Carbon Offset Criteria

Carbon offset programs or projects are evaluated and approved using strict criteria adopted by our offset program partners. All programs must meet the following criteria:

1. No renewable energy credits
   Only direct emission reductions are eligible.
2. Additionality
   The emission reductions must be additional. The project must demonstrate that it is beyond business as usual. It must demonstrate that the project activities were not compelled by regulatory requirements and provide detailed information on how claims of emission reductions would not have occurred under a business as usual scenario.
3. Accurate quantification
   The quantification of emission reductions must be reliable and accurate. Project assessment boundaries must include all primary emission sources and all significant secondary emission sources associated with the project. An assessment of leakage must be provided and accounted for when calculating the total quantity of emission reductions claimed. Best practice methodologies should be documented and calculations should be conservative.
4. Clarity on permanence
   The permanence (or limitations on permanence) of emission reductions must be clearly explained or justified. In projects where there is a risk of unexpected future reversal of achieved reductions, calculations should include these risks and the project should hold conservative levels of insurance or reserves of emission reductions to replace any unexpected reversals.
5. Appropriate timeline
   The emission reduction project’s start date and timeframe must be clearly defined. The timeframe in which the emission reductions were or are expected to be achieved must be documented.
6. Demonstration of ownership
   An offset provider must demonstrate clear ownership of the claimed emission reductions. The provider must demonstrate unique and exclusive proof that clear title to and ownership of the emission reductions has been demonstrated and transferred.
7. Serialization and tracking
   Emission reductions must be serialized and tracked to guarantee that offsets are not double counted or resold after retirement.
8. Verified and verifiable
   All claims should be independently verified and verifiable against credibility criteria by a third-party verifier with no financial or pecuniary interest in the project.
9. Net positive impact
   The emission reductions should be generated in ways that produce net positive environmental and community impacts.