Key criteria for VCM quality credits

05 April 2023

Integrity and accountability in Voluntary Carbon Markets: Net-Zero, quo vadis?

Voluntary corporate climate action has grown from business avantgarde to today’s best practice. Accordingly, offsetting and net zero claims have gotten into the public perception and on the radar of regulation and scrutiny by civil society and media.

The controversy in the past months around allegations that credits from projects do not live up to the standards may be seen as the culmination of a critique against offsets and offsetting that follows the carbon markets since the inception of the CDM. However, corporate voluntary buyers and project developers alike become unsettled and even start questioning the concept of offsetting and net-zero.

Against the backdrop of the current heated debate, the Zurich Market Association wishes to contribute to the picture with a hybrid event in two parts that examines the concepts of net-zero and the use of offsets from a conceptual (Part 1) and, in view on Swiss enterprises, a practical angle (Part 2) later this year on May 31st.

The event will be held in a hybrid form with physical participation at the venue in Zürich and virtual participation through a link that is shared upon registration.

The event and the discussion is moderated by Anja Kollmuss.

Speaker list:

- Axel Michaelowa, Perspectives: Opening and Introduction [ slides ]
- Lambert Schneider, Oeko-Institut: Determining Integrity, short input [ slides ]
- Jürg Füssler, Infras: Determining Integrity, short input [ slides ]
- Bamshad Houshyani, South Pole Group (remote): Developing sound projects [ slides ]
- Eve Tamme, Climate Principles: Role of Removals [ slides ]
- Marion Verles, SustainCERT: Monitoring and Claims [ slides ]