The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), today launches its core carbon principles (CCPs) and program-level assessment framework

This sets rigorous thresholds on disclosure and sustainable development for high-integrity carbon credits and establishing a pathway towards even higher ambition.

BSI and ICVCM are collaborating on the development of the CCPs and the supporting framework, ensuring the process followed is robust and the drafts have undergone public consultation.

With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently warning that emissions need to be cut by almost half by 2030, if warming is to be limited to 1.5°C, a high-integrity voluntary carbon market is recognized to represent a key step forwards.

It is designed to help organizations to not only decarbonise their own value chains, but to go further by financing critical climate mitigation activities.

The CCPs provide fundamental principles for high-quality carbon credits that create real, verifiable climate impact, based on the latest science and best practice.

The new criteria represent significant progress for consistent transparency by requiring programs to publish comprehensive information in an accessible manner so all stakeholders can understand how projects issuing CCP-labelled carbon credits impact emissions, society and the environment.

Scott Steedman, Director–General, Standards at BSI commented: "BSI is delighted to be partnering with ICVCM on the development of core carbon principles and the efforts to set rigorous thresholds on disclosure and sustainable development

This is an important development for the voluntary carbon market to build greater trust amongst all stakeholders that credit programmes are robust and science-based, and offer genuine environmental impact.

This can help guard against greenwashing and has the potential to offer substantial benefits to society.

We’re delighted to be playing a key role in shaping the standards framework around carbon crediting by providing improved rigour, consistency and clarity.

Ultimately this can help accelerate progress towards a sustainable world.”