Voluntary Carbon Standard

Standard: Voluntary Carbon Standard

Founding Organization:

The Climate Group,
The International Emissions Trading Association,
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Website: www.v-c-s.org
Eligible Projects: Any projects that employs a Clean Development Mechanism approved methodology for monitoring its emissions.

Summary:

The Voluntary Carbon Standard was created to bring accountability to the voluntary carbon offset market. The standard launched 19 November 2007 after two years of development, consultation, and revision.

Voluntary Carbon Standard approved projects must demonstrate additionality through the following three tests:

Project Test- The project should not be a mandated activity in any sense. It should also face distinct barriers to its implementation that alternative project scenarios do not necessarily face. The project should also not be common practice in the region.
Performance Test- The emissions level with the project should be below the emissions level in a scenario without the project.
Technology Test- The project must use technology that is approved by the VCS Program.

"The VCS has been designed to complement existing "niche standards" and from the outset was designed not to compete with but rather support other credible approaches."
-The Voluntary Carbon Standard