Gold Standard Certification Requirements

Ensuring that project activities are properly documented and meet the legal, environmental, and social standards of the host country.

Demonstrating that a project's environmental and social impacts are not counted twice in different programs or certifications.

Gold Standard reserves the right to deny a project's use of the standard if there are concerns about the project's reputation or potential negative impacts.

Projects must clearly demonstrate ownership of any products generated under Gold Standard certification, such as carbon credits.

Projects must demonstrate full and transparent ownership of any products generated, ensuring that beneficiaries have given informed consent.

Projects must report any land title or ownership disputes to Gold Standard promptly.

Specific project activities, such as carbon sequestration or renewable energy, may have their own requirements, which include demonstrating legal land title or tenure.

Ensuring that projects are developed and managed in a way that respects and integrates both climate security and sustainable development goals.

Projects must demonstrate ownership of any products generated through Gold Standard certification, ensuring that beneficiaries have given informed consent.

Projects must report any land title or ownership disputes to Gold Standard without delay.

Projects must demonstrate not only legal title but also uncontested legal rights and/or permissions to use resources necessary for the project.

Projects seeking funding from Official Development Assistance (ODA) must declare this support during the Gold Standard Certification process.

Projects must fall within a pre-identified category of eligible projects or be approved by Gold Standard as a new type.

Projects must outline the environmental, social, and economic conditions without the project (baseline) and with the project (project scenario).

Projects must demonstrate positive impacts on climate and sustainable development, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A Gold Standard project must prove that its positive impacts on climate change and sustainable development wouldn't happen without the project itself.

These tools are used to demonstrate that a project is truly 'additional' and meets the Gold Standard criteria.

Projects can use either a UNFCCC-approved tool or a Gold Standard-approved tool, unless specific requirements state otherwise.

The latest version of a tool must be used when submitting the project for Gold Standard approval.

Gold Standard allows for proposals of new additionality tools, but they may need adjustments or be rejected.

New ways to demonstrate additionality can be submitted to Gold Standard for approval as part of a new SDG Impact Quantification Methodology.

The Gold Standard reserves the right to make changes, request clarification, or reject proposed additionality tools if necessary.

The Gold Standard ensures projects make a real difference by going beyond what would normally happen.

A formal review conducted by Gold Standard to assess a project's compliance with their standards before it can proceed to Validation.

Identified potential issues or concerns raised during a Preliminary Review that require attention and correction.

A formal outcome of the Preliminary Review where no significant issues are found and the project can proceed to 'Listing' status.

A status achieved after a successful Preliminary Review where a project is formally recognized by the Gold Standard but is not yet certified.

A formal process where an independent party assesses a project’s design and documentation to verify its compliance with Gold Standard criteria.

An outcome of the Preliminary Review where significant issues are identified, requiring further attention before the project can be listed.

A final stage of the Gold Standard certification process, where a project undergoes ongoing monitoring and verification to ensure it continues to meet the standards.

A project that has been successfully reviewed, validated, and certified by the Gold Standard.

The ongoing financial viability of a project, demonstrating how Gold Standard certification contributes to its sustainablity.

A project's income and expenses are broken down by category and amount, showing the impact of certification costs and revenue.

The project's description of how Gold Standard certification contributes to or enhances its sustainability by using the income generated from certification.

The project's demonstration of financial benefits, such as income generated, from Gold Standard certification.

When a project issues multiple Gold Standard Certified Impact Statements or products, it must demonstrate that each additional revenue stream offers a unique benefit and value-add to the project.

Projects must provide evidence-based justification for the need and benefits of each additional revenue stream if they are using stacking.

A period when no revenue is realized from Gold Standard certification.

Verification body (VVB) validates information provided by projects to ensure accuracy.

The project achieves Gold Standard Certified Design status, contracts a Verification and Validation Body (VVB), submits a Monitoring Report to the VVB, and officially notifies Gold Standard about the verification process.

During Verification, a VVB conducts an on-site assessment to evaluate the project's compliance with Gold Standard requirements, including Activity Requirements, Methodology, and Product Requirements.

The VVB is chosen by the project developer from a list of approved VVBs specifically qualified for the project type and pathway.

The same VVB can conduct both Validation and Verification, unless specific requirements in the Methodology or Product Requirements state otherwise.

Verification needs to take place once during the five-year certification cycle, within two years of either the project implementation date or Design Certification, whichever occurs later.

The project implementation date is the date when the physical activity first becomes operational.

It ensures that the project's positive impacts on climate change and sustainable development are truly 'additional' and wouldn't be achieved without the project itself.

Projects must demonstrate that their positive impacts on climate change and sustainable development are not a result of other initiatives and wouldn't occur without their direct intervention.