The Integrity Council Approves Methodologies for Coal Transition and Forest Restoration

Verra's VM0052 methodology on coal transition and Equitable Earth's M001 methodology on forest restoration meet the requirements of the Core Carbon Principles®.

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (the Integrity Council) has approved two methodologies as meeting the requirements of its Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) Assessment Framework: Verra’s VM0052 Accelerated Retirement of Coal-Fired Power Plants Using a Just Transition v1.1 and Equitable Earth’s M001 – Methodology for Terrestrial Forest Restoration v1.3.

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Verra: VM0052 – Accelerated Retirement of Coal-Fired Power Plants Using a Just Transition v1.1

VM0052 applies to projects that quantify the net greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions resulting from the accelerated retirement of financially viable grid-connected coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) paired with the addition of renewable electricity to partially or fully replace the lost electricity capacity.

Accelerating the retirement of coal-fired power plants, especially in low- and middle-income countries is essential because coal remains one of the most carbon-intensive sources of electricity, and continued operation can lock in emissions for decades. Early retirement, combined with investment in clean energy and support for affected workers and communities, can deliver substantial near-term emissions reductions while enabling developing economies to meet growing energy demand on a lower-carbon pathway.

VM0052 was found to meet the relevant criteria and requirements for CCP Approval after amendments were made to key areas, including:

• a requirement for assessment and management of conflicts of interest between the system operator and the project proponent

• a robust analysis demonstrating that the grid will not be adversely affected

• timely achievement of all milestones in the renewable electricity pairing plan, with crediting paused if milestones are not met.

VM0052 includes a module to address the potential adverse social and economic impacts of accelerated CFPP retirement, including loss of livelihoods and employment for workers, their households and contractors, as well as impacts on affected communities and local economies. The Integrity Council’s Continuous Improvement Work Program (CIWP) report published in April 2026 noted that a just transition is fundamental to the integrity of transition credits.

Equitable Earth: M001 – Methodology for Terrestrial Forest Restoration v1.3

The Integrity Council has approved Equitable Earth’s M001 – Methodology for Terrestrial Forest Restoration v1.3 against the CCPs, making it the program’s first methodology to receive CCP Approval.

The methodology comes under the Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR) category, and covers the restoration of degraded forest landscapes and assisted natural regeneration using context-specific restoration approaches that re-establish ecosystem composition, structure, function and resilience in alignment with a reference ecosystem.

The methodology requires restoration with native species, promotes habitat recovery for native and threatened biodiversity, and prohibits commercial timber production and harvesting. Projects are designed to return forests to a native mature state while supporting ecological connectivity and long-term conservation outcomes. In addition, projects must actively engage core stakeholders, including both Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities and deliver tangible livelihood benefits throughout the project lifetime.

The Integrity Council’s assessment found that the methodology meets the relevant requirements of the CCP Assessment Framework, including for additionality, permanence and robust quantification.

About the Integrity Council

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (Integrity Council) is an independent, non-profit governance body for the voluntary carbon market, which aims to ensure the voluntary carbon market accelerates a just transition to 1.5°C.

The Integrity Council aims to set and maintain a voluntary global threshold standard for quality in the voluntary carbon market. The threshold standard is based on the Integrity Council’s Core Carbon Principles® (CCPs) and is implemented through an Assessment Framework that sets out what high quality means by reference to those principles. The result is a threshold standard and label that provides a credible, rigorous, and readily accessible means of identifying high-quality carbon credits.

Full decision texts and Board observations can be found here: Assessment Status.

ICVCM assessments and approvals

Since taking its first Decisions on Programs in March 2024, the Integrity Council has approved 13 Carbon-Crediting Programs as CCP Eligible. Since taking its first Decisions on Categories in May 2024, the Integrity Council’s Governing Board has approved 47 methodologies as meeting the requirements of the Assessment Framework. To date, an estimated 120.7 million credits have been approved to use the CCP label. Source: MSCI, accessed 22 October 2026.