Frequently Asked Questions

Offsetting is not a solution to climate change. To address this, we must all reduce emissions. However, well designed, managed and monitored offset projects can reduce the impact of our own emissions and help generate awareness of the need for others to do the same.

We track our transactional costs and the fees we charge and any ‘profit’ made on handling fees or minimum charges is passed to the British Airways Carbon Fund on a regular basis.

You can also email us at BACarbonZero@pureleapfrog.org

– The project you select – projects vary in price

– Handling fees –  see FAQ about handling fees

– Emissions factors – see FAQ ‘why is it cheaper to go internationally via somewhere in Europe than direct?’

This is because the emissions factors that are applied may differ. Please note the following:

• For flights between the UK and a European destination, the UK government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) emissions factors for short haul air travel are applied to calculate emissions. Flights originating in the EU are subject to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and we have therefore applied a discount to ensure that your emissions are not double-counted. For more information about this please read the FAQ entitled “How do we calculate the EU ETS reductions applicable to your flight?”
• For long haul flights to/from the UK we apply the UK government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) emissions factors for “long haul to/from the UK”
• For long haul flights to/from other countries, we apply the UK government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) emissions factors called “long haul to/from non UK”

In relation to long haul flights to/from other countries, BEIS notes: “aviation factors were introduced [in 2015] where aviation factors are now being presented for international flights between non-UK destinations. This is a relatively high-level analysis and allows users to choose a different factor for air travel if flying between countries outside of the UK. The international factors included are an average of short and long-haul flights, which explains the difference between the UK factors and the international ones”.

The BEIS approach reflects the need for balance between accuracy and complexity in modelling emissions factors.

At this time, we do not develop offset projects. Instead, we select high-quality existing projects. Our partner, EcoAct and Ecosphere+, is a carbon offset project developer and also works with other project developers.

Ecosphere+  is a mission-driven business that helps companies create and implement nature-based solutions that enable them to succeed in a world aligned with global climate and development goals.

Ecosphere+ sell high-quality forest carbon credits, verified to two of the most widely used and well-respected standards. Whilst going even further with their industry-leading ESG and by translating tonnes of carbon into different measurable impacts that are relevant to our customers, such as number people directly supported, number trees saved, impact on women.

CORSIA, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, is the climate regulation agreed by the international UN body the International Civil Aviation Organisation.  The regulation addresses the increase in total CO2 emissions from international aviation above 2020 levels so that all growth after 2020 will be carbon neutral.

CORSIA’s obligations have already started. As of 1 January 2019, all carriers are required to report their CO2 emissions on an annual basis.  Airlines will be required to offset the growth in emissions from 2021 onwards, so after this date we will adjust the offset calculation to take account of these emission reductions.

Pure Leapfrog is a charity working on accelerating decarbonisation in the UK and improving resilience of local communities.

We use our expertise in carbon markets, sustainable finance and energy systems to provide innovative solutions that address both climate change and social inequalities.

We have been providing offsetting services to individuals and businesses since our inception in 2005.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is an alternative to fossil-based conventional jet fuel that has significantly lower life-cycle carbon emissions. SAF is designed to meet the same strict quality standards as conventional jet fuel so that it can simply be mixed into existing aircraft and fuel infrastructure. SAF is made from renewable sustainable sources such as used cooking oil or household waste that would have gone to landfill. When the lifecycle emissions of SAF are calculated, they result in around 80-95% less CO₂ emissions compared to conventional jet fuel.

Offsetting one tonne of CO₂ will result in one tonne of CO2 less in the atmosphere. Carbon offsetting enables individuals and businesses to balance their carbon emissions by paying for equivalent carbon savings made by specially designed projects around the world. Some examples of projects are renewable energy, low emissions cook stoves and energy efficiency projects in developing countries, that reduce the amount of CO2 emissions in the environment.

Offsetting is an important element on the journey to net zero emissions, providing finance to accelerate carbon savings that would not have happened without it.

As a charity, Pure Leapfrog operates on a not-for-profit basis.

The offsetting price per tonne you pay on BA Carbon Neutral includes a 10% fee which covers the following Pure Leapfrog’s costs:

• Offsetting project research
• Administration costs, including carbon registry fees, where applicable
• Third-party payment platform costs used by BA Carbon Neutral customers
• Advancing the evolving best practice in Voluntary Carbon Markets though participation in industry bodies
• A contribution towards our work on a socially-just transition to net zero.

Your payment, after the deduction of the Pure Leapfrog fee, is used to purchase the offsetting options available on BA Carbon Neutral.

In the interest of transparency, we confirm that no other mark up, by Pure Leapfrog or British Airways, is included in the offsetting price per tonne on BA Carbon Neutral.

The price of a carbon credit depends on many factors, including supply and demand in the market and the quality, type, size, and geographical location of the project and the credit age (vintage) – but most importantly, the value that credit creates.

The availability of credits will change depending on supply and demand factors as well.

Reducing carbon is just one component of making our world a more sustainable place. Carbon offset projects that have other social and environmental outcomes associated with them help to create a more sustainable world where those in developing countries benefit more holistically from reducing/avoiding carbon.

Regulated, mandatory or compliance carbon markets are regional, national or international regimes, enforced through legislation. The most comprehensive of these is the European Emissions Trading System. British Airways is a long-standing supporter of carbon trading to achieve robust carbon pricing at the least cost to customers.

