Offset Credits

Verified Emission Reductions
Verified Emission Reductions (VER's, also called Voluntary Emission Reductions) are certificates of investment in carbon-reducing projects all over the world. VER's have been created for organisations which voluntarily want to reduce their carbon emissions. By purchasing VER's you finance sustainable developments as well as a certified amount of carbon reduction.

VER's are the most commonly used credits for offsetting purposes. There are different international standards for certifying VER's. GreenBalance Group prefers using the Gold Standard and the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). Both standards have an international register for carbon credits, which guarantees the credits' source.

Read more about the offset projects GreenBalance uses.

Gold Standard
The highest guarantee for VER's is the socalled Gold Standard, which is supported by the World Wildlife Fund, among others. Criteria which Gold Standard projects need to meet include:

• Only sustainable energy and energy efficiency projects which create long-term benefits for the host country and climate are eligible. The social aspects of the project, such as local employment, are also taken into account;
• Proven additionality: the project can only be realised through investments resulting from Gold Standard credits.

For more information please see the Gold Standard website.

Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)
De Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) is a worldwide standard for VER's. Like the Gold Standard, VCS offset projects use the criterium of proven additionality. The verification process of VCS projects is usually faster than Gold Standard projects, creating a greater availability in types and locations of projects. The projects are usually small-scale.

For more information please see the VCS website.