Public Consultation

Consulting on the Core Carbon Principles

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market held a 60-day full, open public consultation on the draft Core Carbon Principles (CCPs), Assessment Framework and Assessment Procedure.

We were delighted with the breadth and depth of responses we received – well over 5,000 comments from more than 350 submissions. This shows the level of commitment to high integrity across the whole market.

We are committed to transparency and are publishing the comments in raw form (see below) after ensuring requests for anonymity have been respected. Views are diverse on each issue and polarised on many points We believe it is important that all stakeholder groups have the chance to understand the range of perspectives across the global market.

The Integrity Council is working intensively to give all comments due consideration. We have a robust process underway to carefully review all the inputs provided during the consultation. We will provide an update on the timeline and next steps as soon as possible.

The consultation process

  • The draft CCPs, Assessment Framework and Assessment Procedure published for consultation are intended to serve as a robust, independent starting point that will be further informed by the insights and dialogue gathered during the public consultation
  • The consultation ran for 60 days in line with international best practice and included a series of virtual briefings and thematic deep dives, with the opportunity for follow ups.
  • The public consultation was overseen by the British Standards Institute (BSI), which has over one hundred years of experience in standard setting. All comments and submissions must be made in writing through the BSI website.
  • The proposals in the consultation documents will be updated/revised in response to feedback from the public consultation. Respondents are asked to provide both generic and detailed comments and suggestions for improvements to these proposals.

Key resources

Comments from Public Consultation

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Markets has received the following responses to its consultation on its draft Core Carbon Principles, Assessment Framework and Assessment Procedure. We are publishing them in this raw form in order to make them public at the earliest possible opportunity.

View the first part of the public consultation comments.

View the second part of the public consultation comments.

Core Carbon Principles, Assessment Framework and Assessment Procedure

Part 1

Part 1

Part 2

Part 2

Part 3

Part 3

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Core Carbon Principles
Part 3: Summary for Decision Makers
Part 4

Part 4

Part 5

Part 5

Part 6

Part 6

Compendium

ALL

Part 4: Assessment Framework
Part 5: Terms & Definitions
Part 6: Assessment Procedure
Compendium: Draft for public consultation

Why the Core Carbon Principles? 

    The Integrity Council’s role is to set and enforce a definitive global threshold standard for high-quality carbon credits.

    The purpose of the draft Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) and Assessment Framework is to provide a credible, rigorous, and readily accessible means of identifying high-quality carbon credits that create real, additional and verifiable climate impact with high environmental and social integrity.

    We will do this by establishing a definitive and consistent benchmark for high-integrity carbon credits, based on solid science and best practice; assessing crediting programs and credit types against that benchmark; and clearly identifying those that meet it.

    By establishing a globally-recognised benchmark for high-integrity credits, the CCPs will build trust, unlock additional investment and help deliver real climate impact at the speed and scale needed to keep 1.5°C alive.  

    Watch the public briefing session (recorded)

    At the public briefing sessions we shared details on the consultation period, CCPS, and Assessment Framework.

    Watch the webinar linked below to hear from Annette Nazareth, former SEC Commissioner and Chair of the ICVCM Governing Board, as well as a selection of other fantastic speakers.

    FAQs

    – What is the ICVCM? The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (Integrity Council) is an independent governance body for the voluntary carbon market.

    – What’s the purpose of the public consultation? Co-creation is the cornerstone of success. We need everyone the VCM affects to come to the table, share knowledge and expertise, and collaborate to co-create the CCPs and Assessment Framework.

    – Who should take part? Everyone. We welcome and embrace diverse points of view from all corners of the market; from project developers and carbon-crediting programs, to eNGOs, policy makers, buyers and investors, to the indigenous peoples and local communities who are critical to unlock and accelerate climate action.

    – How can I promote the consultation to my network? We have developed a free toolkit here.

    Sign up to receive notifications on the public consultation