The Carbon Credit Quality Initiative

Our Mission: Enhancing the Quality of Carbon Credits

Founded by Environmental Defense Fund, World Wildlife Fund (WWF-US) and Oeko-Institut, the Carbon Credit Quality Initiative (CCQI) provides transparent information on the quality of carbon credits. This enables users to identify carbon credits that deliver higher climate mitigation impacts and offer greater social and environmental benefits—and enhance the quality of carbon credits in the market.

A Scoring Tool to Understand Carbon Credit Quality

CCQI offers a free, user-friendly tool to score a carbon credit's quality. Our scoring tool evaluates carbon credits against multiple criteria, providing a nuanced picture of carbon credit quality. Our scores are derived from our thorough, publicly-available assessment methodology.

Try our interactive carbon credit scoring tool:

Score My Carbon Credit

How We Move the Market Toward Quality

Carbon credits are in high demand from companies and organizations aiming to meet their climate goals and obligations. To actually achieve these goals and obligations, carbon credits must be of high quality and effectively contribute to the goals of the Paris Agreement. However, not all carbon credits are of high quality, and it can be difficult for companies and users to navigate the carbon market and identify quality. Transparent and trustworthy information on carbon credit quality is therefore essential to support carbon credit buyers, carbon crediting programs, project developers and the entire market to achieve the highest standards of quality.

What Makes CCQI Unique

Independent and led by non-profit organizations

The initiative is led by non-profit organizations and not funded, even in part, by revenues related to carbon credits. Experts involved in CCQI are not employed by project developers or carbon crediting programs.

Science-driven and trustworthy

Our assessment methodology strongly draws on available research on carbon credit quality and was reviewed by stakeholders. Experts providing the assessments have deep expertise in carbon markets.

Scorings on an interval scale, not on a binary basis

The initiative provides a granular assessment of carbon credit quality against multiple criteria. This helps buyers make more informed decisions on carbon credit quality.

Unparalleled transparency

Our methodology is publicly available, along with detailed assessment documents explaining how each score was determined.

All scores free-of-charge

Our open-access model ensures that all carbon credit buyers can benefit from this information.

Explore Our Scores

Carbon credit scoring results can be found by using our free, interactive carbon credit scoring tool.