Carbon Offset Verification
High-quality validation and verification to certify carbon offset projects: Forests, Land Use, Energy, Industry, Agriculture
Climate Business Group
Gain valuable recognition for your carbon credits
Carbon offset projects are a powerful tool in the international effort to slow climate change. Certified Carbon mitigation activities across a broad swath of the economy can earn recognition and attract investment, including projects in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land-Use (AFOLU) sectors, as well as sectors as diverse as the transportation industry, mine methane capture and destruction, landfill operations, manufacturing, and industrial processes.
Third-party validation and verification are crucial steps toward gaining acceptance of, and value for, your quantified reductions, removals, or avoidance of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and other climate drivers. This includes gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, as well as other types of short-lived climate super pollutants. Whether you are project developer, landowner, manufacturer, or private or municipal operator, SCS’ award-winning team can provide the professional assistance you need.
SCS Expertise
SCS is one of the foremost experts in high-quality carbon offset verification, verifying more than 385 million tonnes CO2e and conducting more than 730 assessments globally to date under a diverse set of standards and project types. Accredited to ISO 14065 by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), we employ experts with diverse experience in biometrics, soil carbon, industrial processes, forestry, engineering, and more.
SCS offers carbon offset project validation and verification under ACR, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the Climate Action Reserve (CAR), Verra, and other registries and jurisdictional programs, including UNDP initiatives.
More than 385 million tons of carbon emissions reductions verified to date.
Our experts have assessed a range of projects involving forest inventory and sampling, remote sensing, GIS, forest biometrics, forest and soil modeling, soil carbon, regenerative agriculture and grasslands, as well as complex projects such as combined VCS-CCB audits, and combined FSC and forest carbon audits. We are likewise a leading provider of validation and verification for project types related to electric vehicles, mine methane, landfills, and ozone depleting substances.
Our focus on customer service, timeliness, quality, and thoroughness have earned SCS repeated awards from industry peers as one of the world’s most trusted validation and verification bodies (VVB).
- Service Options
- Process
- Benefits
- FAQs
- Documents
Services
- Pre-assessment or gap analysis – SCS provides a gap analysis prior to initiating the project to identify technical issues prior to validation and verification.
- Project validation – SCS validates your offset project to assess the project plan's conformance to the applicable criteria.
- Project verification – SCS verifies the implemented project's GHG emission reductions or removals and conformance to the applicable criteria.
- Post-assessment – SCS conducts an independent assessment of projects which have been previously validated or verified.
Project Types
Below are some of the project types that SCS can verify. If you don’t see your project type listed below, please contact us to ask.
- Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation
- Avoided Deforestation
- Concrete Production
- Electric Vehicles and Transportation
- Enteric Methane Reduction through Livestock Feed Additives
- Food Loss and Waste
- Grasslands
- Improved Forest Management
- Improved Agricultural Land Management
- Landfill Methane Destruction
- Mangroves and Wetlands
- Mine Methane Capture and Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells
- Other AFOLU Project Types
- Destruction of Ozone Depleting Substances
- REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation)
- Reclaimed Refrigerants and Advanced Refrigeration Systems
- Various industrial and manufacturing processes
Complementary SCS Services
In addition, SCS provides carbon footprint measurement and verification for any entity or corporation. We offer measurement and verification of GHG inventories under the World Resources Institute and the Carbon Disclosure Project, and we are ANAB-accredited to offer GHG inventory verification under The Climate Registry. You can also combine your forest project verification with Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) Forest Management Certification for increased operational and cost efficiency.
Finally, for companies interested in working at the cutting edge of climate science, ask about our groundbreaking Global Heat Reduction Initiative (GHR), which has introduced Total Climate Accounting™ to fully account for and credit your efforts to reduce climate super pollutants.
- Client Develops Carbon Offset Project
The project proponent chooses a methodology developed under an SCS-recognized GHG program and develops and potentially implements their offset project. - Proposal
Upon requests for services, SCS prepares a work order or proposal for your authorization. - Desk review
SCS conducts a desk review of all project documentation and data in order to validate the project design and/or verify GHG quantification. Our audit team requests additional information if needed, and develops findings of non-conformities if applicable for the project to address. - Site visit
When applicable, SCS conducts a site visit to assess your project’s conformance with the relevant standard. Findings may be issued based on any non-conformities discovered during the site visit. - Findings
Once all findings from the desk review and site visit are able to be closed, a validation or verification decision is made. In some cases, findings may also be uncovered during the technical review (below). - Draft Report
SCS issues a draft report, stating the details of the assessment and concluding opinion. - Technical Review
An SCS lead verifier who is not involved in the verification process conducts an independent review of the audit. - Scheme Review and Approval
SCS produces a finalized verification opinion and report for submission to the applicable registry or scheme for registration and/or request for the issuance of carbon offsets. - Issuance
After verification, credits are issued.
- Project Assurance: Assure funders and buyers that your projects are resulting in real climate mitigation benefits, backed by SCS’ reliability and long-standing climate expertise
- Experienced Team: Work with knowledgeable, credentialed staff with experience verifying a wide range of offset types
- Brand Awareness and Increased Market Value: Provide independent confirmation of your credits from a reputable VVB for better access to carbon markets
- Exceptional Customer Support: Receive support throughout the validation and verification process
- Upon successful validation or verification, SCS offers a wide range of Client Marketing Support services.
What is the difference between carbon offset validation and carbon offset verification?
Validation is the process of evaluating the conformance of the design of a project's plan for removing, reducing, or avoiding carbon dioxide and other GHG emissions against the assessment criteria. Verification is the process of evaluating the conformance of the calculations of the actual amount of GHG emissions that have been avoided, reduced, or removed through implementation of the project against the assessment criteria.
What are the assessment criteria?
The assessment criteria are defined by the project’s selected methodology or protocol and the requirements of the registry or scheme’s standard. This is determined by the project proponent during project development.
How long will the carbon offset assessment process take?
A carbon offset assessment can vary from a few months to more than one year. The duration of an assessment depends on the size and complexity of the project, the assessment criteria used, and project type. The duration is also affected by how well the project developer is prepared with high-quality documentation and how promptly they respond to assessment findings.
Under which standards does SCS validate and verify?
SCS verifies projects under ACR, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the Climate Action Reserve (CAR), and Verra Standards including the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity (CCB) Standards and the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta).
How much does carbon offset validation and verification cost?
Cost depends on factors such as project size, location, complexity, project type, the standards used, and level of preparedness. Contact SCS for a customized quote.
How do I know when my carbon offset project is ready for validation and verification?
Projects can be validated and verified once they have a completed Project Design Document or Plan, Monitoring Report, and supporting documentation that complies with the relevant standard. SCS often recommends conducting an internal audit to make sure the document is complete and to save time down the road.
As an independent third-party verifier, we cannot participate in consulting activities such as helping with project development if we are to later validate or verify a project.
| Document Name | Document |
|---|---|
| American Carbon Registry | Visit Site |
| California Air Resources Board - Compliance Offset Program | Visit Site |
| Case Study | English |
| Climate Action Reserve - Forest Project Protocol | Visit Site |
| Climate Action Reserve - Landfill Project Protocol | Visit Site |
| Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards | Visit Site |
| Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes | Visit Site |
| Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard | Visit Site |
| Verified Carbon Standard | Visit Site |
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