The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM)

📢 Exciting Procurement Opportunity 🔍 The Indigenous Peoples and/or local communities VCM Engagement Forum is seeking proposals for the development of an online platform that will serve as a hub for critical resources, knowledge-sharing, and capacity-building. This platform will host: 🔹 The Forum’s Vision Statement. 🔹 About Us. 🔹 Position Statements, Research Papers, Case Studies (this will likely include films), Briefs. 🔹 Governance Documents. We invite qualified providers to submit proposals to help bring this vision to life. 🔗 Apply now: https://lnkd.in/e6NHKc6D 📅 Deadline: 7 April, 2025

For millions of households, traditional cooking methods rely on inefficient biomass fuels, leading to household air pollution, deforestation, and significant carbon emissions, with a significant toll on human health as well as the environment. 🌱 Efficient cookstoves offer a scalable solution - reducing fuel consumption, lowering emissions, and easing pressure on forests. They not only help mitigate climate impacts but also improve air quality and livelihoods for communities. 🌐 High-integrity carbon markets can play a crucial role in making clean cookstove technology more accessible, accelerating adoption and ensuring that these projects deliver verifiable emission reductions and measurable social benefits.📈 Our latest blog explores how the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) strengthen the credibility of cookstove projects in the #VCM, helping to drive confidence among communities 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/etwD4zni #VoluntaryCarbonMarkets #EfficientCookstoves #CarbonCredits #SustainableDevelopment

Research shows that: 📊 7 in 10 companies say participating in the #VoluntaryCarbonMarket enables them to take additional climate action that wouldn’t otherwise happen. 📊 6 in 10 companies report that purchasing high-integrity carbon credits incentivizes further investment in decarbonisation. This highlights the essential role of high-quality carbon credits in scaling up finance for emissions reductions while supporting sustainable development. But to be truly effective, carbon markets must operate with integrity, transparency, and credibility. At the Integrity Council, we are setting a global benchmark for high-integrity carbon credits through our science-based Core Carbon Principles (CCPs). Our work ensures that carbon markets: ✅ Channel finance into real, measurable emissions reductions and removals ✅ Drive investment into climate solutions that wouldn’t happen otherwise ✅ Uphold the highest standards of environmental and social integrity High integrity carbon markets can unlock greater private investment in climate solutions in the Global South, while accelerating progress toward global #NetZero goals. 🔗 Learn more about our work: www.icvcm.org #CarbonFinance #ClimateAction #NetZero

🌍 Join the Integrity Council – We’re Hiring! Are you passionate about ensuring integrity and impact in the voluntary carbon market? The Integrity Council is growing, and we have an exciting career opportunity available! 🌱 🔍 Associate Director, Programs In this key leadership role, you will be responsible for ensuring that assessments of programs are high-quality, consistent, transparent, aligned with our Assessment Framework, and delivered in a timely manner. This is a technical leadership role, and we are seeking someone with extensive experience in carbon markets in a senior role. We seek someone who can demonstrate technical expertise gained through direct involvement with carbon crediting programs, and experience of successfully designing, implementing and improving assessment systems and processes. 🌐 Check out the opportunity and apply now - https://lnkd.in/ew9TSbFA ⏳Deadline to apply – 28 March 2025

Indigenous communities in the Global South highlight #CarbonCredits as essential for channeling finance into their regions, where they play a critical role in preserving ecosystems. However, to ensure these investments are both effective and sustainable, they must respect Indigenous rights, sovereignty, and leadership. In our blog, we explore: 🔹 Protecting Rights and Knowledge: Indigenous communities safeguard 40% of the world’s ecologically intact landscapes. Our Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) ensure investments are grounded in free, prior, and informed consent, with transparent benefit-sharing. 🔹 Inclusive Governance: Dedicated seats for Indigenous representatives in our governance structure ensure their voices are heard and integrated into the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM). 🔹 Delivering Real Benefits: High-integrity carbon credits offer Indigenous communities access to critical climate finance, fostering both conservation and sustainable economic opportunities. At the Integrity Council, we’re building a framework for a just, inclusive, high-integrity VCM—one that puts respect for Indigenous rights at its core. Read the blog to discover how Indigenous leadership can drive the future of carbon markets: https://lnkd.in/eM4JZ4iT

The Integrity Council is committed to strengthening trust, transparency, and accountability in the #VoluntaryCarbonMarket. As part of this commitment, we have approved three clean cookstove methodologies and one household biodigester methodology under our Core Carbon Principles - provided strict integrity conditions are met. ✅ Alongside reducing emissions, clean cooking and biodigester projects play a role in improving public health, driving economic empowerment, and supporting environmental conservation, particularly in the Global South. 🌐 By enforcing robust methodological standards, we are driving credibility and integrity across the #VoluntaryCarbonMarket, ensuring that CCP-labelled credits reflect real, measurable, and verifiable climate impact. 🌱 🔗 Read the full release here –  https://lnkd.in/eBD-SZpU #CleanCooking #CarbonFinance #NetZero

On this #InternationalWomensDay, we celebrate the women leading the way in climate action, carbon markets, and sustainable finance. 🌍 Women are disproportionately affected by the climate emergency. Yet when they are included in decision-making and project design, climate finance delivers greater impact and stronger outcomes. Gender equity isn’t just a social priority - it’s a climate imperative. We are committed to ensuring that high-integrity carbon finance supports inclusive and equitable solutions. To help integrate gender equity into carbon crediting projects, we recently partnered with Social Development Direct and PwC UK to launch the ‘Practical Guidance for Project Developers in the VCM’ - a resource designed to help carbon projects integrate gender equity, ensuring that benefits extend to all. ✅ Why This Matters ✔ Gender-inclusive projects drive better climate, social, and economic outcomes ✔ Equitable climate finance ensures wider access to opportunities and benefits ✔ Embedding gender equity in carbon markets strengthens governance and transparency 👥 Let’s Work Together The Integrity Council is open to collaborating with gender-focused initiatives and welcomes conversations on advancing gender equity in carbon markets. If you’re working in this space and looking to connect, reach out to explore opportunities together. 📖 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eG5gRcXe #IWD2024 #GenderEquality #ClimateAction #SustainableDevelopment #NetZero #Inclusivity

