that replace devices using fossil fuels with cleaner technology (clean cooking).These are often known as carbon reduction or avoidance projects.

Other projects take CO₂ out of the atmosphere, such as planting trees which sequester carbon as they grow. These are known as removals projects.

The positive impacts delivered by emission reduction projects are not limited to the climate. Many projects also deliver positive outcomes for local communities, economies, health, and the natural world, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Funding emission reduction projects by buying carbon offsets helps provide necessary finance to sustain the project.

We deliver some of the largest carbon offsetting programs in the world and have supported over 600 projects in more than 56 countries. Explore some of our carbon projects.

View our immersive 360-degree video tour below to see an example cookstove project in action.

High quality carbon offsets for companies and organizations

Our comprehensive network of project partners gives us access to carbon finance projects around the world. All projects must pass additionality tests, demonstrating how they are delivering emission reductions beyond ‘business as usual’ and in a way that would not be possible without carbon finance.

Are your carbon offsets verified or certified?

Yes. Every carbon credit we sell represents one tonne of emissions reductions that has been delivered by a project, and is independently audited to internationally agreed standards. They are all certified by third parties and go through a rigorous system of checks and balances to prove they are real, measurable, permanent, additional, independently verified and unique. 

How do you ensure the quality and integrity of your carbon offsets?

Our rigorous 10-stage due diligence process ensures the quality and integrity of every carbon project we support. Drawing on deep technical expertise and on-the-ground experience, we go beyond standard checks to assess both technical and reputational factors—including social impacts—to deliver verified, high-impact climate solutions.

This commitment to quality helps protect your brand, meet evolving reporting requirements, and showcase your climate leadership with confidence.

How do I know my company’s offsets are making a real impact?

We only work with independently verified projects that meet internationally recognized standards. Each and every one of our projects undergoes rigorous due diligence to ensure it delivers measurable, additional, and permanent emissions reductions or removals. We also provide transparent documentation and regular reporting so you can clearly see the climate, social, and environmental benefits your offsets are supporting.

How do you meet industry carbon offsetting standards? 

We work only with projects that meet independent industry standards and pass our own additional due diligence and quality requirements. All our projects are independently validated and verified to meet recognized third-party standards, including the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), Gold Standard, ACR and the UK Woodland Carbon Code.  

But our commitment to quality goes much further. Climate Impact Partners is a founding member of the voluntary carbon market’s industry association, ICROA and we are on the Board of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA). 

Our work has played an important role in the development of the voluntary carbon market and our project principles have widely influenced the debate about what counts as a valid carbon offset. We continue to campaign for high standards.

Offsetting helps UN Sustainable Development Goals 

Through carbon offsets, companies can deliver on many UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Climate Impact Partners uses a robust framework to evaluate carbon finance projects against the indicators established by the UN to measure progress toward 17 SDGs.

Compare how different project types tackle different SDGs on our nature-based solutions, health and livelihoods projects, and sustainable infrastructure projects pages.

Carbon offsetting Frequently Asked Questions