Three more carbon credit methodologies approved for high-integrity CCP label

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) has approved three clean cookstove and adipic acid carbon credit methodologies for its Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label.

The three methodologies approved include Gold Standard’s ‘Reduced Emissions from Cooking and Heating – Technologies and Practices to Displace Decentralised Thermal Energy Consumption (TPDDTEC) version 2-3.1’, as well as Climate Action Reserve’s US and China Adipic Acid Production Protocols.

This is the latest round of assessments conducted by ICVCM as part of its efforts to get more carbon credits developers to align with its high-integrity label, the Core Carbon Principles (CCP). 

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Clean cookstove projects replace traditional, high-emissions cooking methods with more efficient stoves that reduce emissions and improve air quality. In March, three other cookstove methodologies had already been approved for the CCP label.

Clean cookstove methodology assessment completed

In this latest batch, ICVCM has specified certain conditions for two of the methodologies. 

For Gold Standard’s TPDDTEC, the Integrity Council notes that the following conditions have to be met in order receive the CCP seal: a reassessment of baseline emissions must have been conducted at least once within the five years preceding the start of an issued monitoring period; no emission reductions must be claimed from cookstoves that are aged beyond their technical life; emissions from the transport of fuels must either be proven to be negligible or accounted for; and emission reductions must be excluded or discounted where projects may displace or operate alongside another mitigation activity. 

None of the TPDDTEC’s 62 million credits issued to date have met all these conditions, so there are currently no CCP-labelled issued credits under this methodology, but a large pipeline of at least 600 projects are using the CCP-approved methodology versions, so future credits could feature the label.

With that, ICVCM has concluded its assessment of clean cookstove methodologies for carbon credits. 

Amy Merrill, CEO of the Integrity Council, said: “The clean cooking sector is important because of the significant potential for positive social and health impacts as well as environmental ones. Now that the Integrity Council has completed our assessment of cookstove methodologies, we hope to see the market transition to CCP approved methodologies so that investors and buyers are able to invest in these important emission reduction projects with confidence and at scale.” 

Adipic acid methodologies and conditions

Adipic acid credits are a lesser known type of carbon project seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from adipic acid, a white powder used in the production of nylon, foams, safety airbags, coatings, adhesives, and food additives and which releases nitrous oxide, a highly warming greenhouse gas and the leading driver of the depletion of the ozone layer. 

Abatement technologies convert nitrous oxide into nitrogen and oxygen through catalytic destruction, thermal destruction and/or recycling, leading to a GHG emissions reduction, and the two approved methodologies have so far issued 14.5 million carbon credits.

ICVCM notes one condition for the US Adipic Acid Production Protocol version 1 to receive the CCP label: adipic acid production levels at each project must not exceed 100,000 tonnes of CO2e. This is meant to avoid leakage.

Ecosystem Restoration Standard programme approved

ICVCM has also announced the approval of the Ecosystem Restoration Standard (ERS) as CCP-eligible. This means that the programme, which focuses on certifying ecosystem restoration projects under its Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) methodology, meets the CCP criteria for effective governance, transparency, tracking and robust independent third-party validation and verification.

ERS’ carbon crediting methodology will now be assessed by the Integrity Council and if approved, these credits will be able to receive the CCP label. 

Thibault Sorret, CEO of ERS, said: "We are deeply proud of this recognition from the ICVCM, which reaffirms the rigour of the ERS Programme and the real, lasting impact of the projects we certify, for climate, nature, and local communities. We developed our standards and methodologies from the ground up with alignment to the Core Carbon Principles in mind, and we’re proud to see that effort validated.”