Quality Checker

How the Quality Checker works

What you get

  • Questions per project. Each project gets its points to check, written as questions for your supplier, plus what is good to know and the good signs.
  • Rooted in published sources. The points follow ICVCM decisions on the Core Carbon Principles, the VCMI Claims Code, the Oxford Principles, the SBTi Net-Zero Standard and peer-reviewed studies. Each point lists its sources.
  • A portfolio overview. Credit type split, the share with retirement evidence, a CCP label or an independent rating, the removals share and the vintages.

How it works

  • Every answer is checked against fixed rules. There is no score, no traffic light and no AI.
  • A 'Don't know' becomes a question for your supplier: they should be able to tell you.
  • With a CCP label, the ICVCM has approved the methodology version, so the methodology questions for that project type fall away.
  • Shares are of total volume, rounded to whole percentages.

Points to check

  • Ask your supplier what type of project these credits come from.
  • Ask which standard certifies these credits.
  • Ask for the vintage year of these credits.
  • These credits are more than 7 years old. Older credits more often come from methodology versions the ICVCM has not approved. Ask which methodology version issued them, and why they were still available. (ICVCM 2026)
  • Peer-reviewed studies found that forest protection projects credited far more avoided deforestation than independent estimates. The ICVCM has approved only three REDD+ methodologies (Verra VM0048, ART TREES and the Verra jurisdictional framework), and older Verra REDD+ methodologies are being phased out. Ask which methodology and version issued these credits. (West et al. 2023; Swinfield et al. 2026; ICVCM 2024)
  • A peer-reviewed study found cookstove credits over-credited about nine times on average. The ICVCM has approved only three cookstove methodologies, with conditions on how fuel use and non-renewable biomass are measured. Ask which methodology issued these credits and how fuel use was measured. (Gill-Wiehl et al. 2024; ICVCM 2025)
  • In 2024 the ICVCM found that the main grid-connected renewable energy methodologies do not meet its additionality requirements; a revised Verra version was approved in 2026. Ask which methodology version issued these credits and how additionality was shown. (ICVCM 2024; ICVCM 2026)
  • A systematic review found no significant effect for the improved forest management projects it studied. The ICVCM has approved only some methodology versions, such as Verra VM0045 and ACR IFM v2.1. Ask which methodology and version issued these credits. (Probst et al. 2024; ICVCM 2025)
  • Ask your supplier for the retirement evidence: serial numbers, in your name.
  • Ask whether these credits have been retired, and in whose name.
  • No CCP label. Since 1 January 2026, only CCP-labelled or Article 6.4 credits can support VCMI claims. Ask your supplier whether the methodology version is CCP-approved, and if not, how these credits meet the Core Carbon Principles. (VCMI 2025; ICVCM 2026)
  • Look the project up on its registry to see whether the credits carry the CCP label. Since 1 January 2026, VCMI claims need CCP-labelled credits. (VCMI 2025)
  • Ask for the registry project ID, so you can look the project up yourself.

Good to know

  • Not retired yet. Retire credits before you communicate about them, in your name and with the purpose stated.
  • Carbon stored in forests and soils can be lost through fire, logging or drought. Ask how reversals are covered, for example by a buffer pool, and for how long the project monitors them. (Oxford Principles 2024)
  • Durable storage still needs monitoring. Ask how the storage is monitored and how any reversed credits are replaced, for example from a buffer pool. (Isometric 2026)
  • No independent rating that you know of. BeZero, Sylvera and Calyx Global publish free headline ratings, a quick independent check of the project. (Rating providers)
  • The VCMI asks companies to disclose whether each credit has a corresponding adjustment. Ask your supplier. (VCMI 2025)

Portfolio notes

  • Your portfolio has no removals. The Oxford Principles expect a shift towards removals over time, and the SBTi Net-Zero Standard V2 asks Category A companies to support long-lived removals for at least 10% of their covered long-lived emissions from 2035. (Oxford Principles 2024; SBTi 2026)
  • Your removals are all nature-based. The Oxford Principles expect a shift towards removals with durable storage, which have a lower risk of reversal. (Oxford Principles 2024)
  • Several answers were 'Don't know'. Your supplier should be able to give you this information.
  • Not all retired volume has evidence. Keep the registry serial numbers for every retirement.

FAQ

Is this a rating?

No. It's a screening that tells you what to ask your supplier. It gives no score and no verdict on any project or supplier.

Why are some points so critical?

Because the research is. Peer-reviewed studies found large over-crediting in some project types, and since 1 January 2026 VCMI claims need CCP-labelled credits. Each point names its sources, so you can check them yourself.

Do I need project IDs?

No. We only ask whether you have the registry project ID, because with it you can look the project up yourself.

Is my data stored?

Your answers stay in your browser, and project labels are never sent to us. We store your name, work email and a summary of the screening (number of projects, credit types, total volume, the shares in the overview and the number of points to check), so a Climate Strategist can follow up if you ask for a review.

What's in a portfolio review?

A Climate Strategist goes through your credits with you against Regreener's Quality Framework, tells you what to ask your supplier, what to keep and what to change, and where needed proposes credits that meet the standard you need. It's free.

Sources

Checked on 2 October 2026.

This is a screening based on your answers, not a rating of any project or supplier. It does not check registry data. Where you answered 'Don't know', ask your supplier.

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How solid are the carbon credits you already hold?

Answer a few questions about each project and see what's worth checking with your supplier, held against ICVCM and VCMI rules and peer-reviewed research. No project IDs or supplier names needed.

  • Questions to ask your supplier, per project
  • Every point backed by published sources
  • A one-screen overview of your portfolio

Check your credits

Takes about 5 minutes. No account needed.