August 2025 Newsletter

This is the time of year in the markets when there are fewer announcements to share than usual as many of us prepare for a busy few months ahead. But even though this newsletter is on the shorter side, we have several exciting updates!

• The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) has approved the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program’s biochar and improved forest management (IFM) methodologies as meeting the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) criteria. This is an important recognition of the scientific rigor and environmental integrity of these important nature-based approaches.
• Verra has engaged global insurance intermediary Howden to assess whether insurance products meet Verra’s criteria for credits intended for use under the Carbon Offset Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). This represents a key further step in operationalizing Verra’s CORSIA eligibility pathway for VCUs issued for mitigation occurring from 2021 onward.
• In a new op-ed, Verra CEO Mandy Rambharos responds to an opinion article in The Irish Times that claims carbon markets have been a moral failure. Mandy points to the tangible and verifiable impact many carbon projects have had on advancing climate action and improving the lives of people, particularly in the Global South.
• We have made great strides in our multiyear digitalization initiative and shared details about this progress during our July Stakeholder Update Webinar and in a webinar titled “Verra Goes Digital: The Latest Updates on Verra’s Multiyear Digitalization Initiative.”
• We just closed the final consultation on version 5 of the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program and have received a record number of responses. The team is reviewing the feedback now and taking it into consideration as it finalizes the program updates.

Later this month, Verra CEO Mandy Rambharos and a few other team members will be traveling to São Paulo, Brazil for the Latin America Climate Summit (LACS) 2025. We hope you will visit our exhibit booth and/or attend the events at which they will be speaking. (Read our announcement for more details.)

• Verra’s Biochar and Forest Management Approaches Endorsed by ICVCM as High-Integrity Solutions
• Verra Engages Howden to Support Insurance Pathway for CORSIA-Eligible Carbon Credits
• Verra Stakeholder Update Webinar – July 2025: Recap

Verra is a mission-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting climate and environmental markets that work for people and the planet. This work is complex. It’s ambitious. And it’s only possible with your support.

As the markets evolve, so does our thinking. Below are the most recent pieces that offer a window into the insights of Verra’s many thought leaders as they grapple with this complicated, ever-evolving sector.

• One Year In: Building a Stronger Verra for a Stronger Market
• No, Carbon Markets Aren’t a Moral Failure. Giving Them Up Would Be.

Congratulations to the Improved Cookstove Grouped Project in Papua New Guinea (Verra Project #4416) for being the first project to have credits issued under Verra’s new cookstoves methodology, VM0050!

Operated by Tasman Environmental Markets (TEM), the Improved Cookstove Grouped Project in Papua New Guinea involves the distribution of fuel-efficient improved cookstoves in various provinces. The cookstoves are replacing open-fired wood-fueled cooking methods at no cost to the local community.

The implementation of sustainable cooking practices is an urgent need in many regions, as these practices improve livelihoods and gender equity, benefit health and air quality, preserve ecosystems, and reduce CO2 emissions.

VM0050 Energy Efficiency and Fuel-Switch Measures in Cookstoves, v1.0 is a comprehensive and robust methodology in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program that provides a high-integrity approach to quantifying emission reductions from energy efficiency and fuel-switch measures (i.e., involving the replacement of fossil fuels and non-renewable biomass) in cookstoves. By enabling projects to quantify these emission reductions and generate carbon credits, the methodology helps to scale up the implementation of sustainable cooking practices.

If you are part of a Verra-registered project, we invite you to share your story! From milestone credit issuances to moments of community impact, we want to hear what your project has accomplished. We will feature selected stories across our website, on our social media channels, and in future issues of this newsletter.

Interested in participating in this initiative? Please send an email to communications@verra.org with your project ID and a brief description of the impact you would like to highlight.

Verified Carbon Standard Program

• Verra at 2025 Latin America Climate Summit

Plastic Waste Reduction Standard Program

• Plastic Program Newsletter – Issue #7
• New Discussion Paper: Plastic Credits and Extended Producer Responsibility

Requests for Proposals

Verra regularly invites proposals for independent expert review of revisions of existing methodologies or drafts of new methodologies. The following requests for proposals are currently open:

• Request for Proposal to Review Revision to VM0016, v1.1 – Deadline: August 22

New Resources

• Webinar recording: Plastic Credits and Extended Producer Responsibility – July 29
• Webinar recording: Verra Goes Digital – The Latest Updates on Verra’s Multiyear Digitalization Initiative – July 30

Verra-Hosted Webinars

Mark your calendar today for our Q4 stakeholder update webinar during which we will share information on organizational developments, programmatic updates, and future priorities. We will also answer your questions!

• Stakeholder Update Webinar (October 2025) – Wednesday, October 22, at 11:00 am ET

Verra Staff at Events

Verra CEO Mandy Rambharos and other Verra staff regularly speak at and attend different events around the world to engage in important discussions that help advance the impact of carbon and other markets. For a comprehensive list of all upcoming events, please check our Events page. If you’d like to invite a Verra team member to speak at your event, please contact events@verra.org.