Main actors in the Voluntary Carbon Market

Investors: They sponsor and finance carbon credit projects. Investors can be: private companies, financial or educational institutions, etc. They are the first actor in the capital flow of the project.

Project Developers: They design and implement emission reduction projects in consultation with Stakeholders. Once the carbon credits are issued, they sell them to interested buyers.

Carbon Consultants: Support Project Developers by offering their expertise during the certification phase (design and implementation) and once the projects are running.

NGOs: They can be stakeholders in the project and support Project Developers to engage with local communities or provide consultations during the design pase.

Standards: The VCM Standards are organizations that set the rules, requirements and eligible criteria of the certification process of carbon projects and manage the issuance and retirement of the carbon credits.

Third Party Auditors: Also known as Validation and Verification Bodies (VVB), they provide independent assessments on validation and verification for the carbon projects adding credibility and trust in the process.

Carbon Brokers: Also known as Carbon Retailers, they offer services and credits to Buyers to reduce time in transactions and to engage directly with Project Developers.

Carbon Exchanges: Trading platforms or marketplaces where carbon credits can be listed and purchased.

Buyers: They aim to offset their emissions through the purchase of carbon credits. Buyers can be: companies, governments, or individuals.