ConsultEarth Terms of Service

Last updated: 26 June 2026 Version: 1.0

1. About these Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a legal agreement between the User and Consultearth Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 16727374, registered office 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ) ("ConsultEarth", "we", "us", "our"). They govern access to and use of the ConsultEarth websites, applications, and services (together, the "Platform").

By creating an account or using the Platform, the User agrees to these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and our Cookie Policy, which are incorporated by reference. A person who does not agree must not use the Platform.

ConsultEarth is a marketplace that connects organisations ("Clients") with independent environmental and sustainability professionals ("Experts"). Capitalised terms have the meanings given in §2 (Definitions).

These Terms are written in English, and the Platform is intended for business and professional use.

2. Definitions

In these Terms:

3. Account eligibility and registration

3.1 Minimum age. A User must be 18 or over and able to form a binding contract. The Platform is not intended for anyone under 18.

3.2 Business use. A User uses the Platform for business or professional purposes. Where a User acts on behalf of an organisation, that User confirms it is authorised to bind the organisation, and references to the User include that organisation.

3.3 Accurate information. A User must provide accurate, current, and complete information and keep it up to date.

3.4 Account security. Each User is responsible for the account credentials and for all activity under the account, must keep the password confidential, and must notify us promptly at security@consultearth.com of any suspected unauthorised access.

3.5 One account. A User must not maintain multiple accounts to evade limits or enforcement, or share an account with others, except for organisation team members invited through the Platform's own team features.

4. Our role — a marketplace, not a party to dealings between Users

4.1 We provide a Platform for Clients and Experts to find and connect with each other. We are not a party to, and are not involved in, the agreements, negotiations, or work between Users. Any Engagement, advisory call, or contract a User enters into with another User is between those Users.

4.2 Each User acknowledges and agrees that we do not supervise, direct, control, or monitor an Expert's performance of any work, and that:

(a) we are not responsible for the accuracy, quality, legality, or any other aspect of User Content or of the work Users provide to one another; (b) we are not responsible for the offering, performance, or procurement of any services between Users; (c) we make no representations about, and do not guarantee, any User's services, conduct, suitability, or the results of any Engagement; and (d) nothing on the Platform creates an employment, agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship between a User and us, or between Users beyond the agreements they make with each other.

4.3 The review we do — and don't do. We carry out a basic review of Expert profiles before they go live, and we may verify certain credentials where indicated on the Platform. We do not conduct criminal-record, financial, or other comprehensive background checks on Experts or Clients, and we do not independently guarantee the accuracy of what a User states about itself, including any stated qualifications and experience. Each User is responsible for satisfying itself about anyone it deals with.

4.4 Users deal with each other at their own risk. Each User is responsible for evaluating, and for its dealings with, other Users, including vetting them and agreeing the scope, terms, and deliverables of any work.

5. Contractual relationships between Users

5.1 When a Client and an Expert agree to work together — whether through an advisory call, a job, a proposal, or an Engagement — they form a direct contract with each other on the terms they agree. We are not a party to it.

5.2 Disputes between Users are for those Users to resolve. We may, but are not obliged to, provide tools or information to help (for example, the engagement workspace, reviews, or the dispute flow on advisory calls). Where we provide a refund or take an action, it does not make us a party to the underlying contract.

5.3 No claim against us for another User's conduct. Cancelled, abandoned, or unsatisfactory Engagements, or another User's failure to pay, deliver, or behave properly, do not give a User any claim against ConsultEarth. A User's remedies for such matters are against the other User (for example, through the User's own contract, a payment dispute with the card provider, or the courts). This does not affect a User's statutory rights or §17 (Liability).

6. Worker classification and independence

6.1 Experts are independent professionals, not our employees, workers, or agents, and not employees of Clients by virtue of the Platform.

6.2 No continuing relationship is created. An Engagement or appointment through the Platform does not oblige either party to offer or accept any further work, and creates no continuing relationship beyond what the parties expressly agree. Engagements are mutually non-exclusive.

6.3 Each User is responsible for its own tax, national insurance, VAT, and any applicable employment-status or off-payroll-working (IR35) obligations arising from its use of the Platform and the work it does or procures.

6.4 Status is between Users, not us. We do not determine, and are not responsible for, the employment or tax status of any Engagement between a Client and an Expert, including any assessment under the off-payroll-working rules (IR35). No User is obliged to offer or accept work through the Platform, and we neither supervise nor control how, when, or where an Expert performs work (§4.2). Any employment-status determination, and any liability resulting from it, rests with the Users concerned.

