VCU Labels

Required Documentation:

• VCS+CCB project descriptions
• Monitoring & implementation reports
• Validation and Verification reports

Required Documentation:

• SD VISta project descriptions
• Monitoring reports
• Validation and Verification reports

Required documentation is a certificate issued by the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO) indicating a project’s conformance with the Crown Standard. View information about the required documentation.

Required Documentation:

• VCS + SOCIALCARBON reports
• Validation and Verification reports

Notice: SOCIALCARBON labels will only be applied to VCUs with a monitoring period end prior to 1 January 2024, and only for projects using SOCIALCARBON Version 5 or previous.

Projects proponents may apply both the VCS Program and W+ Program to their projects. Projects that follow the respective requirements of each program for registration, validation, and verification are eligible to receive W+ labeled Verified Carbon Units (VCUs).

• Verra and Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN) co-hosted a webinar on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at 2:00 pm ET, to provide an overview of the updated label guidance document and the process of acquiring W+ labels for VCUs. Watch the webinar recording here (YouTube).
• On June 25, 2024, Verra released an updated guidance document for project proponents applying W+ labels to VCUs issued to projects registered under the VCS Program and the W+ Standard. The W+ Label Guidance, v1.0 (PDF), is now available on the VCS Rules and Requirements page.

Project proponents who wish to apply the W+ label to their VCUs must supply the following required documentation to the Verra Registry with their project requests:

The required documentation (see below) is available on the W+ Standard website.

• All required VCS Program documentation (see the VCS Program Registration and Issuance Process)
• W+ Project Idea Note (PIN)
• W+ Project Design Document (PDD)
• W+ Monitoring and Results Report
• W+ Verification Report

This list provides the mitigation outcome type and compatibility with the label for methodologies eligible for use within the VCS Program. The mitigation outcome type and compatibility with the label are included on the individual webpage of each methodology.

The list is limited to methodologies with at least one project on the Verra registry. Please contact methodologies@verra.org to request an assessment of any methodology that is not currently included on the list.

The mitigation outcome type of all CDM methodologies are emission reductions, except the following that classify as removals and are compatible with the label:

AR-ACM0003 Afforestation and reforestation of lands except wetlands¹
AR-AMS0007 Afforestation and reforestation project activities implemented on lands other than wetlands¹
AR-AM0014 Afforestation and reforestation of degraded mangrove habitats²
AR-AMS0003 Afforestation and reforestation project activities implemented on wetlands²

The eligibility criteria for new certification labels are as follows:

• The standard administrator is a non-profit organization, government, or other regulatory body.
• The standard administrator  does not have any involvement in GHG project development that would represent a conflict of interest with respect to administering the standard.
• The standard has been developed through a process of public stakeholder consultation or is the result of regulations that have been developed and implemented through a process of public stakeholder consultation.
• The standard is publicly available.
• The standard administrator maintains a public record of all projects that have been certified.
• The standard administrator issues a certification statement to the project that indicates compliance with the standard’s requirements, and the standard administrator uses consistent procedures for issuing certification statements and/or specifies such procedures for accredited entities to issue such statements. Where accredited entities may issue certification statements, the standard clearly specifies which accredited entities can issue such statements.
• The standard is complementary to the objectives and scope of the Verra program to which the label will be applied. For example, a label to be applied to a VCU may provide certification with respect to a project’s social and environmental co-benefits.
• The standard is applicable to project or program-level activities and to the emission reductions or removals or sustainable development benefits generated by such projects (e.g., it is not a certification that applies at the organizational level).

Label proposals must include the complete label requirements and demonstrate how the proposed label meets the corresponding certification or market criteria. Proposals should be submitted to programupdates@verra.org.

Certification label proposals must include an example certification statement and the name(s) of the body/bodies that will be issuing certification statements, and guidance on how Verra should ascertain the authenticity of certification statements.

Market label proposals should use the Verra Market Label Proposal Form (DOC).

