The approval of the first project categories ushers in the first CCP-tagged credits for the global VCM

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Governing Board of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (Integrity Council) approved three Climate Action Reserve protocols as meeting its high-integrity Core Carbon Principles (CCP). This marks the first approvals of VCM methodologies and protocols by the Integrity Council, and the highly anticipated development means credits issued under the approved protocols will be tagged with the CCP label.

“With the Integrity Council’s announcement of the first approved protocol and methodology categories, congratulations are due to everyone who has supported the Integrity Council’s work, everyone whose collaboration helped get us to this point and everyone who has been waiting for market guidance to elevate the global VCM and its potential. There is now real-world guidance that can be applied to the real market, and market participants and others can see actual credits that are CCP-approved. This is a tremendous development for the VCM, and this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of CCP-approved credits,” said Linda Adams, Chair of the Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors.

The three Reserve protocols approved were the US Landfill Protocol Version 6, US Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) Protocol Versions 1-2 and Article 5 ODS Protocol Versions 1-2. The approval of these protocols provides additional validation on the quality and integrity of the Reserve’s protocols and their development process, which is public and transparent, draws from the expertise and knowledge of many expert workgroup members from various backgrounds, involves public comment and response and requires final approval by the Reserve Board of Directors in a public meeting.

“Establishing a globally respected and utilized benchmark for high integrity in the VCM is a herculean task, but the task also presents a herculean opportunity. All eyes, including those of the US Federal government, have been on the Integrity Council and how it will tackle this task,” said Craig Ebert, President of the Climate Action Reserve. “The Integrity Council has tackled the challenge head on, and with the first CCP-approved credits now available, we expect to find ourselves swiftly traveling towards a market with more consistent transparency, quality and rigor, which in turn will stimulate more supportive policy and financial investment to address the climate crisis. We expect this decision to be the first of many recognizing the high quality of the work conducted by the Climate Action Reserve.”

Approval of the protocols follows on the heels of the Reserve’s recognition by the Integrity Council as being a CCP-eligible program in April. This recognition signifies the Reserve has met the Integrity Council’s rules on robust quantification of emission reduction and removals, no double counting and sustainable benefits and safeguards.

The Climate Action Reserve is the most trusted, efficient, and experienced offset registry for global carbon markets. A pioneer in carbon accounting, the Reserve promotes and fosters the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through credible market-based policies and solutions. As a high-quality offset registry for voluntary carbon markets, it establishes rigorous standards involving multi-sector stakeholder workgroup development and local engagement and issues carbon credits in a transparent and publicly available system. The organization also supports compliance carbon markets in California, Washington and internationally. The Reserve is an environmental nonprofit organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California with staff members located around the world. For more information, please visit www.climateactionreserve.org.

The Climate Action Reserve is an equal opportunity provider.

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