Consultation: Proposed Minor Revision to Cement Methodology 

Verra is launching a public consultation for a minor revision (methodology development ID #M0261) to VM0043 Methodology for CO₂ Utilization in Concrete Production, v1.0 in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. This proposed revision will enable project proponents to quantify carbon dioxide removals and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions separately. Project proponents will then be able to apply for mitigation outcome type labels, a new label type for Verified Carbon Units that was released in the August 2023 VCS Program updates to meet market demand for differentiating between these mitigation outcomes. See Mitigation Outcome Type Labels Guidance, v1.2 (PDF) for more information.

The revision also includes the following suggested updates:

• Integrating a discount factor to account for uncertainty related to the displacement of the production of virgin materials caused by project activities (in alignment with the August 2023 VCS Program updates)
• Expanding the methodology’s scope to allow its application to pre-cast products
• Incorporating a correction regarding the calculation of baseline emissions, issued on October 9, 2023

Verra is piloting its new digital public consultation platform, which is hosted on the Verra Project Hub, for this consultation. Stakeholders will need to use the link provided to enter their personal details, confirm their email address, and access the online consultation form. For additional guidance, please review the user guide (PDF) for the new digital public consultation platform.

Comments may be submitted electronically via the online form by 11:59 pm Anywhere on Earth (UTC -12) on October 18, 2024. If you experience issues using the digital public consultation platform or have feedback on it, please contact hubsupport@verra.org.

In addition to this proposed minor revision, a major revision to VM0043 (methodology development ID #CN0128) is ongoing. The proposed major revision will expand the scope of the methodology to include project activities using concrete additives, recycled concrete aggregates, and reclaimed water along with CO₂ as a feedstock in the production of concrete. It would also allow project proponents to claim GHG reductions from lower steam curing requirements. The major revision may also add carbon capture and storage (CCS) modules to VM0043.