Treeflights: Bundle offset into airline ticket price

Treeflights, a company specialising in planting trees to offset customers' carbon emissions, has responded favourably to the environmental audit committee (EAC) report supporting the practise.

Forestry-based offsetting has been at the receiving end of sustained criticism for several years, as some analysts claim the practise is ineffective.

But the committee took a more favourable view, saying: "Some of the most rigorous and environmentally beneficial of all projects come from the stewardship of tropical forests."

A spokesperson said: "For some time it has been fashionable in the media to denigrate offsetting, and forestry offsets in particular, so we welcome the EAC's positive approach to tree-planting as a part of the fight against climate change.

"We consider that whenever an individual engages in a carbon intensive activity, they should be strongly encouraged to offset."

They continued: "Treeflights partner with organisations that are giving the lead in carbon offsets by bundling the offset in with the ticket price.

"It is one thing to give the customer an option to offset, much better is to include it; usually a small percentage of the total cost of their holiday."