This page publicly tracks changes and updates to the Certification Standard and guidance in the Technical Appendix. These updates may happen as a result of the annual technical stakeholder review process, to clarify ambiguous language, or to correct errors identified in the requirements.
January 30, 2026
Reviewed all articles in the Technical Appendix and updated as needed for alignment with the 2026 Certification Standard (e.g. references to Years, Sections, and Tables)
Clarified the 5 year eligibility window for preferred product inputs in this article
Clarified exceptions for small and services businesses in this article and added guidance for VCA projects for services-businesses in this article
Clarified the requirement that eligible VCA projects reduce emissions in the certifying entity’s GHG inventory in this article and that eligible BVC projects do not affect the entity’s GHG inventory in this article
Corrected MWh to kWh conversions related to eligible REC quantities in this article
Added language about when to consider funding for BVC projects in this article
Clarified the technical review process for annual adjustments to the internal carbon fee in this article
Added a list of exceptions to the CTB thresholds, per new guidance in the 2026 Standard in this article
Added guidance around categorization and eligibility of natural climate solutions (NCS) projects in this article
Updated the Table of VCA examples to align with wording and project types in the 2026 Standard (Table 5)
Updated the Table of OC examples to align with wording and project types in the 2026 Standard (Table 8)
Added a Table of BVC examples, including Directly funded mitigation projects (Table 6)
Introduced a grading scheme for evaluation, measurement and verification documentation, including acceptable grades of documentation depending on the proximity of the project to your value chain
Added a list of commonly used templates for documenting CTB projects
Summary of changes to the 2026 Certification Standard
Summary of changes to the 2026 Certification Standard
Adjustments to minimum carbon fee & VCA allotment
Set the minimum carbon fee at $15/ton in 2026, increasing to $16 in 2027 and $17 in 2028
Increased the minimum VCA allotment for large companies (>$100m revenue) to 20% of the Climate Transition Budget in 2026 and 30% in 2027/2028
Increased flexibility for small and services businesses
Lowered the requirements for GHG inventory verification, Reduction Action Planning, and minimum VCA allotment for services businesses (<$100m revenue)
Eliminated the Reduction Action Planning requirements for small businesses (<$5m revenue)
Expanded list of eligible project types
Added “Natural Climate Solutions” as an eligible VCA project category to recognize forestry, ecosystem and agriculture investments that reduce a company’s GHG inventory
Added “Value chain-adjacent” and “Other GHG mitigation” eligible BVC project categories to recognize direct funding for high quality outside a company’s value chain
Added “Initiatives to reduce demand for raw materials” as an eligible OC project category to recognize circularity and recycling investments
Promote high integrity outcomes
Updated Measurement & Verification guidance to better match assurance and 3rd party documentation with relative project risk
Formalized alignment with ICVCM carbon credit project categories at the end of each calendar year
Required that SAF credits meet the SABA SAFc Standard
Limited use of the 15% BVC Open Allocation provision to projects with benefits that outweigh harms and to multi-stakeholder efforts that advance high quality outcomes in nascent industries
Improved organizing framework
Shifted to a Measure > Plan > Fund > Amplify organizing framework to make the certification process more intuitive and aligned with external target setting and planning initiatives
2025 Change Log (click to expand)
2025 Change Log (click to expand)
July 29, 2025
Clarified the requirement for currency conversions to USD for any CTB project submissions. Also clarified the timing for currency conversions, to be converted on the date that the company made the purchase.
July 22, 2025
Clarified eligibility for ongoing VCA investments, including a new provision allowing certain reversible, short-term input decisions (e.g., low carbon packaging) to remain eligible beyond five years if they meet all other criteria.
May 9, 2025
Added guidance for software eligibility for Scope 3.15 emissions, which can be found here.
May 7, 2025
Clarified requirement to provide Lower carbon documentation for VCA direct cost Tier 3 and 4 projects
May 2, 2025
Clarified language about excluded contributions to charitable organizations. Charitable organizations must have an explicit mission to reduce or remove GHG emissions for contributions to count towards OC spending.
April 18, 2025
Adopted new guidance for the treatment of multi-use expenditures (capex or opex) to clarify eligibility of certain capital/service/leases costs. This guidance creates a tiered system to align eligible VCA spending with expected carbon benefit, based on groups of technologies. Read the guidance here.
March 7, 2025
Fixed confusing wording about EAC eligibility in 2025 Standard to align with intended meaning, which is compatible with Green-e and GHGP guidelines.
Original: "Vintages of all EACs used to make market adjustments must match the emissions year or the certification year. For example, when considering 2024 Scope 2 emissions, EACs must have a vintage of 2024 or 2025."
Correction: "Vintages of all EACs used to make market adjustments must fall within the three years up to and including the certification year. For example, when pursuing certification in 2025, EACs must have a vintage of 2023, 2024, or 2025."
January 1, 2025
Released the final 2025 Certification Standard, now available at changeclimate.org/standards.