Carbon Offsets

Carbon offsets allow people and businesses to fund climate projects around the world that avoid new greenhouse gas emissions or remove existing emissions from the atmosphere. They don’t reduce your own emissions, but they provide a way to take additional climate action by supporting reductions beyond what you can achieve on your own.

Carbon credits are what people and businesses actually purchase when they buy carbon offsets. Each credit represents one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) reduced or removed through a project, such as forest conservation or clean energy production. Credits are issued based on the project’s measured and verified climate impact.

Carbon offset projects are initiatives that generate verified reductions or removals of greenhouse gas emissions. These projects take many forms, including forest conservation, reforestation, renewable energy, clean cookstoves, mangrove restoration, soil carbon sequestration, and technological carbon removal. For example, the Rimba Raya project in Indonesia protects carbon-rich tropical peat swamp forests from conversion into palm oil plantations, preventing the release of millions of metric tons of emissions each year.

Carbon offsets don’t change how much carbon you emitted. But they do give you a way to support an equivalent amount of emissions reductions or removals through climate projects.

Start by using a carbon footprint calculator to measure emissions from your flights, travels, or other activities. Then purchase carbon offsets based on the results from a reputable provider, such as Sustainable Travel International, that offers high-quality, verified carbon credits.

Use a carbon calculator to estimate the emissions from your flight. You’ll enter details such as route and seat class. Then purchase offsets equal to your flight footprint from Sustainable Travel International or another trusted provider.

Companies can start by calculating the carbon footprint of their operations or products, including energy use, company vehicles, employee travel, and even supply chain emissions. For tour operators, trip footprints can include flights, ground transportation, accommodations, activities, and meals.

Once their footprint is calculated, companies can purchase an equivalent amount of carbon offsets. For example, a tour operator might build a climate contribution into every trip, so that each traveler helps fund emissions reductions or removals equivalent to their trip’s footprint. Sustainable Travel International offers carbon offset programs tailored for businesses to help build these contributions into their operations.

Yes—when done right. High-quality carbon offsets represent real, measurable reductions or removals of greenhouse gas emissions. But not all offsets are created equal. Credible projects must follow rigorous requirements for measuring, monitoring, and independently verifying their climate impact. We carefully vet every project in our portfolio to ensure it meets recognized standards and continues to deliver the climate impact it promises. By choosing credible offsets and pairing them with efforts to reduce your own emissions, travelers and companies can expand their climate action beyond their own footprint.

Carbon offsets are not a free pass to pollute. They don’t erase your emissions or replace the hard work of decarbonization. Reducing emissions at the source should always be the priority. Offsets are a way to do more alongside those efforts, not an alternative to them. This is especially important in sectors like tourism, where activities such as flying continue to generate significant emissions.

In fact, research shows that companies that purchase carbon offsets are often more committed to carbon reduction. One study found that nearly 60% of companies that voluntarily buy carbon offsets reduced their emissions year over year—compared to just 33% of companies that don’t offset. They also spent three times more on emissions reduction activities.

When done right, offsets help fund the transition to a low-carbon future. The projects they support—such as clean energy and sustainable agriculture—build the infrastructure and systems that make it easier for individuals and businesses to reduce emissions over time. Some projects, like reforestation, help remove the emissions we can’t yet avoid by preserving vital carbon sinks that absorb CO₂ and stabilize the global climate.

We don’t just list carbon offset projects—we curate them. Our program is built on quality, integrity, and impact. Our team reviews each project to ensure it meets rigorous third-party standards (such as Verra and Gold Standard) and delivers verified emissions reductions. We also vet projects against our own added diligence criteria, evaluating factors such as community benefits and project reputation. The result is a diverse mix of nature-based, technological, and community-driven solutions, enabling you to support various approaches to climate action across a range of geographies.

We also translate technical documentation into easy-to-understand language, so you know what you’re supporting and the impact it creates.

No—carbon offsets are only one part of our work. As an organization, we’re committed to driving systemic change in the tourism industry. We partner with destinations, educate businesses and travelers, and promote better practices across the sector. This broader perspective ensures our offset program isn’t just a transaction, but part of a more holistic and transformative approach to climate action in travel.