Learn the market
A practical guide to voluntary & compliance carbon markets.
Built for ESG officers, compliance buyers, and finance teams new to carbon. No prior background required.
Core concepts
What is a carbon credit?
A tradeable instrument representing one metric tonne of CO₂-equivalent emissions either avoided or removed from the atmosphere by a verified project.
Voluntary vs Compliance
Voluntary credits (VCM) are bought by corporates pursuing net-zero claims. Compliance credits (EU ETS, California Cap-and-Trade) are required under law.
Nature-based vs Tech-based
Nature: forestry, soil, blue carbon. Tech: direct air capture, mineralisation, biochar. Tech credits trade at $200-1000+/t; nature trades $5-50/t.
Avoidance vs Removal
Avoidance prevents emissions (e.g., REDD+, renewables). Removal pulls CO₂ out (afforestation, DAC). Many buyers now require ≥30% removals.
Registries
Verra (VCS) is largest by volume, Gold Standard for development-aligned, ACR for US compliance-grade, CAR for California forest.
Retirement & double-counting
Once credits are 'retired' in the registry, they cannot be re-sold. CarbonXFuture's portfolio module tracks retirements automatically.
A buyer's playbook in 6 steps
01
Quantify
Establish your CO₂e footprint with our calculator or your own GHG inventory.
02
Reduce
Implement Scope 1, 2 and 3 reductions per SBTi guidance — credits cover the residual.
03
Source
Browse verified projects across registries, filter by methodology and vintage.
04
Diligence
Order a $499 counterparty-diligence report covering issuance history and sanctions screening.
05
Acquire
Negotiate via the desk or through structured RFQ. T+0 settlement on filled lots.
06
Retire
Track held vs retired balances in your portfolio. Export annual report for your ESG disclosure.
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