7. Fees and payments

7.1 What we charge for. Depending on account type and activity, fees may include subscription tiers, per-job-post charges, credit and token purchases, and advisory-call payments. Current prices, fee levels, plan features, and the related operational rules (such as credit and token amounts, allowances, and cancellation windows) are shown on the Platform and form part of these Terms. We display them so they can be kept current; where these Terms refer to a rule, price, or limit as "shown on the Platform", that displayed value applies. We may change prices and these operational rules prospectively, on notice for material changes under §21. Unless stated otherwise, prices are exclusive of any applicable taxes, which are added where required.

7.2 Subscriptions. We offer paid subscription tiers for Experts and for Clients, with the available tiers, their features, and prices shown on the Platform. Subscriptions are billed in advance for the chosen period (for example, monthly or annual) and renew automatically until cancelled. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current period; we do not refund the remainder of a paid period, and there is no proration for mid-period cancellation (see §9).

7.3 Advisory calls. A Customer books and pays for an advisory call with an Expert at the Expert's stated price. Payment is taken at booking and held until the call is completed.

7.4 Payment processing and the platform fee. Payments and Expert payouts are handled by our payment processor, Stripe, including via Stripe Connect. For advisory calls, when funds are released to the Expert after the call, we retain a platform fee and pass the balance to the Expert. The current platform fee and any other applicable fees are shown on the Platform. We may change fee levels prospectively on notice under §21.

7.5 Authority to charge. Each paying User authorises us and Stripe to charge the User's chosen payment method for the fees the User incurs, and is responsible for keeping a valid payment method on file for any subscription.

7.6 No chargeback abuse. Initiating a card chargeback for a charge that is valid under these Terms (instead of using the refund process in §9 or raising a dispute) is a breach of these Terms and may lead to suspension.

8. Advisory-call cancellations, rescheduling, and disputes

8.1 Cancellation by the Customer. A Customer may cancel an advisory call for a full, automatic refund up to 72 hours before the scheduled start time, using the manage link in the booking confirmation. Once that window has passed, self-service cancellation is no longer available and any refund is at our discretion, reviewed case by case (see §9).

8.2 Rescheduling. A call may be rescheduled up to 24 hours before the start time and up to three times. After that, rescheduling is unavailable and the remaining options are to attend the call or to cancel it under §8.1.

8.3 Always-refund cases. Regardless of timing, a full refund is issued where: the Expert does not attend; the session is unusable due to a Platform fault; or the Customer raises a substantiated dispute within the post-call confirmation window and it is upheld.

8.4 Discount codes. A refund returns the amount the Customer actually paid, not any pre-discount price. Where a discount code was applied, its usage is released so it can be used again, subject to that code's own remaining limit and expiry.

8.5 Deletion override. If an advisory call is cancelled because an account is being deleted, a full refund is always issued regardless of the standard cancellation window (see §13).

9. Refunds

This section is our complete Refund Policy and forms part of these Terms. A plain-language summary is also published at /help/refund-policy; if anything there conflicts with this section, this section governs.

9.1 What this policy covers. This policy governs refunds of fees paid to ConsultEarth for Platform services: advisory-call payments we process, job-post charges, subscriptions, and credit or token purchases. As a general rule, where we fail to provide a paid-for Platform service, we refund it; where a service has begun and the request is simply a change of mind, refunds are limited, as set out below. This policy does not cover the value, quality, or delivery of the work an Expert provides to a Client. Other than the advisory-call rules in §8, we do not process or stand behind that work, are not a party to it (§5, §17.4), and do not refund it; any such refund is a matter between the Client and the Expert.

9.2 Advisory calls. Cancellations, reschedules, the always-refund cases, and discount-code handling are governed by §8. In short: a full, automatic refund where a Customer cancels more than 72 hours before the call; discretionary inside 72 hours; and always refunded where the Expert does not attend, the session fails due to a Platform fault, or an upheld dispute is raised within the post-call window.

9.3 Job posts (Starter and Basic). A per-post charge is refunded in full where a Starter brief is rejected at our review before publication for reasons not attributable to the Client, or where a Platform outage prevents a brief from going live or from receiving applications during its listing window. A partial refund or token credit may be offered, case by case, where a brief published correctly but received no qualifying applications during its listing window despite being properly written. No refund is due where the Client cancels a brief after it has gone live and received applications, or where a brief is removed for breach of these Terms. (Pro Clients post using included monthly tokens rather than per-post charges; see §9.4 and §9.5.)

9.4 Subscriptions. Expert paid tiers and Client Pro are billed in advance for the chosen period. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; the subscription stays active until then, and the remainder of a monthly period is not prorated or refunded, nor is the unused portion of an annual term. Credits and tokens already in an account are preserved on cancellation and remain spendable under the rules of the tier the account moves to. Accidental or duplicate subscription charges are reversed at our discretion on request.

