Verra has authorized three new accreditation bodies for the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program:
- Entidad Mexicana de Acreditación (EMA) – Mexico;
- National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) – India; and
- Sri Lanka Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (SLAB) – Sri Lanka.
Accreditation bodies can accredit validation and verification bodies (VVBs) for the VCS Program in their respective jurisdictions. They can also grant ISO 14065 accreditation – the international principles and requirements for bodies validating and verifying environmental information – to VVBs anywhere in the world.
This move will support the continued growth of the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), which is witnessing a surge of interest in new carbon projects and growing demand for auditing services. Authorizing more entities to accredit VVBs should significantly reduce certification timelines and costs for VCS projects.
Representatives of these organizations completed the required training for assessing whether VVBs conform with ISO 14065. The training also included a comprehensive overview of the VCS Program, including:
- VCS Program rules and requirements;
- Project registration process; and
- VCU issuance process.