What is the VCMI Claims Code?

The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) publishes the Claims Code of Practice, the main framework for companies that want to say something credible about the carbon credits they buy. It doesn’t let credits replace emission cuts; it sets out what a company must already be doing before credits can support a claim. This page explains the current version. It is part of our claims and rules section.

What the Claims Code is

The Code gives companies requirements and guidance on how to use carbon credits as part of their near-term targets and long-term net-zero strategies, and on how to communicate that use^{Source 2}. Its starting point is that companies set short-term emission reduction targets aligned with net zero by 2050, and only then buy high-quality credits for reductions or removals outside their value chain^{Source 2}.

The current version is 3.1, from August 2025^{Source 1}. Version 3.0 in April 2025 broadened the accepted emissions accounting frameworks, added Article 6.4 credits from the Paris Agreement’s crediting mechanism, and set up third-party verification of claims. Version 3.1 updated the deadline for using the highest-quality credits^{Source 1}.

The four steps to a VCMI claim

1. 1

   Step 1: Comply with the foundational criteria

   Publish an annual emissions inventory and science-aligned near-term targets, show progress on spending, governance and strategy, and show that your policy advocacy supports the Paris Agreement.

2. 2

   Step 2: Select a claim and show progress

   Choose Silver, Gold or Platinum, and show emission reductions against your base year on an absolute or intensity basis.

3. 3

   Step 3: Meet the credit use and quality thresholds

   Retire high-quality credits for mitigation outside your value chain, in the volume the claim requires.

4. 4

   Step 4: Obtain third-party assurance

   Report against the VCMI Monitoring, Reporting and Assurance Framework and have the information independently checked.

The steps and criteria come from the Code’s summary^{Source 1}. Since April 2025, near-term targets must be set through a credible science-aligned framework and should be validated by a third party, which no longer has to be the SBTi. A public commitment to long-term targets is now a recommendation rather than a requirement^{Source 2}.

Silver, Gold and Platinum

All three claims represent action beyond a company’s own decarbonisation. They differ in how much of the company’s remaining emissions the retired credits cover^{Source 1}.

VCMI Carbon Integrity claims (Claims Code v3.1)swipe →

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VCMI Carbon Integrity claims (Claims Code v3.1), as of October 2026

Claim	Credits retired, as a share of remaining emissions
Carbon Integrity Silver	At least 10% and less than 50%
Carbon Integrity Gold	At least 50% and less than 100%
Carbon Integrity Platinum	100% or more

As of Oct 2026 · Source: [1] Claims Code of Practice, version 3.1 (August 2025)

For Silver and Gold, the percentage covered by credits must rise in each later year the company makes the claim^{Source 1}. The Code is explicit that these credits are not counted towards the company’s internal emission reductions; they support global net zero instead^{Source 1}.

Which credits qualify

VCMI defines high-quality credits as those that meet the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market’s Core Carbon Principles (CCPs). Companies must retire CCP-labelled credits, or Article 6.4 credits issued under methodologies approved by the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body^{Source 1}.

Because those credits were in limited supply, the Code allows two interim options until 1 January 2027^{Source 1}:

1. retire credits on ICAO’s list of CORSIA eligible emission units for the 2021–2023 or 2024–2026 compliance periods; or
2. publicly state, in an annual or sustainability report, that the company’s due diligence on credit quality aligns with all 10 CCPs.

Under either option, credits must not come from methodologies already rejected or excluded in the ICVCM assessments. After 1 January 2027, only CCP-labelled or Article 6.4 credits may be used^{Source 1}. VCMI says it may revise that date if supply of CCP-labelled credits changes^{Source 1}.

What you have to disclose

For every credit used in a claim, the Code requires public disclosure of^{Source 1}:

• the number of credits retired and applied to the claim;
• the crediting programme, project name and ID, retirement serial number, retirement date and issuing registry;
• the host country, vintage, methodology and project type; and
• whether the credit carries a corresponding adjustment under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, with evidence if it does.

These are the same details you need to check a credit yourself. Our guide to verifying carbon credits shows how to find them in a registry.

The Scope 3 Action Code

In April 2025 VCMI also published the Scope 3 Action Code of Practice, for companies whose scope 3 emissions are above the path set by their near-term targets^{Source 3}. Companies retire high-quality credits at least equal to the gap between their scope 3 emissions and their target path. The gap covered this way can’t exceed 25% of the company’s total scope 3 emissions trajectory^{Source 3}. VCMI expects companies to have closed the gap entirely by 2040^{Source 3}.

There is currently no formal VCMI claim attached to the Scope 3 Action Code, though companies can have their approach checked by an independent third party^{Source 3}.

What you can say

VCMI acknowledges that its claims may not be achievable for many small and medium-sized enterprises, companies in the Global South and companies with low profit margins^{Source 1}. If that is you, a factual statement of what you cut and what you retired is still a credible option.

For how VCMI fits with target-setting rules, read SBTi and carbon credits. For the language of neutrality, see net zero vs carbon neutral.