9.5 Credit and token top-ups. One-time credit and token purchases are not refundable to the card once completed; the credits or tokens are added to the account and remain usable until their normal expiry. A charge Stripe processed in error (for example, a duplicate charge) is reversed on request.

9.6 Automatic credit refunds. Some credit spends are returned automatically, with no request needed: when a Client rejects an applicant at the interest stage, and when an Expert withdraws an application before the Client has acted on it, the credit spent to apply is returned to the Expert's ledger. Once an application progresses past the interest stage, that credit is committed.

9.7 Requesting a refund. For anything not handled automatically, a User contacts us at team@consultearth.com with the transaction reference (or order-confirmation email), the reason, and any supporting evidence. We review refund requests within a few business days and decide in line with this section.

9.8 Discretion and timing. A refund granted at our discretion in one case does not create a rule for future cases. Card refunds are returned to the original payment method through Stripe and typically settle within 5–10 business days depending on the bank; in-app credit refunds return to the account balance immediately.

9.9 Consumer cancellation right. Where a User is a consumer and the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 apply to a purchase, that User has a statutory right to cancel within 14 days. By asking us to begin a service, or to make digital content or a paid feature available, before that period ends, the User asks us to start immediately and accepts that the cancellation right is lost once the service has been fully performed; where it has been only partly performed, the User may be charged a proportionate amount for what was received. This does not limit the always-refund and not-as-described rights above.

9.10 Other statutory rights. Nothing in this section affects any refund or cancellation right a User has by law that cannot be excluded, including consumer rights that apply to that User (see §16.3, §17.1, and §22.2).

10. Content, intellectual property, and licences

10.1 User Content. A User retains ownership of the content the User submits to the Platform (profiles, proposals, messages, files, deliverables, reviews — "User Content"). Each User is responsible for its User Content and must hold the rights needed to share it.

10.2 Licence to us. Each User grants us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, display, and transmit the User's User Content solely to operate, provide, secure, and improve the Platform and as needed to make the features the User uses work (for example, showing an Expert's public profile to Clients). This licence ends when the content is deleted, except for copies retained as described in the Privacy Policy (for example, backups or legally required records) and content others have already received.

10.3 Public content. Some content is public by design (for example, Expert profiles, reviews, listed services). It may be indexed by search engines and seen and reused by others. See the Privacy Policy for what this means.

10.4 Our intellectual property. The Platform, including its software, design, and branding, is owned by us or our licensors. We grant each User a limited, revocable, non-transferable licence to use the Platform under these Terms. A User must not copy, modify, reverse engineer, scrape, or create derivative works of the Platform except as allowed by law.

10.5 AI and User Content. We use AI to power certain features (see the Privacy Policy, "AI features"). We do not train AI models on personal data. We will not use User Content to train or improve AI models unless we ask for the User's explicit, opt-in consent first.

10.6 AI use by Experts in delivering work. If an Expert uses generative AI to help deliver work to a Client, the Expert must not do so in a way that misrepresents the Expert's abilities, breaches the Client's stated preferences, or infringes anyone's rights. Where a Client asks, the Expert must disclose material AI use. The Expert remains responsible for the work as delivered, and rights in the delivered work pass to the Client as the Client and Expert agree between themselves.

11. Acceptable use

This section sets the rules for behaviour and content on the Platform.

11.1 Acceptable use principles

Each User must use the Platform lawfully, honestly, professionally, and with respect for others' rights, and must keep marketplace activity — finding, communicating, contracting, and paying — on the Platform as described in these Terms.

11.2 Prohibited content

A User must not post, upload, share, or transmit any content that:

11.3 Prohibited conduct

A User must not:

11.4 Anti-discrimination

Opportunities on the Platform must be open to all qualified people. A User must not discriminate against, or harass, any other User on the basis of a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 — age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. This applies to how a User writes job posts, selects applicants, communicates, and behaves in Engagements.

11.5 Anti-harassment and no retaliation

A User must not harass, bully, threaten, or intimidate any other User or our team. Retaliating against a person for making a report under these Terms, or for being believed to have made one, is itself a breach and grounds for immediate suspension.

11.6 Protecting personal data in marketplace activity

A User must not post its own or anyone else's sensitive personal information where it is not needed. When reporting a concern, a User must not include special category data about other people unless strictly necessary to explain the issue.

