Back to insights

Transparency is key for SDG claims to be an effective asset in the VCM

  • Torrey Sanseverino
    Senior Research Manager, Beyond Carbon
  • Dr Nick Atkinson
    Biodiversity Strategist
  • Natural Capital
Co-benefit impacts of VCM (voluntary carbon market) projects are often illustrated as SDG (sustainable development goals) claims. The co-benefit impacts of projects are vital to sustainable development progress and the communication of these impacts to the market can support their financing. However, applying the UN SDG framework to the VCM comes with complications that can lead to a range in the depth and influence of the impacts behind SDG claims.

Project developers tend to collect information beyond what is required by their chosen accreditor, but the additional information is often inaccessible to buyers. Thus, the transparency of the impacts behind these claims needs to improve in order to support the effective use of UN SDGs in this space. Analytics on SDG claims may be able to support this transition.

Here are some key takeaways from the report

  • SDG claims range in integrity due to the challenges presented by applying the UN SDG framework to the VCM. Nevertheless, the SDG logo is uniformly used to represent an SDG impact.

  • The evidence behind SDG claims is often collected by project developers. However, it is not consistently accessible to buyers through the current SDG claims process systems.

  • SDG claim analytics may improve transparency in the VCM regarding the varying sustainable development impacts behind the claims.

Contents

  • 01 Co-benefits are often represented as SDGs

  • 02 SDG claims are prominent in the VCM

  • 03 SDG claims vary in integrity of impact

  • 04 Information sharing between project developers and buyers is lacking 

  • 05 SDG claims could benefit from transparency

Discover more

Access this in full, and many more insights from BeZero’s team of carbon scientists, as well as project information and headline ratings, for free.

New? Register here.
Register
Already have an account?
Log in