Integrity Council Releases First Continuous Improvement Work Program Report, Focused on Permanence

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market has released the first report from its Continuous Improvement Work Programs (CIWPs), marking a key step in evolving the carbon credit integrity space through better understanding of best practice in permanence.

Our pioneering CIWPs bring together leading market experts and key stakeholders to explore the key challenges and opportunities facing the carbon market, ensuring that it continues to evolve by harnessing the latest science, emerging technologies and innovative approaches.

Each CIWP will deliver practical recommendations that will inform further development of the Integrity Council’s Assessment Framework, as well as thought leadership to drive innovative solutions and ratchet up ambition across the entire market.

Report from the CIWP on Permanence

The report from the CIWP on Permanence is now available. Questions about permanence – making sure that the carbon reduced or removed by a carbon credit remains out of the atmosphere – are at the heart of many concerns in the carbon market. The CIWP explored various innovative approaches to managing permanence and reversal risk, including:

• Monitoring and compensation periods;
• Pooled buffer reserves;
• Reversal risk assessment tools and procedures; and
• Insurance products and mechanisms.

The full findings and recommendations of the CIWP are outlined in the report. They will play a vital role in informing long-term permanence management systems that deliver meaningful impacts on climate change, allocate risks appropriately and consistently across the market, and implement new and innovative approaches to managing liability and compensation for carbon project types with a higher risk of reversal.

Where we are now

The CIWPs study complex market challenges and areas for increased ambition. The first batch of CIWPs began in 2024 and focused on three critical issues:

• Permanence – identifying the best approaches to ensuring carbon reductions and removals are maintained in the long term and addressing the risk of reversal.
• Paris Agreement alignment – exploring how the VCM can support countries’ climate targets under the Paris Agreement.
• Sustainable Development Benefits & Safeguards – exploring how to strengthen requirements and drive innovation in sustainable development and safeguards systems in the market, to ensure carbon projects deliver real benefits for both people and the planet.

Reports from the work programs on Paris Agreement alignment and Sustainable Development Benefits & Safeguards are being drafted and are set to be published over the coming months. Each will make recommendations on how to strengthen requirements and raise ambition in their respective areas.

What’s coming next

The second batch of CIWPs are now in progress, and more will begin in due course. They will study several further areas with potential for high-impact improvements, including how to strengthen market infrastructure, leverage carbon credits to accelerate the energy transition, and strengthen oversight of validation and verification bodies (VVBs).

If you are interested in taking part in one of our upcoming CIWPs, find out more and apply on our CIWPs page.

Delivering the carbon markets of the future

The CIWPs are a critical mechanism to ensure that the carbon market continues to evolve in line with the latest science, technology and best practice. By collaborating to proactively address challenges and identify areas for improvement, we can deliver a market firmly rooted in integrity, inclusivity and innovation.

We look forward to sharing the findings of the first batch of CIWPs. If you are interested in following the progress of the CIWPs or getting involved in future work programs, please visit our dedicated web page.