ICVCM endorses Verra’s biochar and improved forest management (IFM) methodologies as meeting Core Carbon Principles for scientific rigor and environmental integrity.
Biochar methodology (VM0044) locks carbon away for centuries through responsible production and use in soil and durable products.
IFM methodology (VM0045) pioneers the use of dynamic baselines from real-world forest inventory data, replacing static models.
Verra’s latest win in the voluntary carbon market comes as the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) approves two of its methodologies — VM0044 Biochar Utilization in Soil and Non-Soil Applications, v1.2, and VM0045 Improved Forest Management Using Dynamic Matched Baselines from National Forest Inventories, v1.2 — as meeting the Core Carbon Principles (CCP). This recognition places both approaches among the highest global benchmarks for climate integrity.
The biochar methodology sets a new bar for how waste biomass can be converted into a highly stable form of carbon, which, when applied to soil or embedded in durable products, can remain locked away for centuries.
On the forestry side, the improved forest management methodology introduces a significant shift in carbon accounting by replacing static, model-based baselines with continuously updated, real-world forest inventory data — a move aimed at enhancing accuracy and credibility in carbon credit issuance.
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“The ICVCM’s approval of these methodologies is a defining milestone for nature-based solutions and the carbon markets, ensuring carbon credits deliver real, measurable, and lasting climate impact,” said Mandy Rambharos, CEO of Verra. “Whether it’s transforming waste biomass into carbon-storing biochar or helping forests thrive through smarter management, these methodologies are about real-world action for real-world impact. This decision is a powerful endorsement of high-integrity climate solutions that not only reduce emissions but also bring tangible benefits to communities and ecosystems around the world.”
These approvals follow earlier ICVCM endorsements of the VCS Program itself, several VCS methodologies — including afforestation, reforestation, and cookstove efficiency — and multiple Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) methodologies still active under the VCS Program, such as landfill methane recovery and leak detection in gas systems.
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