📣 The Integrity Council is pleased to announce that in its latest decisions our Governing Board has approved three clean cookstove carbon crediting methodologies and one household biodigester methodology under our Core Carbon Principles, provided that specific conditions are met. ✅The approved methodologies are: ✔ Clean cookstove methodologies 🔹 Gold Standard – Methodology for Metered & Measured Energy Cooking Devices (versions 1–1.2) 🔹 Gold Standard “TPDDTEC” – Reduced Emissions from Cooking and Heating (version 4.0) 🔹 Verra (VCS), VM0050 – Energy Efficiency and Fuel-Switch Measures in Cookstoves (version 1.0) ✔ Household biodigester methodology 🔹 Gold Standard – Methodology for Animal Manure Management and Biogas Use for Thermal Energy Generation (version 1.0) ❌ Additionally, two cookstove and two household biodigester methodologies did not meet the CCP Assessment Framework requirements for robust quantification. ◾Clean cookstove methodologies 🔹 Gold Standard – AMS-II.G. (Energy efficiency measures in thermal applications of non-renewable biomass v1-13) 🔹 Gold Standard – The Gold Standard Simplified Methodology for Clean and Efficient Cookstoves v1-3 ◾ Household biodigester methodologies 🔹 AMS-I.E. (Switch from non-renewable biomass for thermal applications by the user v1-13, used by Verra and Gold Standard) 🔹 Gold Standard – AMS-I.I. (Biogas/biomass thermal applications for households/small users v1-6) 🔍 Why This Matters Efficient cookstove and household biodigesters can have multiple environmental and social benefits. Around the world, billions of people still cook over open fires or basic stoves that burn smoky fuels. Efficient cookstoves reduce fuel use and therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions and harmful pollutants. Clean cooking solutions can offer health, social and economic benefits, especially in the Global South. 🌐 Household biodigesters can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 10-13% by converting organic waste into renewable biogas and biomethane. Along with generating clean energy, they also improve waste management and support better health outcomes. 🤝 The approval of these methodologies, with strict conditions for CCP labelling, provides the confidence needed to ensure that carbon finance can flow into clean cooking and biodigester projects. 🔍What happens next A large pipeline of new projects is set to use the approved methodology versions, and carbon crediting programs are preparing to allow existing projects to update their carbon accounting calculations to meet the required conditions. We anticipate the issuance of several hundred thousand tonnes of carbon credits in the coming year, further strengthening integrity in the #VoluntaryCarbonMarket, accelerating #ClimateAction, and delivering positive social benefits. 🔗 Read the full release here – https://lnkd.in/eBD-SZpU

✅ How does the Integrity Council ensure the highest standards in the #VoluntaryCarbonMarket? Through our rigorous two-tick assessment process, we uphold integrity in carbon markets by ensuring that only high-quality credits receive the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label. 🔹 Tick One: Assessing carbon crediting programs for adherence to our science-based Core Carbon Principles (CCPs). The programs are evaluated based on their overall governance, transparency, and ability to meet the CCPs. Only programs that meet these high standards are considered as CCP-Eligible. 🔹 Tick Two: Assessing carbon crediting methodologies to ensure they align with the CCPs. This includes evaluating the way credits are quantified, monitored, and verified. Only methodologies that pass this rigorous review are classified as CCP-Approved. 📌 While the Integrity Council does not assess projects at an individual level, project developers seeking CCP-Labelled credits must look for both a CCP-Eligible program and a CCP-Approved methodologies to ensure credits are of the highest quality, adhering to globally recognised standards for environmental integrity. 🔗 Learn more about our work: https://ow.ly/ZnbZ50VbTvF #CarbonFinance #CarbonCredits #NetZero

🌍 How can carbon markets help nearly double global climate ambition? Research shows that leveraging carbon markets globally could allow the world to almost double climate ambition compared to current Paris Agreement pledges (NDCs) between 2020-2035, without increasing overall costs. This highlights the critical role of high-integrity carbon credits in accelerating real, measurable climate action. ✅ The Integrity Council is dedicated to establishing a #VoluntaryCarbonMarket that drives meaningful emissions reductions while delivering tangible benefits for communities and ecosystems. Our science-backed Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) set the global benchmark for high-quality carbon credits, ensuring transparency, credibility, and impact. 🔹Building Confidence in Carbon Credits – The CCP label signals quality, ensuring that each credit represents authentic emissions reductions or removals, alongside co-benefits for people and nature. 🔹 Strengthening Environmental and Social Safeguards – High-integrity carbon credits go beyond carbon reduction. They incorporate human rights, social equity, and environmental protection into crediting frameworks, ensuring long-term, sustainable impact. 🔹 Driving Responsible Climate Action – Through clear, science-based standards, we equip businesses to take ambitious steps toward reducing emissions and investing in carbon credits that drive real, lasting change. By reinforcing trust in the market, we are unlocking the potential of private finance to scale up investment in effective climate solutions—helping the world transition to #NetZero more swiftly and equitably. 🌐 Find out how we are shaping the future of high-integrity carbon markets: https://ow.ly/9yC950VaqmY #CarbonMarkets #ClimateAction #NetZero #SustainableFinance