Our principles for working with Partners
Why our principles matter
To build trusted international carbon markets, it is essential that all collaborations uphold integrity, independence, and transparency.
The Integrity Council’s principles ensure partnerships reflect our mission: to enable climate finance to flow at scale through high‑integrity carbon markets that support people and planet.
Our principles govern how we work with organisations, how decisions are made, and how we maintain public trust.
How ICVCM approaches collaboration
Every collaboration must support our mission and strategic goals. This includes strengthening the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs), improving market transparency, reducing fragmentation, supporting government alignment, and expanding access to high‑integrity climate solutions.
We prioritise high‑impact partnerships that help improve methodologies, enhance data accessibility, support market oversight or accelerate climate finance. All work must be scoped with clear, measurable outcomes.
Principles of Partnership Engagement
Partnerships must further our mission and include measurable outcomes that support climate action and sustainable development.
Engagement Partnerships with The Integrity Council do not imply endorsement of a partner’s products, services or claims. We uphold our independence as an international, non-profit governance body and standard setter.
Use of the Integrity Council’s branding requires written permission. All public communications must be agreed upon in advance
All partnerships undergo due diligence. Information about partners and funders will be publicly available. Work must be scoped prior to commitment.
Collaborations must not result in private gain for individual partners.
Partners must uphold responsible practices, including human rights, diversity, regulatory compliance, and environmental stewardship.
The Integrity Council retains the right to terminate partnerships that no longer meet our standards.
We prioritise partnerships that elevate the voices of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Global South stakeholders.
The Integrity Council may end any partnership that compromises our independence or mission.
All financial engagements must align with The Integrity Council’s wider governance policies and procurement standards.
Governance and documentation
These principles are embedded across all partnership workflows to ensure consistency, compliance, and alignment with our strategic goals. They are supported by a legal framework and due diligence process, which is regularly reviewed and updated. The Integrity Council maintains a live register of all active partnerships, memoranda of understanding (MoUs), and cooperation agreements. For further information, please contact info@icvcm.org.
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