WHAT ARE HIGH INTEGRITY CREDITS?
High-integrity carbon credits hold the key to driving real and verifiable climate impact. When utilised effectively, they can bridge the gap between climate commitments and actions within value chains whilst being consistent with science-aligned pathways to domestic and global climate and environmental goals. By promoting transparency and adherence to best practices, high-integrity carbon credits ensure that projects achieve genuine greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and removals.
High-integrity credits should meet recognised criteria that ensure credits deliver the environmental benefits they claim. When people talk about the “quality” of carbon credit, they are referring to the level of confidence one can have that using the credit will fulfil this basic principle and additional stacked benefits associated with the project activities. They should ensure credits are independently validated and verified whilst clarifying and supporting mitigations of any social and environmental harms. Although often offered at a lower price, low-quality and low-integrity credits leave purchasers open to the risks of double counting, greenwashing and lack of real impact resulting in
The Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) are ten fundamental, science-based principles for identifying high-quality carbon credits that create real, verifiable climate impact. Developed by the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (ICVCM) with input from hundreds of organisations, they set a global benchmark for high integrity in the voluntary carbon market to raise it to a consistent level of quality and ensure it accelerates progress towards the 1.5°C target. These principles can be split into three elements; governance, emissions impact and sustainable development. This document outlines the CarbonBank’s soil carbon credits adherence to these principles.


The Sustainable Futures Carbon Bank is delivered by Future Food Solutions and certified by BCarbon from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.