About us

Carbon Retirement was founded in 2008 to make a difference in the carbon offsetting market. Our aim is to provide a reliable and transparent way for people and organisations to take responsibility for their unavoidable emissions.

Along with many of our customers, we were always more than a little sceptical of funding projects in the developing world. We had a feeling there ought to be a simpler way to do it; and we found the answer in retiring EU allowances. We buy and cancel these pollution allowances, so they can’t be used. That’s it.

The UK Government endorses this approach to offsetting, and accredits the offsets we sell.

We really believe in what we do and we’re always delighted when respected organisations and individuals support us. We’ve won social enterprise and innovation awards from UnLtd and Shell Livewire.

Read what environmentalists, policy-makers and business leaders have to say about us or view case studies of our work.

Key people

The company is led by Jane Burston and Dan Lewer.

	Jane Burston Jane's background is in strategy consulting. Her varied roles include climate change policy for Transport for London and carbon management consulting for SMEs. Jane has been named a British Library and Striding Out Future 100 Ethical Entrepreneur, and in the Guardian 'top 50 in retail' list. Jane is actively involved in non-profits as a board member of sustainable technology charity Computers for African Schools and as a British Council Climate Change Ambassador.
	Dan Lewer Dan also comes from a strategy consulting background. He has worked with corporate clients to design organisational approaches to climate change, and also with NGOs on their approaches to environmental campaigning. Dan writes In Balance, a blog about energy, economics and climate change and is a guest lecturer at Ashridge Business School in emissions trading.