About

For over a decade ICROA has been a leading voice in the voluntary carbon market, providing quality assurance, and guidance on emissions reductions and high-quality offsetting.

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  • We are guided by the science of climate change and the need for economy-wide decarbonisation to reach net-zero by 2050.

  • We advocate for offsetting as a valuable complement to Paris-aligned reduction pathways.

  • We believe in the critical need for carbon finance to enable urgent climate action.

  • ​We believe that proactive efforts by corporates to finance emissions reductions and removals through the carbon market should be recognised and rewarded.

Our Core Values

ICROA provides a framework for responsible corporate climate action through the Integrity in the use of carbon credits, the Quality of carbon credit supply, and delivering Impact to raise ambition:

  • Integrity

    Help ensure that carbon offsetting service providers operate to the highest levels of environmental integrity by setting the standard for voluntary emission reduction and carbon offsetting to deliver Paris-aligned reduction pathways.

  • Quality

    Promote and advance the use of high-quality carbon credits registered to credible internationally recognised standards and which promote the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

  • Continuous Improvement

    Strive for excellence through periodic enhancement of the ICROA Code of Best Practice to reflect the voluntary carbon market’s evolution

  • Innovation & Access to Global Markets

    Facilitate innovation to ensure capital flows to mitigation programmes where it is most needed. We innovate through adapting the Code as the market evolves and supporting new Standards in gaining access to international markets.

ICROA delivers its objectives in 3 ways:

  • 01

    Through the ICROA Accreditation Programme

    Based on the ICROA Code of Best Practice, the Accreditation Programme certifies best practice in GHG emissions reduction and offsetting through the use of high-quality carbon credits. The Programme is open to all organisations that offer carbon credits as well as emissions reduction and offsetting services.

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  • 02

    As a Platform for Collaboration

    Public Events & Collaborations

    Open and interactive forums to advance the VCM by tackling the most pressing issues and fostering innovation (e.g. forums include hackathons, panel discussions, partnerships).

  • 03

    By Endorsing VCM Standards

    ICROA provides a Standards Endorsement procedure to assess the rigour of Standards for inclusion in the Code of Practice. The Endorsement ensures that the Standards operate with high integrity including good governance, open access as well as robust validation and verification of carbon projects. The evaluation of Standards is conducted by third-party assessors. ICROA supports innovation in the market by providing access to international carbon markets for new Standards.

    Standard Endorsement

ICROA Governance

  • Accreditation Committee

    • The Committee represents the views of the Accredited organisations and provides strategic guidance to the Secretariat for the implementation and evolution of the Accreditation
    • Comprises elected representatives from Accredited organisations

  • Code of Best Practice Task Force (Ad-hoc)

    The ICROA Code of Best Practice Task Force is a sub-committee of the Accreditation Committee.

    It oversees Code updates, with guidance from the lAC and approval from the Accreditation Committee.

  • Independent Advisory Committee (IAC)

    • Without executive powers
    • Provides guidance and expertise on key issues regarding the evolution of the Code and Accreditation
    • Comprises market experts and representatives of NGOs and Academia