One of the UK’s largest independent hotel reservations, business travel and conference and event management companies, Expotel, has announced that it has achieved the CarbonNeutral brand mark, which is backed by an independently managed and audited standard for carbon management covering covers assessment, reduction, offsetting and communication of carbon emissions.

The assessment covered greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Expotel's operational activities for the 12 month period of December 2005 to November 2006.

“The three key stages of assessment for Expotel were carried out by the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management Limited for The CarbonNeutral Company,” explains Ian Burnley, Expotel’s chief executive. “A full emissions assessment was conducted in order to deliver an accurate carbon footprint relating to all our operations.”

The group is also offering carbon neutrality to its customers. Expotel will calculate clients’ carbon footprints based on their hotel and conference consumption either for them to offset through Expotel or through projects of their choice.

Internal measures to decrease emissions have been implemented, such as recycling, the installation of energy efficient hot water heaters (instead of kettles) and lights that automatically shut off when no motion is detected.

Also, three projects have been chosen in England, Scotland and Wales to offset the emissions, including: the Nairnside Wood, Inverness-shire; Myndd-Y-Garnedd in the heart of Snowdonia; and Greenland Wood is located near the town of Overseal in Derbyshire, close to Burton-on-Trent