ICVCM Approves Four Cookstove and Biodigester Methodologies with Strict Conditions

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market has approved three clean cookstove methodologies and one household biodigester methodology under its Core Carbon Principles framework, subject to conditions that constrain the fraction of non-renewable biomass and require more rigorous fuel consumption measurement. The conditions mean that no currently issued credits under these methodologies will initially be eligible for CCP labels.

The approved methodologies are Gold Standard's Metered and Measured Energy Cooking Devices v1 to 1.2, Gold Standard's TPDDTEC v4.0, Verra VCS VM0050 v1.0, and Gold Standard's Methodology for Animal Manure Management and Biogas Use v1.0. Three key conditions apply across all approvals: the fraction of non-renewable biomass must be derived using the MoFuSS model or the CDM default of 0.3 (for a limited period); fuel consumption must be determined via Kitchen Performance Test, Controlled Cooking Test, or methodology defaults with cross checks; and charcoal projects must use a direct charcoal emission factor or a wood-to-charcoal conversion factor of four to one. The market average for the non-renewable biomass fraction is 0.86, while CCP conditions will typically produce rates below 0.5.

The Integrity Council simultaneously rejected four older methodologies — two cookstove and two household biodigester — for insufficient rigour in measuring fuel consumption and monitoring technology usage, including Gold Standard AMS-II.G., the Gold Standard Simplified Clean Cookstove Methodology, VCS and Gold Standard AMS-I.E., and Gold Standard AMS-I.I. Clean cooking projects deliver multiple benefits including health improvements from reduced household air pollution, reduced fuel collection burden particularly for women and children, and lower pressure on forest resources. ICVCM CEO Amy Merrill stated that these first cookstove and biodigester approvals will provide confidence for carbon finance to flow into high-impact projects.

A large pipeline of new projects planning to use the approved methodology versions exists, and carbon crediting programs are planning to allow existing projects to update their carbon accounting to meet CCP conditions. The ICVCM expects several hundred thousand tonnes of credits to be issued in the coming year under these approved approaches. The Governing Board noted that decisions on ART TREES HFLD and Removals crediting levels were expected by the end of Q2. The CDM default non-renewable biomass fraction of 0.3 may only be used for emission reductions on or before end of 2025, as the underlying UNFCCC tool is under revision for use in the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism.

Key figure — CCP conditions will reduce non-renewable biomass fraction to typically below 0.5, versus market average of 0.86