11.7 Reporting violations

A User who sees content or behaviour that breaks these Terms can report it:

We aim to review reports within 10 business days, and prioritise reports flagged as involving illegal content or an immediate risk of harm for faster triage. The reporter is told when a review concludes; the action taken on another account is kept confidential, and a reporter's identity is never disclosed to the reported User. Reporting is rate-limited to deter misuse. For suspected illegal content or an emergency, contact the relevant UK authority first (police on 999; IWF or CTIRU for content removal).

12. Intellectual property — notice and takedown

We respect intellectual property rights and act on valid notices. We host content Users create; where we are notified of infringing content and act promptly, we rely on the hosting protection available to online intermediaries under UK law (the retained Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002). These intermediary protections operate alongside, and are not displaced by, our separate duties under the Online Safety Act 2023 (§14). Acting on a notice does not mean we accept that content is infringing.

12.1 Reporting copyright infringement

To report content believed to infringe a copyright, use the in-product Report action (category "copyright or IP"), or email legal@consultearth.com with the subject "Copyright notice", including:

  1. the notifier's name, the organisation represented (if any), and contact details;
  2. identification of the copyright work (a description, title, or link);
  3. the location of the infringing content on the Platform (URL or clear description);
  4. a statement of the notifier's relationship to the work (rights holder or authorised to act);
  5. a statement of a good-faith belief that the use is not authorised; and
  6. a statement that the information in the notice is accurate.

We deal with copyright under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. We do not operate the US "DMCA" process but accept notices in any clear written form containing the above.

12.2 What we do with a notice

We review valid notices, ask for more information if needed, remove or disable infringing content where appropriate, notify the User who posted it (with the reason and how to respond), and keep a record. We may decline to act, or restore content, where a notice is incomplete, appears unfounded, or is answered by a counter-notice.

12.3 Counter-notice

Where content was removed and the User who posted it believes that was a mistake, that User may email legal@consultearth.com with: name and contact details; identification of the content and where it appeared; a good-faith statement of why it was removed in error (for example, the User holds the rights, is licensed, or the use is lawful); and a statement that the counter-notice is accurate. We may share a counter-notice with the original notifier. Where a dispute is genuinely contested between Users, we may decline to take sides and leave it to them to resolve.

12.4 Trademark and other IP

To report trademark, design-right, database-right, or other IP infringement, email legal@consultearth.com with the notifier's details and relationship to the right, the right relied on (including any registration number and territory), the location of the infringing content, and good-faith and accuracy statements. We handle these on the same basis as copyright notices.

12.5 Repeat infringers and false notices

We may suspend or close accounts of Users who repeatedly post infringing content (§13). Making a notice or counter-notice known to be false, or that misrepresents the maker's rights, breaches these Terms and may expose the maker to liability to other parties, including under the law on unjustified threats of infringement proceedings.

13. Account suspension, deletion, and the deletion cascade

13.1 Our right to suspend or close. We may suspend or close an account, or remove content, where we reasonably believe these Terms have been breached, or to protect Users, the public, or us, or as required by law (including the Online Safety Act 2023). Where proportionate, we give notice and reasons; suspension is reversible, and any paused subscription resumes if a suspension is lifted. Appeals: safety@consultearth.com.

13.2 Closing an account. A User may close its account at any time from Settings.

13.3 What happens on account deletion. Open commitments that carry no contractual obligation are cancelled automatically — open job applications are withdrawn, open job posts are closed, open service inquiries are declined, and future advisory-call bookings are cancelled and refunded in full. Active Engagements already under way are not cancelled, so the other party can complete or formally close the work; that party is notified that the account holder has asked to close the account. Within one month, the account holder's personal data is anonymised as described in the Privacy Policy. Records we must keep by law (for example, billing and Engagement records) are retained for the periods set out in the Privacy Policy.

13.4 Notifying counterparties. Where an account closes and another User has an open Engagement or commitment with the account holder, we may tell that User the account has closed, sharing only what is necessary.

14. Trust, safety, and the Online Safety Act

We operate a Trust & Safety framework (§11.7) to receive and act on reports, moderate content, and meet our legal duties, including those that apply to us as a user-to-user service under the Online Safety Act 2023, proportionate to our size and risk profile. This includes systems to identify and remove illegal content, a clear way for Users to report concerns, and a route to seek review of our decisions (§13.1). Decisions about sanctions on accounts or content are made by a person, not solely by an automated system.

15. Data protection and privacy

Our handling of personal data is described in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Where an organisational Client requires us to act as its data processor (under UK GDPR Article 28) for specific personal data it controls, a Data Processing Agreement governs that processing; we make one available to such Clients on request.

16. Warranties and disclaimers

16.1 We provide the Platform "as is" and "as available". To the maximum extent permitted by law, we do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that it will meet a User's requirements.

