What are carbon offset certifications?

Imagine you emit carbon through your daily activities, like driving or flying. Carbon offsetting allows you to balance those emissions by supporting climate projects that reduce carbon elsewhere. There are different kinds of projects, such as protecting and restoring native forests or investing in renewable energy. Project certifications act as independent verification: they ensure these projects actually deliver the promised environmental benefits and operate according to strict guidelines.

Common certifications and standards

There are a number of internationally recognised certifications. Each follows specific criteria and procedures. Some well-known examples include:

• Gold Standard: Rigorous certification focusing on sustainable development benefits alongside carbon reduction.
• Verified Carbon Standard (VCS): Widely used standard ensuring high environmental integrity and transparency.
• Climate Action Reserve (CAR): North American program emphasising project permanence and additionality (meaning the emission reductions wouldn't have happened without the project).
• CCPs (Core Carbon Principles): 10 principles developed by the Integrity Council of the voluntary carbon market assigning the CCP label to credits adhering to these standards and giving buyers a clearer picture of high quality credits.

A second layer of credibility: CarbonClick's 7-Point Impact Check

At CarbonClick, we only back projects that make a measurable, positive impact. Each one goes beyond these existing certifications through our 7-Point Impact Check (which is aligned with the Core Carbon Principles): 

• Additionality: We back projects that would not have happened without carbon finance.
• Accuracy (over-crediting): We review that the project’s emission removal or avoidance is accurately measured.
• Permanence: The project must store or remove carbon for a long period of time.
• Perverse incentives: We check that selling the carbon credits issued by the project doesn’t create a perverse incentive to worsen the climate crisis. 
• Double counting: All carbon credits from our projects are only issued and counted once.
• Positive community impact: The project must have additional co-benefits to improve social, economic and environmental outcomes in the local area, aligning with at least three of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
• Monitoring and evaluation: Every project must have robust monitoring and verification policies to ensure it continues to meet our requirements.

We often don’t stop there. There are a number of additional considerations we take into account. If you’re interested to find out more about our full project selection process, request a copy here. 

Why are certifications important?

There’s lots of benefits to project certifications, to name a few: 

• Ensuring credibility: They guarantee projects deliver the promised carbon reductions and meet strict environmental standards.
• Preventing greenwashing: They help avoid misleading claims about project effectiveness.
• Promoting transparency: They provide clear information about project activities and impact.
• Building trust: They enable individuals, businesses and media to confidently support impactful carbon offset initiatives.

Choosing certified projects

When looking for projects or when offsetting, look for the logos of the recognised certifications. You can also contact the provider and ask about the specific certification used and its criteria.

What about uncertified projects?

While some projects operate without formal certification, they may still offer genuine environmental benefits. However, it's crucial to thoroughly research such projects, assess their credibility, and understand the associated risks of potential greenwashing or lack of transparency.

Summary:

Carbon offset certifications are essential for guaranteeing the credibility and effectiveness of carbon offset projects. By selecting certified projects, you can be confident that your contributions are making a real difference in addressing climate change.

Next steps:

• Explore reputable carbon offset providers like CarbonClick who prioritise certified projects.
• Learn more about specific certifications and their criteria.
• Be mindful of certifications when making informed choices about carbon offsetting.

How can CarbonClick help?

CarbonClick is committed to the highest standards in carbon offsetting. We source and support a wide range of exciting projects, from forest renewal to clean energy generation. Every single project in our portfolio is certified by a recognised registry, such as Gold Standard, so you can be sure of its credibility. On top of that, we evaluate each project against our rigorous 7-Point Impact Check.