Today, Verra celebrates a significant milestone with the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) approval of the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program for the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). This endorsement extends the program’s eligibility from CORSIA’s Pilot Phase (2021–2023) into its First Phase (2024–2026), marking a critical step forward for Verra and the voluntary carbon market.
The ICAO’s recognition underscores the high integrity of the VCS Program and makes Verified Carbon Units (VCUs)—which represent verified, additional, and transparent emission reductions—eligible for airlines to use toward their CORSIA obligations. This approval reinforces Verra as a leader in creating high-integrity climate solutions and fostering confidence in the global carbon markets as a key mechanism for driving finance to these solutions.
The decision also paves the way for the aviation sector’s ability to make credible progress toward its emission targets with units from impactful VCS projects.
With airlines needing to source the required compliance credits, CORSIA’s extended eligibility is creating a new supply pathway for VCUs that meet this demand. This in turn broadens the opportunities for VCS projects to further scale up their impact by participating in this market.
In turn, airlines will soon be able to source Verra’s CORSIA-compliant carbon credits with confidence, knowing they meet the scheme’s stringent environmental and sustainable development criteria.
As CORSIA requires host country authorizations under Article 6 for the units used to meet obligations under the scheme, projects will need to collaborate with host country governments to meet these requirements.
This month, Verra will finalize the respective label guidance to facilitate the operationalization of ICAO’s decision within the VCS Program, ensuring swift action to support this effective climate solution in the aviation sector and across the voluntary carbon market.