Scope 3 Standard Program: Year-End Update 

Verra is close to finalizing the initial components of a robust and credible Scope 3 Standard (S3S) Program that will enable large-scale value chain decarbonization. Addressing Scope 3 emissions is essential for mitigating the damaging effects of global climate change because these emissions often represent the majority of a company’s climate impact.

In 2025, Verra made significant progress toward launching the S3S Program, with the release of the first phase of version 1.0 planned for early 2026.

In this update, we are sharing our milestones from 2025, providing details about the upcoming release of version 1.0 phase 1, and looking ahead to future releases of version 1.0 phase 2 and version 2.0.

Early in the year, Verra held the first public consultation on the S3S Program, which received detailed comments from over 30 stakeholders. Since then, the Verra team has been working to incorporate the feedback to develop version 1.0 phase 1 of the program to ensure it meets users’ needs and supports this nascent market.

We continued our collaboration with a set of corporate pilots (initial tier and secondary tier), which further informed the development process, including the refinement of program rules and the adaptation of select Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) methodologies for use at the initial launch of the S3S Program.

We also successfully introduced the S3S Program sponsorship initiative (PDF) and secured our first sponsorship from Bayer, which enabled us to begin working with an expert consultant on the right-to-report (R2R), a framework to determine whether an impacted product in a Scope 3 intervention (e.g., soy, beef, concrete, textiles) has an association with a company’s value chain. This R2R framework will form the basis for version 2.0 of the S3S Program.

Throughout the year, we actively engaged in important dialogues at events in the broader Scope 3 space (e.g., North American Carbon World, Climate Week NYC). We also contributed to the ongoing development of relevant initiatives such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP), the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the Advanced and Indirect Mitigation (AIM) Platform, and the Task Force for Corporate Action Transparency (TCAT).

Currently, we are working through a gap analysis, to be completed by the end of the year, with our partners at SustainCERT. This will help us understand the points of alignment and differences between our respective programs, how interventions could transition between the two, and how to leverage the tools and assets of each organization for mutual efficiencies and the benefit of our stakeholders.

In Q1 of 2026, we anticipate releasing version 1.0 phase 1 (formerly referred to as version 0.9) of the S3S Program. This slight delay from the previously announced plan to launch by the end of 2025 is primarily due to the need to align with version 5.0 of the VCS Program, which is scheduled for release by the end of 2025.

Aligning the rules and requirements of the S3S Program with version 5.0 of the VCS Program will ensure interoperability between the programs and enable projects to issue units in the carbon credit or value chain abatement spaces, depending on market demand.

Phase 1 will be open for use to all intervention proponents, enabling them to pipeline-list their Scope 3 interventions on the Verra Registry using an initial set of methodologies adapted from the VCS Program for use with the S3S Program. The methodologies include VM0042 Improved Agricultural Land Management, VM0043 CO₂ Utilization in Concrete Production, and VM0045 Improved Forest Management Using Dynamic Matched Baselines from National Forest Inventories, with other methodologies soon to follow.

Phase 1 will be digital native, with key program documents (e.g., the S3S Standard, S3S Program Definitions, Registration and Issuance Process, Methodology Adaptation and Review Process) available on the Verra Project Hub. In addition, a suite of guidance documents, templates, and tools (e.g., fully digitalized intervention descriptions, methodologies, an attribution and unitization tool, and listing representation templates) will support users in navigating phase 1.

Following the publication of phase 1, we will work to finalize phase 2 of version 1.0, with the aim of going live in Q3 2026.

Phase 2 will provide all the necessary foundations for measuring and certifying high-quality value chain interventions by enabling the validation and registration of pipeline-listed interventions, as well as the verification and issuance of Intervention Units (IUs) to proponents. Each IU represents a verified tonne of CO₂e reduced or removed by an intervention, analogous to a Verified Carbon Unit (VCU) in the VCS Program but adapted specifically for corporate emissions accounting.

For the first 12 months after its launch, version 1.0 phase 2 will be restricted to S3S Program sponsors and the pilots that supported the adaptation of VCS methodologies and informed the development process. This phased rollout will allow for robust testing of the initial version of the program before it opens more widely. Parties interested in accessing phase 2 by becoming sponsors are encouraged to contact scope3@verra.org.

Lastly, Verra is concurrently working on version 2.0 of the S3S Program to develop a strategy for establishing R2R across a range of economic sectors and supply chains, including through alignment with other initiatives (e.g., GHGP, SBTi, AIM, and TCAT). We will open a public consultation on draft program documents for version 2.0 in 2026.

Phased Launch of Verra’s Scope 3 Standard Program

Thank you to all who have supported this important work of scaling up corporate climate action thus far. This work would not be possible without the contributions of our many collaborators, pilots, sponsors, and thought partners, including Bayer (external) and SustainCERT (external). We welcome further engagement from parties interested in supporting or collaborating on the S3S Program.