Your carbon footprint, or a company’s carbon footprint,  is an estimation of all of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that result from daily activities, transactions, or operations – such as a flight. The CO₂ emissions of a flight mainly depend on the aircraft used, the distance flown, and the number of passengers and cargo the aircraft carries.

“Carbon offsetting” is a term used to describe a financing mechanism through which individuals and organizations can help support certified third-party projects that contribute to the reduction or removal of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions around the world.

Certified projects issue carbon credits, which act as an instrument for selling or trading the project’s associated removal or reduction impact. Each carbon credit aims to represent a single unit of GHG emissions (being one (1) tonne carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e)) that is reduced or removed from the atmosphere or the carbon cycle. A unit of GHG emissions can be reduced or removed through various methods or project types.

“Carbon offsetting” provides financing for these certified projects. The purchase of a carbon credit enables the buyer to contribute to these projects, and one often purchases carbon credits in an amount based on the estimated amount of carbon associated with a particular product, service, or activity.

A project’s ability to issue carbon credits depends on a set of rigorous conditions established by the third party methodology it is evaluated against – in order for a project to issue credits, the emission reductions or removals must be validated as additional, measurable, auditable, and unique.

The Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting (devised through collaboration with experts across the University of Oxford) defines "Offset" as "Emissions reduction or removal resulting from an action outside of an organization's boundaries used to counterbalance the organization's residual emissions." You can learn more about this mechanism and associated best practices here.

The support of such projects has no direct effect on the emissions associated with, for example, a flight you take. However, we believe in the importance of supporting these projects as a one (of many) pathways for financing climate action around the world.

How does Chooose estimate my flight’s carbon emissions?

Chooose follow the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Recommended Practice - RP 1726 to calculate the estimated carbon emissions associated with a passenger's flying on a particular flight. The RP 1726 calculation methodology takes into account multiple parameters including aircraft fuel consumption, seat configuration, cabin class, aircraft type, and historical load factors from more than 400 airlines (precision of the calculation depends on the input data). You can learn more about these parameters and the calculation methodology here.

How does Chooose estimate my carbon emissions related to accommodation?

The Greenview Hotel Footprinting Tool is used to estimate the carbon footprint of hotel stays based on location and star rating, and follows the methodology of the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI). This tool uses data from the Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking (CHSB) Index, which includes information on energy, water, and carbon emissions from over 20,000 hotels worldwide provided by major hotel brands, operators, and owners from all regions of the world. You can learn more about this here.

How does Chooose estimate my carbon emissions from driving a car, taking the bus, or taking the train?

Carbon emissions are estimated based on distance traveled by applying the BEIS (UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy) emissions factors for ground transportation. You can learn more about this here.

The estimation results you see here are offered for informative reasons only, and they do not represent the actual emissions generated from your travel.

To compare emissions between flights, Chooose looks at the emission estimates of each flight relative to the average emissions for that specific route. In order to do so, Chooose follows the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Recommended Practice - RP 1726 and takes into account parameters such as all scheduled flights, aircraft fuel consumption and seat configuration, and historical load factors for more than 400 airlines. Precision of the estimates depends on the input data.

When individuals or organizations “offset emissions” (i.e., purchase and “use” carbon credits), the funds paid contribute to projects that reduce or remove carbon, and the number of carbon credits purchased is frequently based on an estimated carbon footprint. The issuance and sale of these carbon credits provides a critical financing mechanism for these projects. Once the verified carbon credits are purchased they are “retired” from the public registry they are listed on – this takes them out of circulation and prevents them from being used again, thus avoiding double counting. All credits you purchase are held on the applicable registry and then “retired.”

The price you see represents the total cost to deliver the carbon “offsetting” service. All of the funds collected, excluding taxes and fees charged by Chooose on each transaction, are applied directly to sourcing and purchasing carbon credits from certified projects. For each transaction, a small administrative and technology fee is charged and received by Chooose.

lastminute.com works with Chooose to identify and source quality projects using a three-step process informed by industry guidance, followed by an evaluation that considers any additional requirements provided by lastminute.com. A number of criteria must be met, including project certification by a recognized carbon standard, quality analysis against a set of defined core criteria and validation of analysis using a third party rating agency where possible.

This service is hosted by climate tech company Chooose™. Chooose delivers a platform that enables both individuals and organizations to understand their carbon emissions, make more carbon-informed decisions, and support certified climate solutions around the world. For more information, please visit www.chooose.today. Terms and conditions apply.