Certification label proposals should use the Verra Certification Label Proposal Form (DOC).

Verra will vet the label requirements to ensure that they meet the above certification or market label criteria.

Market label requirements that meet the above eligibility criteria will undergo at least one 30-day public consultation. Verra may issue a pre-consultation announcement for certain potential market labels to obtain early stakeholder feedback. Following public consultation, the label developer shall respond to comments received and revise the label proposal as necessary.

Verra will approve or reject the label.

If a proposed VCU label is accepted, Verra will announce the label and the timeframe for its implementation (based on the potential changes required to internal procedures, program rules and requirements, and updates to the Verra Registry). The requirements for the respective label will be added to this webpage.

Neither Verra, the Verra Registry, nor any of their respective affiliates, directors, employees, agents, licensors, and/or contractors (together, the “Verra Parties“) shall be liable with respect to any claims whatsoever arising out of any certification labeling within the Verra Registry whether for direct economic or commercial losses, indirect, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages or otherwise, including without limitation losses resulting from claims of any nature (including in respect of any erroneous additional certification labeling) brought against any Verra Party by registry account holders, project proponents, validation/verification bodies (“VVBs“), or any other third party. This paragraph shall apply regardless of any actual knowledge or foreseeability of such damages.

Labeling any instruments (including Verified Carbon Units (“VCUs“) with additional certifications within the Verra Registry is undertaken on a reasonable efforts basis. Save for the labels reflecting the information provided by the respective administrators of participating standards, or the respective VVBs to Verra in relation to the project activity, none of the Verra Parties warrant or represent that the labels applied are otherwise accurate.

The administrators of participating standards are responsible for overseeing certification against their standards and maintaining public records of certification statements issued.

Verra may suspend or terminate arrangements for labeling any instruments (including VCUs) with the certification of a given standard at any time by providing notice to the standard administrator and citing the reason(s). Likewise, a standard administrator may instruct Verra to suspend or terminate labeling any instruments (including VCUs) with their certification at any time.

Any documentation maintained within the Verra Registry with respect to such certification statements represents a secondary repository only, and the standard administrators remain the primary source of information and documentation with respect to certification against their standards. Market participants should not place any reliance on the certification labels.

No Verra Party shall be liable with respect to any claims whatsoever arising out of any market labeling within the Verra Registry whether for consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages or otherwise, including without limitation losses resulting from claims of any nature (including in respect of any erroneous additional market labeling) brought against any Verra Party by registry account holders, project proponents, VVBs, or any other third party. This paragraph shall apply regardless of any actual knowledge or foreseeability of such damages.

In relation to any liability arising from market labels of an instrument (the “Labeled Instrument“), Verra’s total liability to any and all persons relating in any way, whether directly or indirectly, whether caused by the negligence of Verra or otherwise, and regardless of whether any claim for damages is based on contract, tort, strict liability or otherwise, is limited to an aggregate amount equal to the fees paid by the Registry User requesting for the market labeling of that Labeled Instrument (being the proportion of fees attributed to that Labeled Instrument in the batch of affected instruments which the Labeled Instrument forms part of), at the point of issuance of the Labeled Instrument.

Labeling any instruments (including VCUs) within the Verra Registry is undertaken on a reasonable efforts basis. Save for the labels reflecting the information provided by the respective responsible persons referred to in the paragraph immediately below, the project proponents and/or the respective VVBs to Verra in relation to the project activity, none of the Verra Parties warrant nor represent that the labels are otherwise accurate.

Markets with specific rules or eligibility criteria for labels are responsible for setting out, maintaining, and enforcing any specific rules or requirements for the respective label. For example, in the case of CORSIA eligible standards, ICAO ensures compliance with the relevant requirements.

Subject to the abovementioned qualification on Verra’s warranty and representation, Verra also assesses whether any instruments (including VCUs) fulfill the requirements set out by the respective market to which they can be supplied. The Verra Registry is the primary repository for such instruments, regardless of the market in which they are used.