Buyers can now take out mortgage products that offer an array of different green benefits, a provider has said.

According to a spokeswoman for the Co-operative Bank, which has an ethical policy set by its customers, the market for green mortgages is "competitive".

"As there is no consistent definition of what constitutes a green mortgage, there is currently a whole range of different approaches."

She highlighted that the Co-operative Bank''s mortgages fund projects designed to tackle climate change, commenting: "For every mortgage on our books we make a payment to Climate Care, an organisation dedicated to helping combat global warming by countering the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a by-product of energy consumption."

This money has spent on projects across the world, such as one that helps make homes in Pakistan energy efficient.

The Council of Mortgage lenders says that green mortgages can work in a number of different ways, with some offering discounts for energy efficient homes and others planting trees to offset the carbon footprint of the mortgage product.