The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative, or VCMI, created its Claims Code to help companies communicate carbon credit use without implying that external purchases replace internal decarbonisation.
The foundation comes before the claim
A credible claim begins with a complete greenhouse gas inventory, science-aligned targets, evidence of progress and public policy behaviour consistent with climate ambition. This sequence matters because carbon credits are positioned as an additional contribution, not a substitute for reducing the company's own emissions.
Carbon Integrity Claims
VCMI defines claim tiers based on the share of remaining emissions covered by eligible, retired credits. The detailed thresholds and eligibility rules can evolve, so companies should use the current VCMI documents when preparing a claim.
The important principle is stable: the company reports gross emissions and progress separately, then describes the quantity and quality of credits used beyond the value chain.
Credit quality and evidence
Claims require transparent information on project type, methodology, host country, vintage and retirement. Companies should retain due diligence files and registry evidence and align the public wording with what the credit and retirement actually support.
Independent assurance adds another control. It tests whether the company met the foundational criteria, used eligible units and reported the claim consistently.
Avoiding common mistakes
Companies create risk when they use broad terms such as carbon neutral without defining the boundary, period and role of credits. Another common error is netting purchased credits directly against the GHG inventory. Electricity-attribute claims should also be reconciled with the applicable Scope 2 accounting method and period.
A stronger communication explains what was reduced internally, what remains, what was financed externally and why the selected projects meet the buyer's quality criteria.
Sentinel Earth supports this process through emissions strategy, project due diligence and high-integrity credit sourcing.
