ICVCM Details Transparency Commitments Across Program and Category Assessments

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market has set out its framework for transparency across all aspects of its work, from program assessments to category reviews and ongoing market oversight. The ICVCM requires carbon crediting programs to meet high transparency standards under the Core Carbon Principles and applies equivalent transparency principles to its own assessment processes.

For program applicants, the ICVCM provides direct communication, dedicated staff support, and a formal right to dispute draft assessment findings before any adverse decision is taken. Programs receive draft decisions and have the right to submit additional information, request a meeting with ICVCM staff, and place their view on record. The ICVCM also accepts evidence-based submissions from external stakeholders relevant to any ongoing assessment through its public email address. These procedural safeguards are designed to ensure due process consistent with a regulatory-like governance body.

For category assessments, Multi-Stakeholder Working Groups comprising internal and external experts manage the assessment process through structured discussions that balance transparency with the confidentiality requirements of an active assessment. The Integrity Council publishes decisions after Governing Board meetings and maintains publicly updated webpages tracking the progress of all program and category assessments. This approach ensures that the broader market can follow assessment timelines without compromising the integrity of deliberations.

The ICVCM's Continuous Improvement Work Programs include dedicated workstreams on issues such as revenue and benefit sharing, registry operations and transactions, and market transparency more broadly. These will feed into the next version of the CCP Rulebook, further raising standards for what transparency means in a high-integrity voluntary carbon market. Monthly market webinars and a regular newsletter keep stakeholders informed of assessment progress and policy developments across the voluntary carbon market.

Key figure — Monthly — frequency of ICVCM market webinars and Governing Board meetings at which assessment decisions are communicated