WASHINGTON – Feb. 24, 2026 | Verra has issued the first carbon credits with the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label under its clean cookstoves methodology. CCP labels indicate that the underlying methodology meets the high-integrity requirements of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM).

This marks an important milestone for the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) methodology VM0050 Energy Efficiency and Fuel-Switch Measures in Cookstoves, v1.0 which was one of the first cookstove methodologies to be approved by the ICVCM as meeting the industry benchmark.

The CCP-labeled credits were issued to the UpEnergy – Social and Climate Impact Programme – Nigeria project (Verra Project 2673), which locally manufactures and distributes energy-efficient cookstoves to households across the country. The project expects to reduce more than 1.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) each year.

“Behind each of these credits is a household now cooking with a cleaner, more sustainable option, meaning less smoke, fewer harmful emissions, and less fuel. High-integrity standards matter because real people rely on these projects. This issuance reflects the kind of climate finance that works: measurable, credible, and life changing.”

Mandy Rambharos, Verra, CEO

By replacing traditional charcoal stoves with new, locally produced energy-efficient stoves, the project reduces greenhouse gas and smoke emissions. It also delivers reduces pressure on forests, saves time for women and children, and creates local jobs.

Anantha K. Rajagopalan, vice president at UpEnergy, says, “Since conducting the world’s first Kitchen Performance Test for a carbon project in 2008, the UpEnergy team has remained focused on improving the accuracy of clean cookstove impact measurement. This CCP-labeled issuance reflects the continued strengthening of methodologies, more precise impact measurement and increased conservativeness. Buyers of credits from the UpEnergy Social and Climate Programme in Nigeria can have confidence in the rigorous monitoring and transparent accounting behind them. They are also supporting local technology development and manufacturing, reinforcing the role high-quality clean cooking can play within credible climate strategies.”

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Contact:

Media Inquiries: Erdem Koch | media@verra.org

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Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges. As a mission-driven nonprofit organization, Verra is committed to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve livelihoods, and protect natural resources by working with the private and public sectors. We support climate action and sustainable development with standards programs and tools that credibly, transparently, and robustly assess environmental and social impacts and enable funding for sustaining and scaling up projects that verifiably deliver these benefits.