Verra has launched a secondary tier of projects to pilot its new Scope 3 Standard (S3S) Program and to adapt an additional three Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program methodologies. These projects represent a special category of pilot projects, “discovery pilots,” that will operate more autonomously to feed back into the S3S Program design.
The inclusion of these discovery pilots represents a significant step forward in the development of Verra’s S3S Program as it will expand the diversity of sectors (to include finance and forestry) and locations (to include South America), as well as different project types and models in which the S3S Program is tested and refined, ultimately leading to a more robust and broadly applicable program.
All pilot projects adapting VCS methodologies for use in the S3S Program will also test—and provide feedback on—the proposed guidance, program rules, requirements, processes, and infrastructure.
Joining the S3S Program piloting process affords projects ample opportunities to interact with other pilots and Verra’s Scope 3 Team to share and receive learnings, challenges, ideas, and more.
List of Discovery Pilots and the Methodologies They Are Adapting
- Truterra, LLC: Adapting and piloting VM0041 Methodology for the Reduction of Enteric Methane Emissions from Ruminants through the Use of Feed Ingredients, v2.0
- Rabobank: Adapting and piloting VM0047 Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation, v1.0
- American Forest Foundation: Adapting and piloting VM0045 Methodology for Improved Forest Management Using Dynamic Matched Baselines from National Forest Inventories, v1.1
Two additional to-be-confirmed pilots will be adapting VM0042 Improved Agricultural Land Management, v2.1 in 2025.
The discovery pilot projects will operate in parallel to the other pilot projects, and findings from their work will be used to refine the S3S Program design.
