Tusker saw an 8.5% improvement in its carbon footprint in 2010/11 through reduced business travel and greater car sharing and web conferencing, as it maintained its carbon neutral status.

Tusker worked with carbon management consultants, Carbon Footprint, to calculate that its carbon emissions over a 12-month period from April 2010 to March 2011 had fallen to 103.67 tonnes from 113.32 tonnes in the previous year.

The reduction achieved meant that Tusker’s carbon footprint reduced from 7.98 tonnes per million pounds of turnover to 4.71 tonnes per million.

Company car journeys contributed 34.7% of the company’s carbon emissions in 2010/11, down from 37% in the previous year as the company increased car sharing and web conferencing, while electricity usage at the Watford head office continued to be the largest carbon contributor.

To ensure it retained the carbon neutral status it had achieved the year before, Tusker’s offset its reduced carbon footprint by investment in Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Carbon Reduction Projects around the world.

In addition, they are planting 104 native broad-leaved trees in the London and Home Counties area to absorb even more carbon from the atmosphere.

John Buckley, managing director of Carbon Footprint Ltd said: “Tusker has taken a real leadership position in carbon management.

“This year they achieved a really impressive reduction in their annual footprint and are now offsetting their remaining emissions by supporting high quality carbon reduction projects in developing countries. In addition, they are also planting trees nearer to home in the UK.”

Tusker now plans to reduce its carbon footprint still further for the current year with a series of initiatives, including promoting car sharing wherever possible, using trains instead of planes wherever practical and further increasing the use of web conferencing for internal and sales meetings.