We’re currently working on a way to “gift” carbon offsets to an individual friend or relative, but for now, you can bundle offsets for multiple people in either here, the family plan or employee offset plan. 

The cost per tonne of CO2e captured or reduced can vary significantly depending on the type and location of the project. Each month, we invest in a range of 8 to 15 different projects, aiming for a balance of project types and geographical locations. This allows us to maintain an average cost of £5.50 per tonne of CO2e. We aim for this average price as it strikes the right balance between offering you consistent monthly costs and investing in a broad portfolio.

That depends on a number of factors such as age, species and environmental conditions but the most common estimates range between 400-900kg of CO2  captured in a tree’s lifetime. We’ve decided to be cautious in our estimation, using 200 kg as a lifetime estimation for each tree planted. As a result we’re confident that 200 kg is very much on the low side by anyone's measure and at Switch2Zero we don’t want to oversell the potential impact.

CO2e is shorthand for Carbon Dioxide Equivalent.  When talking about climate change and global warming you often hear the term ‘greenhouse gases’ too, that’s because there are a number of gases (such as methane) that contribute significantly to global warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere in a similar way that Carbon Dioxide does.  CO2e is used as a metric so that it is possible to bundle together all the greenhouse gases and articulate their size and impact in one consistent metric. The benefit of this is that we can focus on the reduction of all greenhouse gases, not just Carbon Dioxide.  

HMRC has made the decision that, from 1st September 2024, VAT will be chargeable on purchases of carbon offsets, and the funding of tree planting and plastic waste collection. Prior to this date, these purchases have been VAT exempt for UK-based businesses.

If your business operates outside the UK, VAT will not be applied.