The voluntary market includes companies, governments, organisations, and individuals. Such entities are taking accountability for their carbon emissions by voluntarily purchasing carbon offsets through offsetting projects. A voluntary offsetting project does not necessarily have to offset CO2 emissions but can compensate various other greenhouse gases. They do this by generating carbon/GHG credits or emission reductions, which individuals or organisations can purchase to neutralise their greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon additionality
Additionality is the defining aspect of carbon offsets, which means that emissions reductions must be ‘additional’ to those that would have occurred without any modification to the current status. A transparent and credible baseline is to be calculated to measure the additional carbon benefits from specific projects. The difference between the baseline and the effective reduction of CO2 is then incorporated in carbon credits. The total volume of carbon emissions reduced through the offset project equals the volume that can be sold to buyers of carbon credits.
Project verification
The project should undergo a verification process during and after its implementation in order to prove that the emissions reductions have been obtained effectively. To ensure the highest levels of credibility, Aither develops offset projects under the main available standards using accredited independent methods to conduct project’s verification.
The main standards, protocols, and verification methods available for carbon offsets projects are:
- Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is set by international regulatory authorities.
- Verified Carbon Standard (VERRA) is a standard for certifying carbon emissions reductions. Verra develops and manages standards that are globally applicable and advance action across a wide range of sectors and activities.
- Gold Standard is a widely respected certification standard for carbon offset projects. It ensures that energy efficiency and renewable energy projects genuinely reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Why trade carbon?
Companies are looking at the cost of emission reductions on an international competitiveness level. Emissions trading through Aither allows companies to reduce their carbon and GHG emissions in the most cost-effective way.
Aither has access to the largest global carbon credit markets; thus, we sell and buy carbon credits worldwide. Companies that can reduce their emissions at a low cost through internal reductions can profit by selling the generated credits through our buying services. Moreover, companies that cannot afford internal emissions reductions could purchase carbon credits through our selling services. The price of a carbon credit depends on several factors; for that reason, Aither provides the best market prices, project risk and quality assessment and assesses the benefits of the associated project. Not only that, but Aither support companies to participate in originating carbon credits. The originating project needs to be under an approved methodology to generate offsets. At Aither, we help your company in developing methodologies under UNFCCC, VERRA, Gold Standard, and other carbon credit mechanisms.