The carbon market depends on credits that represent real emission reductions or removals. Since 2022, INFRAS has supported several actors that assess the quality of crediting methodologies: the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), Calyx Global, the Carbon Credit Quality Initiative (CCQI) and Carbon Market Watch.
The quality of CO2 certificates depends largely on the methods used. INFRAS contributes its expertise in assessment frameworks, certificate assessments, practical tests and method analyses, as the following examples show:
Expert Panel of the ICVCM
The ICVCM aim was to set a global benchmark for quality in the Voluntary Carbon market. Quirin Oberpriller from INFRAS has been a member of the ICVCM Expert Panel since its beginnings in 2022. The panel developed an Assessment Framework regard inter alia additionality, robust quantification and permanence. Quirin has since uses this framework to assess crediting methodologies with a focus is on various carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methodologies, as well as biodigesters and cookstoves.
Ratings for Calyx Global
Calyx Global rates the quality of carbon credits at project level for companies and investors. Quirin Oberpriller is part of the expert panel that developed the rating methodology. The methodology assesses risks in additionality, quantification, permanence, leakage and double counting and aggregates them into one score. Since then, he has help to set up the specific rating approach for landfill gas, biodigesters, manure management, methane rice ozone-depleting substances and several CDR technologies.
Road testing of the CCQI
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), WWF and Oeko-Institut launched the CCQI to compare the quality of different types of carbon credits. In 2022 and 2023, Quirin Oberpriller pilot-tested the CCQI scoring approach on concrete methodologies led this road testing for robust quanitification. The focus was on landfill gas and manure management methodologies. The feedback contributed to the further development of the CCQI methodology.
Assessments for Carbon Market Watch
In 2024, INFRAS assessed two draft methodologies under the EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Certification Framework (CRCF). For direct air capture and storage (DACCS) and biomass with carbon capture and storage (BioCCS), INFRAS and Carbon Limits found critical issues in additionality, biomass sourcing and the accounting of energy emissions. For long-term biogenic carbon storage in buildings, the assessment found very critical issues in permanence, baseline quantification, additionality and the effect on atmospheric CO2 levels. INFRAS therefore recommended that the development of this latter methodology be discontinued.
In 2026, INFRAS and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) are assessing the quality of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits in the voluntary carbon market for Carbon Market Watch. The study describes the supply, demand and prices of CDR credits. It assesses case studies on afforestation and reforestation, biochar and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) against five quality criteria. Each case study also includes a screening against the CRCF and the Article 6.4 mechanism. The publication is planned for December 2026.
Further infromation:
Project team
