Japan’s Environment Ministry will establish an expert panel to study the feasibility of authorizing companies to get in on the global carbon offset boondoggle bandwagon.

The system allows individuals and corporations to fund wind generation, tree planting and other environmental projects to offset emissions that are unavoidable in their daily lives and economic activities.

In Europe, for example, air travelers contribute a certain amount of money to environmental programs to compensate for pollution from airplanes.

The ministry panel will compile guidelines for introducing the system in Japan, focusing on how to certify whether the collected funds are used efficiently and how to secure accountability for the contributors, the officials said.