Carbon credit due diligence: checking credits before you buy, retire or claim

Carbon credits differ widely in quality, and a weak credit can undermine the claim you make with it. VPA India checks credits before you buy, retire or claim them: the project behind them, their registry record, and whether they fit the use you have in mind. We read the project documents the way a validator or verifier does.

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Who it is for

Companies buying credits for a voluntary claim, carbon neutrality or a customer requirement
Traders and portfolio buyers checking credits before they buy or resell
Airlines and traders sourcing CORSIA eligible units
Companies reviewing credits they already hold before they retire them

What we check

Use and rules. What the credits are for – a voluntary claim, CORSIA, a transfer under Article 6 or another use – which sets the rules that apply.
Programme and methodology. The programme's rules and the methodology version the project uses.
Additionality and baseline. Whether the activity needed the credit revenue, and whether the baseline is conservative.
Permanence and leakage. The risk of reversal and the buffer behind nature-based credits, and emissions shifted elsewhere.
Monitoring and verification. Monitoring reports, data quality, and the validation and verification history.
Safeguards. Environmental and social safeguards, benefit-sharing with communities, and any public controversy about the project.
Registry record. Issuance, serial numbers, vintage, holder and retirement status.
Labels and eligibility. Labels such as the ICVCM CCP label, which approved programmes can use on approved categories of credits; CORSIA eligibility against ICAO's current list; and host-country authorisation and corresponding adjustments where your use needs them.

How we work

Brief. We agree the credits to review, the volume and vintages, and the use you have in mind.
Desk review. We read the project documents, the registry records, and the monitoring and verification reports.
Questions. We put questions to the seller or project developer where the documents leave gaps.
Report. You receive our findings by area, with a risk rating and red flags.
Retirement and claim. If you go ahead, we support retirement in the registry and claim wording that matches the credits.

What you receive

A due diligence report with a green, amber or red rating for each area
A red-flag summary for your decision
A question list for the seller or developer
Retirement records and claim wording, if you buy

Track record

Since January 2008, VPA India has provided consultancy and audit services for carbon credit and corporate sustainability reporting projects, and our founder is a former DOE/VVB lead auditor (SGS SA).

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from your investor desk?

This page covers credits that are already issued, before you buy, retire or claim them. Before you invest in a project or sign for its future credits, our investor desk reviews the project and the delivery risk.

Does the ICVCM CCP label replace due diligence?

No. The label shows that the ICVCM has approved the programme and the category of credits against its Core Carbon Principles. We still check the project, the vintage, the registry record and the fit with your use.

Do we need credits with a corresponding adjustment?

It depends on the use. For transfers under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the host country authorises the credits and makes a corresponding adjustment; CORSIA eligible units need the host-country attestation that ICAO's rules require. Our Article 6 page and our CORSIA page explain the rules.

Can you check credits we already hold?

Yes. A review before retirement shows whether the credits support the claim you plan to make, or whether some of them should be replaced.

Sources

ICVCM, The Core Carbon Principles (icvcm.org), page modified 25-Feb-2026, read 14-Nov-2026.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), CORSIA Eligible Emissions Units, 14th edition, 1 April 2026 (icao.int), read 13-Nov-2026.
Carbon Market Institute, Article 6.2 factsheet (COP29) (carbonmarketinstitute.org), read 14-Nov-2026.

Talk to us: WhatsApp +91 8905541120 · Call +91 8905541120 · inquiries@decarbonisation.expert · Send an enquiry (form)