Welcome to the first Carbon Market Brief. It covers developments published between 20 August and 5 October 2026, each confirmed on the publisher’s own website, with what each one means if you buy carbon credits. It is part of our news section.
EU green-claims rules apply (27 Sept)
Offset-based neutrality claims on products are now banned in the EU. Directive (EU) 2024/825 requires member states to apply its new consumer rules from 27 September 2026Source 1. They add to the EU’s list of banned practices any claim, based on offsetting, that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive impact on the environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissionsSource 1.
What it means for buyers: you can still buy and retire credits and describe what you funded. What you can no longer do is tell EU consumers a product is “climate neutral” because of offsets. Our explainer on the EU green-claims ban sets out what you can still say.
CCP label for carbon capture and storage credits (28 Sept)
Verra announced that the ICVCM has approved its carbon capture and storage methodology, VM0049, as meeting the Core Carbon PrinciplesSource 2. The approved modules include direct air capture, CO₂ transport, CO₂ storage and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)Source 2. Verra adds that projects relying on renewable electricity must show it comes from new sources built for the projectSource 2.
What it means for buyers: if you want engineered removals such as direct air capture, credits under this methodology can now carry the CCP label, a common quality benchmark.
Verra launches a Scope 3 programme (15 Sept)
Verra launched its Scope 3 Standard Program to quantify, verify and certify climate action projects inside companies’ own value chainsSource 3. Each unit, called an S3U, will represent one tonne of CO₂ equivalent reduced or removed within a corporate value chainSource 3. Version 1 lets projects be listed on the Verra Registry; the initial set of adapted methodologies covers improved agricultural land management and low-carbon concrete productionSource 3. Verra says later updates will open registration, validation and verification, enabling the first issuancesSource 3.
What it means for buyers: these units are for action inside a company’s own supply chain, which is different from buying carbon credits from outside it. None have been issued yet.
Gold Standard on “ongoing emissions responsibility” (18 Sept)
Gold Standard invited companies with credible climate targets to join a working group on Ongoing Emissions Responsibility, an approach to addressing remaining emissions through climate action beyond the value chainSource 4. It notes that the SBTi has embedded the idea in its Corporate Net-Zero Standard 2.0, and says the group aims to develop practical approaches in 2027Source 4.
What it means for buyers: if your company follows the SBTi standard, the rules on how credit purchases count toward this responsibility are still being worked out. Watch for guidance next year.
ICVCM report on digital monitoring (22 Sept)
The ICVCM published a report, co-facilitated with the World Bank, on how high-integrity principles should apply as digital tools are used to monitor, report and verify carbon projectsSource 5. It makes sixteen recommendations, some for the ICVCM itself and others for crediting programmes and the wider marketSource 5. The recommendations aimed at the ICVCM concern potential future refinements to its CCP Assessment Framework, the rulebook behind the CCP labelSource 5.
What it means for buyers: satellite and data-driven monitoring is spreading. Expect more questions about how a project’s data was collected and checked.
VCMI on domestic carbon markets (16 Sept)
VCMI and Climate Focus published a report to help countries build high-integrity domestic carbon credit marketsSource 6. Its policy options for driving demand include requiring credit purchases as a penalty for missing emissions targets and tax incentives for buying creditsSource 6.
What it means for buyers: national rules may increasingly shape demand for credits. Check the rules in the countries where you operate.
First EU ETS2 auction calendar (1 Oct)
The European Commission reported that the first auction calendar for EU ETS2, the new emissions trading system, has been published alongside a revised 2027 calendar for the existing systemSource 7. ETS1 and ETS2 auctions in 2027 will start on 7 January and 18 January respectivelySource 7.
According to the same notice, ETS2 auctions will run from 1pm to 3pm, and the first ETS2 calendar reflects the early auctioning of 2028 volumesSource 7.
What it means for buyers: this is a compliance market, not a source of voluntary credits. It does show carbon pricing spreading to more of the EU economy.
UK delays bringing waste into its ETS (26 Aug)
The UK ETS Authority confirmed that expanding the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to waste incineration will not take place in 2028 as originally intended, and said a new timeline will followSource 8.
What it means for buyers: a reminder that compliance timetables move. If your plans assume a UK carbon price on waste, check for the new timeline.
Prices this month
Our first monthly price snapshot is now published. It summarises the latest openly published average prices by project type, with a source for every figure. See the carbon credit price page for details by project type.
What we left out
Some developments didn’t make this brief because we couldn’t confirm them on the publisher’s own website before publishing. We’ll include them in a later brief once we can link to the primary source. If you think we missed something important, contact us.