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Carbon offset sellers slammed

23 December 2007

EasyJet has that the carbon offsetting market is riddled with "snake oil salesmen".

The low-cost airline claimed that is has delayed the start of an offsetting scheme due to cost concerns.

It will now go alone by acquiring credits from UN-accredited schemes and selling them back to customers.

Toby Nicol, easyJet's communications director, said that the firm was alarmed by how much money carbon offsetting firms wanted for their service.

"We have been quite surprised at the percentage that the offsetting companies would like to take out of the scheme for administration costs. Between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of every pound put in by consumers would go into administrating the company and that was simply too expensive.

"There are a lot of people who have dived into the market who are desperate to make a margin from it. There are too many snake oil salesmen in the business."

Carbon credits cost up to £7.50 per tonne. The easyJet carbon offsetting scheme will be launched this summer.

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