Carbon Offset Verification
Validate and verify high-integrity carbon credits across forestry, agriculture, and methane projects
Climate Business Group
Ensure High-Integrity Carbon Offset Verification
Independent carbon offset verification is the foundation of high-quality carbon markets, providing assurance that your project's greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, removals, or avoidance are accurately quantified and meet the requirements of recognized compliance or voluntary market standards. Whether you are a project developer, landowner, corporation, manufacturer, private operator, or public agency, verification helps distinguish your carbon credits in a competitive marketplace.
With deep technical expertise across forestry, AFOLU, regenerative agriculture, industrial systems, transportation, methane, and other sectors, SCS Global Services delivers rigorous, science-based validation and verification services under leading carbon standards. Our experienced team helps you achieve credit issuance efficiently while providing the level of quality and confidence that today's carbon markets demand.
SCS Global Services Expertise
SCS Global Services has been a leader in carbon offset validation and verification for nearly two decades, helping shape high-integrity carbon markets through rigorous, science-based assessments. As an ISO 14065-accredited validation and verification body (VVB), we have verified more than 400 million tonnes of CO₂e, conducted over 1,300 assessments, and applied more than 50 methodologies across projects in 47 U.S. states and 52 countries.
When you work with SCS, you gain access to a multidisciplinary team with expertise spanning forestry, biometrics, technological solutions, industrial gases, remote sensing, soil carbon, regenerative agriculture, and methane mitigation. We provide validation and verification services under leading programs and registries, including ACR, CARB, Climate Action Reserve, Verra, and other jurisdictional and international initiatives, helping you navigate complex requirements and bring trusted carbon credits to market.
More than 400 million tonnes of of CO2e verified.
- Benefits
- Process
- Service Details
- FAQs
- Enhance the value of your carbon credits through independent validation and verification by a globally recognized VVB
- Leverage experience across 50+ methodologies and a diverse range of carbon standards and registries
- Work with experienced technical experts spanning forestry, biometrics, soil carbon, engineering, industrial systems, and methane mitigation
- Navigate complex projects with confidence using a team experienced across a broad range of project types, registries, and geographies
- Support efficient credit issuance with thorough, transparent, and well-managed assessment processes
- Demonstrate the quality of your carbon credits through rigorous, science-based evaluation
- Access integrated sustainability expertise through SCS Global Services's broader climate, forestry, agriculture, and other certification services
- Project Development & Standard Selection
The project developer selects an applicable carbon program and methodology, designs the project, and begins implementing activities and collecting data. - Project Scoping & Kickoff
SCS Global confirms the project scope, assessment criteria, timeline, and documentation requirements. - Document & Data Review
Our assessment team reviews project documentation, monitoring plans and/or reports, and supporting data to evaluate conformance with program and methodology requirements. - Site Visit & Evidence Collection
We conduct site inspections, as needed, and confirm data through sampling and interviews - Findings & Resolution
We identify any gaps, questions, or areas requiring clarification to determine conformance to the assessment criteria. - Validation/Verification Statement & Reporting
Following an internal quality review, SCS Global Services issues the final validation or verification report and statement. - Registry Review & Project Approval
The registry program reviews the assessment results, and upon approval, registers the project and/or issues carbon credits.
SCS delivers comprehensive carbon offset verification services tailored to project developers, investors, and market participants, including:
- Pre-assessment or gap analysis: analysis of gaps prior to initiating the project to identify issues ahead of validation and verification.
- Project validation: validation of your offset project to assess the project plan's conformance to the applicable methodologies and standards
- Project verification: verification of the implemented project's GHG emission reductions or removals and conformance to the applicable methodologies and standards.
Our approach emphasizes accuracy, transparency, and efficiency, ensuring that your carbon credits meet the highest standards of environmental integrity and market acceptance.
Below are some of the project types that SCS Global Services can verify. If you don’t see your project type listed below, please contact us to ask.
- Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation
- Avoided Deforestation
- Concrete Production
- Food Loss and Waste
- Grasslands
- Improved Forest Management
- Improved Agricultural Land Management
- Landfill Methane Destruction
- Mangroves and Wetlands
- Mine Methane Capture
- Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells
- Destruction of Ozone Depleting Substances
- REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation)
- Reclaimed Refrigerants and Advanced Refrigeration Systems
- Various industrial and manufacturing processes
What is the difference between carbon offset validation and carbon offset verification?
Validation is the process of evaluating the conformance of the design of a project's plan for removing, reducing, or avoiding carbon dioxide and other GHG emissions against the assessment criteria. Verification is the process of evaluating the conformance of the calculations of the actual amount of GHG emissions that have been avoided, reduced, or removed through implementation of the project against the assessment criteria.
What are the assessment criteria?
The assessment criteria are defined by the project’s selected methodology or protocol and the requirements of the registry or scheme’s standard. This is determined by the project proponent during project development.
How long will the carbon offset assessment process take?
A carbon offset assessment can vary from a few months to more than one year. The duration of an assessment depends on the size and complexity of the project, the assessment criteria used, and project type. The duration is also affected by how well the project developer is prepared with high-quality documentation and how promptly they respond to assessment findings.
Under which standards does SCS Global Services validate and verify?
SCS Global Services verifies projects under ACR, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the Climate Action Reserve (CAR), and Verra Standards including the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity (CCB) Standards and the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta).
How much does carbon offset validation and verification cost?
Cost depends on factors such as project size, location, complexity, project type, the standards used, and level of preparedness. Contact SCS Global Services for a customized quote.
How do I know when my carbon offset project is ready for validation and verification?
Projects can be validated and verified once they have a completed Project Design Document or Plan, Monitoring Report, and supporting documentation that complies with the relevant standard. SCS Global Services often recommends conducting an internal audit to make sure the document is complete and to save time down the road.
As an independent third-party verifier, we cannot participate in consulting activities such as helping with project development if we are to later validate or verify a project.
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