Voluntary carbon offset markets enable organisations and individuals to offset their emissions by purchasing offsets that were created either through the Clean Development Mechanism (a UN led initiative born out of the Kyoto Protocol) or in the voluntary market. Voluntary credits help to serve micro projects that are too small to warrant the administrative burden or not covered under mandatory compliance schemes. Credits generated under these schemes are called Voluntary Emission Reductions (VERs).

Pure Leapfrog helps organisations and individuals to reduce their carbon footprints by supporting communities to develop carbon reducing projects through the voluntary market. All the projects Pure Leapfrog supports reduce emissions or remove carbon from the atmosphere.

We adhere to the International Carbon Reduction and Offsetting Alliance’s (ICROA) Code of Best Practice.

ICROA is working with leading academic institutions to understand the drivers of the voluntary market, and to research and demonstrate the additional non-carbon benefits of voluntary offsetting. For example, a recent study by Gold Standard finds that for every carbon credit issued from a clean cook stove project, £219 in economic value is created. For domestic biogas projects, the average value created is £380 per credit.

Pure Leapfrog has been working with British Airways since 2011 and it manages the British Airways Carbon Fund. The fund, which is created from customer donations at the point of booking, has been used to support carbon lowering projects in the UK and Africa. More about the BA Carbon Fund can be found here.

Pure Leapfrog has also been offering carbon offsetting to British Airways’ customers for a number of years and our carbon calculator provides a simple way for BA customers to make their flight carbon neutral.

Since January 2020, Pure Leapfrog has also assisted British Airways in making all its flights within the UK carbon neutral using carbon offsetting.

British Airways customers are given the opportunity to offset their flight using the service provided by Pure Leapfrog.

We have developed our approach in consultation with British Airways to ensure the service, processes used, projects selected and customer experience meet their standards.

All offset contributions are handled directly through Pure Leapfrog. Given the high demand in the voluntary carbon market, British Airways has procured carbon credits in the projects available on BA Carbon Neutral to secure their supply, but it receives no income from the offsetting process.

We believe that all parts of our economy and energy system need decarbonising. This includes transport, which includes air travel. We work with partners who make a clear and demonstrable commitment to understanding their own impact and then take steps to address it. This describes British Airways.

Air travel provides an essential part of our transport system, providing economic benefits through commerce and tourism to all parts of the world, including parts of the developing world that rely heavily on tourism for economic security.

This is why we work with British Airways to provide them with a way that their customers can use to mitigate their impact by making their flight carbon neutral.

Cost per tonne and cost per mile may vary depending on: 

• The project you select – projects vary in price, as described above 
• Emissions factors – see FAQ about emission factors 

The carbon credits we are offering vary in price from approximately £8.00-£11.00 per tonne.

Each project has a different price depending on technology, location, carbon standard etc.

Once you have completed the carbon credit purchase, no refund can be made if you change your mind or in case of cancellation, rebooking or cancellation of the flight that you have offset. 

Once you have completed the purchase, no refund can be made if you change your mind or in case of cancellation, rebooking or cancellation of the flight that you have made carbon neutral. 

Our calculator uses average historical British Airways data from the most recent full year. If your flight is within Europe, we adjust the emissions calculation to reflect the emissions already reduced by British Airways’ participation in regulatory systems including the UK and EU Emissions Trading Systems so that we aren’t double counting these emissions.

Other calculators may use factors that are specific to a particular airline, or standard government factors. Other reasons for differences include the extent to which data is split by cabin class and whether non-CO2 effects are included. Given that the relative scale of non-CO2 impact is uncertain and subject to ongoing research, we are using a radiative forcing index of 1. This will be reviewed when further information becomes available.

This is up to you. Offsets are based on the number of passengers using a seat on the aircraft. If your child is old enough to sit on their own in a seat, then you can offset for them. If they are a baby in arms, then no offset is needed.

The data in the calculator is updated regularly based on:

• Annual emissions factor data provided by British Airways
• Changes to emissions regimes

We purchase and retire offset credits periodically, depending on volumes. 

At this time, we do not develop offset projects. Instead, we select high-quality existing projects from experienced project developers who have track record in issuing carbon credits.  

Projects are audited by an independent third party over a specified period and a verification report is then issued which confirms the number of credits the project can issue.  

CORSIA, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, is the climate regulation agreed by the international UN body the International Civil Aviation Organisation. The regulation addresses the increase in total CO2 emissions from international aviation above 2019 levels so that all growth between participating countries above that level in future will be offset.

CORSIA’s obligations have already started. As of 1 January 2019, all carriers are required to report their CO2 emissions on an annual basis. Airlines are required to offset growth emissions from 2021 onwards, so from 2021 we will adjust the offset calculation to take account of emission reductions required by CORSIA.

In addition to greenhouse gas emissions including CO2, aircraft also cause non-CO2 climate effects such as condensation trails. Research into these effects and the appropriate metrics to characterise them continues. Radiative forcing is a metric or measurement basis that aims to combine the CO2 and non-CO2 climate effects. Given that the relative scale of impact is uncertain and subject to ongoing research, we are using a radiative forcing index of 1. This will be reviewed when further information becomes available.