A MARINE electronics firm says it will go beyond being “zero carbon” this year by more than nullifying its CO2 output.

Actisense is planning to remove around 280 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere – the equivalent of driving 695,000 miles in an average car or charging a phone 36million times.

It says this will make the company “carbon positive”.

The Poole-based business – the marine electronics brand of Active Research Ltd – has set environmental impact as one of its key objectives for 2021.

It has pledged to plant at least one tree for every order it receives. The company, on the Nuffield Industrial Estate, is working with climate action champion Ecologi on the plan.

Chief executive Phil Whitehurst said: “It’s simple: Buy Actisense, and we’ll plant a tree on your behalf.

“The marine industry has always been acutely aware of the environmental impact we have on the wider environment. As a small but global business, we have made a commitment to counterbalance our carbon emissions by making improvements to our headquarters as well as by working with the wonderful team at Ecologi to plant thousands of trees every year – at least one for every order we receive.

“By the end of the year, we will have planted around 2,900 trees and removed 280 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the environment, meaning our carbon footprint will be smaller than our collective output, making us a truly climate positive workforce.”

Fellow director Michele Whitehurst said: “In 2020, we had already engaged with the excellent programme through Low Carbon Dorset to start on the improvements to our headquarters, including LED lighting and a new industrial energy-efficient heating system. There is yet more for us to do, but we’ve taken these important first steps as part of our wider environmental commitment.”

Actisense was founded by Mr Whitehurst, a chartered electronics engineer, in 1997 and makes intelligent marine electronic products. They are exported to more than 85 distributors in more than 50 countries worldwide.