Chestertons in London says it wants to become the country’s greenest estate agency and has taken a first step by being certified as Net Zero Carbon.

It says it will pay into offsetting schemes to offset twice as much carbon as it produces.

After commissioning a specialist company to establish its carbon footprint, Chestertons has now offset the 212 tonnes of CO2 it currently produces per year by putting money into schemes.

A staff vote chose three schemes – one which produces and distributes water purifiers in rural Cambodia, another to plant more trees in the UK, and a third to cut emissions from deforestation and degradation in the Brazilian Amazon.

Back in 2019 Chestertons decided to replace its fleet with electric BMW i3s, which it claims helps reduce its carbon footprint by over 20 tonnes per year. 

Guy Gittins, Chestertons’ chief executive, says: “Going carbon neutral is just another step in the right direction for Chestertons, and we are committed to continue to use our position to have a positive impact on the environment, not just by focusing on the business footprint, but also the impact of our staff, clients, suppliers and partners.”