ICVCM Commits to Systematic CCP Assessment Framework Review Starting 2026

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market has outlined a 2026 roadmap to systematically review and evolve the Core Carbon Principles Assessment Framework based on lessons from program assessments, Continuous Improvement Work Programs, and stakeholder engagement. Nine carbon crediting programs have achieved CCP-Eligible status and 108 million credits are now eligible for CCP labelling, with 54 million unretired as of March 2026.

Since publishing the Core Carbon Principles and Assessment Framework in July 2023, the ICVCM has assessed 59 methodologies, approved 38, and worked with thousands of stakeholders through continuous improvement programs. Over 200 stakeholders from more than 140 organisations have participated in more than 70 meetings across work programs, generating 82 recommendations across four published reports. In December 2025, the Governing Board agreed that government-operated carbon crediting programs can also apply for ICVCM assessment, broadening the scope of the high-integrity threshold. The UK Government-backed Woodland Carbon Code has already applied and is under assessment.

The ICVCM will publish a public consultation in early 2026 on a proposed decision-hierarchy system — a rule architecture that will enable the organisation to interpret, clarify, and evolve specific parts of the Assessment Framework with greater precision and transparency. This process-oriented consultation will be followed later in 2026 by substantive consultations on specific proposed interpretations or evolutions of the Framework, drawing on Governing Board observations, assurance findings, and work program recommendations. The Expert Panel will lead the development of proposals for Governing Board consideration.

The ICVCM's self-led Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Engagement Forum has shaped its own strategy through consultation reaching approximately 300 people through virtual and physical engagement. Market analysis shows rising buyer demand and clear price premiums for CCP-labelled credits, reinforcing confidence in the threshold's stability. The Integrity Council's Science and Research Network currently tracks 43 topics where additional collective research is needed. The organisation framed 2026 as a year of broad stakeholder collaboration to determine where the collective next step on the CCP Assessment Framework should be.

Key figure — 108 million credits eligible for CCP labelling, 54 million unretired as of March 2026