16.2 We do not warrant any User or any outcome. We do not guarantee that a User will find work, find a suitable Expert or Client, or achieve any particular result from the marketplace.

16.3 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any warranty or right that cannot be excluded or limited by law, including a User's rights as a consumer where they apply.

17. Limitation of liability

17.1 Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for: death or personal injury caused by our negligence; fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or any liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable law (including, where they apply, a User's rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015).

17.2 Subject to §17.1, we are not liable for: loss of profits, sales, business, or revenue; loss of anticipated savings; loss of goodwill; loss of or corruption of data; or any indirect or consequential loss.

17.3 Subject to §17.1, our total aggregate liability to a User for all claims arising out of or in connection with these Terms or that User's use of the Platform, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, is limited in aggregate to the greater of (a) £1,000 (one thousand pounds sterling) or (b) the total fees that User actually paid to ConsultEarth in the twelve (12) months immediately before the event giving rise to the claim. Where a series of connected events or acts and omissions gives rise to liability, they are treated as one claim for the purpose of this limit.

17.4 No liability for dealings between Users. ConsultEarth is a venue that helps Clients and Experts discover and connect with one another. We are not a party to, and have no involvement in, any Engagement, contract, communication, or other arrangement between Users (§4, §5), even where it is initiated, negotiated, documented, scheduled, or managed using Platform tools (such as messaging, proposals, milestones, deliverables, or advisory bookings). The terms of any such relationship are determined solely by the Users themselves. Each User is solely responsible for all aspects of its dealings with another User, including: the scope, quality, suitability, timeliness, and delivery of work; fees, payment, expenses, and invoicing between the parties; intellectual property, confidentiality, and data protection as between the parties; tax and regulatory compliance; and the resolution of any dispute. To the fullest extent permitted by law, ConsultEarth gives no warranty in respect of, and accepts no liability of any kind for, the acts or omissions of any User — including non-delivery; defective, late, or non-conforming work; non-payment or under-payment; misrepresentation; or any other breach, loss, or dispute arising between Users. Any claim arising out of or in connection with a relationship between Users lies solely between those Users and not against ConsultEarth, and the disclaimers, release, and limitations in §4, §5, §17, and §18 apply. Nothing in this clause limits any liability that cannot be limited under §17.1.

18. Release

Because we are not a party to agreements between Users (§4, §5), to the extent permitted by law each User releases ConsultEarth from any claims, demands, and damages arising out of or connected with any dispute that User has with another User. This does not affect a User's statutory rights or §17.1, and nothing in this section requires a User to give up any right that cannot be waived under the law that applies to that User.

19. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, each User will indemnify and hold us harmless from claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and reasonable legal costs arising out of: that User's use of the Platform; that User's User Content; any agreement or Engagement the User enters into with another User; the User's breach of these Terms; the User's breach of applicable law; or the User's infringement of any third party's rights. This does not apply to the extent the claim arises from our own breach, negligence, or wilful misconduct.

20. Term and termination

These Terms apply while a User uses the Platform. A User may stop using it and close its account at any time (§13). We may suspend or terminate access under §13.1. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination — including §2, §4, §5, §10, and §16–§19 — survive.

21. Changes to these Terms

21.1 We may change these Terms. Where a change is a Substantial Change — one that materially reduces a User's rights or increases a User's responsibilities — we will give reasonable advance notice through the Platform or by email before it takes effect. For an increase in the fees we charge, we will give at least 30 days' notice.

21.2 Minor changes (such as clarifications) take effect when posted. The "Last updated" date reflects the current version. Continuing to use the Platform after a change takes effect means the User accepts the updated Terms; a User who does not accept a Substantial Change may stop using the Platform and close its account before the change takes effect.

22. General

22.1 Governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

22.2 Jurisdiction. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, except that a User who is a consumer may also bring proceedings in the User's country of residence where the law gives that right; nothing here removes consumer protections that apply to that User.

22.3 No class actions / no mandatory arbitration. Disputes are resolved in court as set out above; we do not impose binding arbitration or class-action waivers.

22.4 Entire agreement. These Terms, with the Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Refund Policy, and any DPA, are the entire agreement between the User and us about the Platform.

22.5 Severability. If any provision is unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.

22.6 Assignment. A User may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them to an affiliate or successor.

22.7 No waiver. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it.

22.8 Force majeure. We are not liable for failure or delay caused by events beyond our reasonable control.

22.9 Notices and contact. General: team@consultearth.com. Trust & Safety: safety@consultearth.com. Security: security@consultearth.com. Legal / IP: legal@consultearth.com. Privacy: privacy@consultearth.com. Post: Consultearth Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom.