Standards & Transparency

Standards Overview

There has been a significant degree of change in the Voluntary Carbon Market since Carbonzero was founded in 2006.

Year after year, Carbonzero takes pride in staying up to date with rapidly developing carbon offset programs, methodologies, and greenhouse gas emissions accounting standards.

Carbonzero has been recognized as a top provider of carbon offsets by the David Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute.

We are committed to adhering to the most stringent carbon offsetting development and GHG accounting standards available in today’s market, with details outlined below.

Carbon Offset Portfolio

Carbonzero's Carbon Offset Portfolio includes a selection of Canadian and international projects that sequester, reduce, or avoid greenhouse gas emissions.
‍
Every carbon offset that Carbonzero includes in its portfolio is assessed for additionality and verified by independent third parties to ensure the high standards that the market expects.

Carbonzero provides clients with high-quality carbon offset projects from the following GHG programs and registries, among others:

  • Canadian Standards Association CleanProjects Registry
  • Gold Standard
  • Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) / VERRA
  • American Carbon Registry (ACR)
  • Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects.

GHG Accounting Protocols

Carbonzero uses international standards when we prepare a complete, consistent, accurate, and transparent account of an organization’s GHG emissions. These standards are widely used by greenhouse gas emissions accounting experts across the world.

The two leading GHG accounting protocols for organizational level GHG accounting include the Greenhouse Gas Protocol - Corporate Accounting & Reporting Standard, and ISO 14064-1.

Greenhouse Gas Protocol - Corporate Accounting & Reporting Standard

The WRI & WBCSD have created the most widely used GHG accounting framework in the world, commonly referred to as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol). The protocol can be used by organizations and businesses to quantify and manage GHG emissions in a clear, accurate, and transparent fashion.

The majority of companies that voluntarily report their greenhouse gas emissions publicly align their accounting and reporting methodologies with the GHG Protocol.

ISO 14064-1

ISO 14064-1:2018 specifies the principles and requirements at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals.

It includes requirements for the design, development, management, reporting and optional verification of an organization’s GHG inventory.