Who certifies carbon projects
Today there is quite a variety of carbon offset standards certifying carbon projects for the voluntary market. They may be regional or international, large or relatively small, universal, or working with particular types of carbon.
(As of September 2021)
Recognized leaders
Verra
Verra is the world’s most widely used voluntary emissions reduction certifier.
- International and universal
- 7 standards & programs
- 1700 projects registered in the VCS Program
- 630 mln carbon credits issued
- 340 mln carbon credits retired
Gold Standard
Gold Standard is the second-largest voluntary emissions reduction certifier.
- International and universal
- 2000 registered projects
- 173 mln carbon credits issued
- 75,8 mln carbon credits retired
Worth checking
Plan vivo
- International
- 25 registered projects (23 in the pipeline)
- 3,5 mln carbon certificates issued
- 180.000 hectares of land under management
- 16.000 smallholders generating income from fairly-traded carbon
Puro.earth
- International
- Focus on biochar, wooden building elements
- 14 suppliers (145 in the pipeline)
- 74.000 t CO2 removed
- 4.000 clients
- Acquired by NASDAQ in 2021
Regen.network
- International
- Blockchain-native registry
- Focus on soil carbon 5 projects
- >100.000 carbon credits issued
- Has become widely known after a large Microsoft purchase of their credits in 2021
