Application checks

1.  Companies applying with carbon offset products for certification must be registered with a national authority.

2.  A detailed description of the proposed emissions datasets and methodologies to be used for all calculations must be provided at the point of application.

3.  Agreement must be made that carbon offset projects used to balance QAS-Certified offsets must carry one of the following high quality certificates: CERs (CDM CP2 onwards), ERTs (ACR), CRTs (CAR), VERs (Gold Standard or Verra’s VCS 2016 onwards), or Verified Credits (Isometric).

4. Agreement must be made that no certified offsets will use project methodologies based on renewable energy (unless generated renewable energy is secondary to the main methodology), waste heat recovery, efficient lighting, or fossil fuel switch.

5.  Agreement must be made that no certified offsets will use HFC23 project methodologies unless complying with AM0001 version 6 onwards; or use adipic acid project methodologies unless at or below benchmark of 30Kg/t; or use nitric acid project methodologies unless complying withACM0019.

6. Agreement must be made that Certified offsets based on land use will not be used unless certified on VM0047, VM0048, or VCS Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ (JNR) Framework v4.1 methodologies.

7. Agreement must be made that Certified offsets must not use Carbon Credits from projects where it can be shown that safeguards have not been sufficient to avoid significant documented adverse environmental or social impacts.

8. Agreement must be made that Certified offsets must use Carbon Credits that have already been avoided or removed, and not ‘ex-ante’ credits.

9. Agreement must be made that offline usage of the Quality Mark must be marked with the dates of Certification and a permanent URL which carries a full description of the offset online.

Emissions calculations

10.  QAS-Certified carbon offsets must be calculated from a particular activity over a defined period of time.

11.  Real world data sets should be used in preference to modelled data where available, for example measured route-specific airline fuel consumption data.

12.  Modelled calculation methodologies must use an accepted methodology where available, including the WRI Greenhouse Gas Protocol, national methodologies such as DESNZ and the EPA, and those produced by respected independent organisations such ISO, IEA, IPCC and the EU.

13.  Emissions calculations must be based on the most recent datasets available at the time of application or renewal for QAS certification.

14.  Where a methodology describes more than one method of calculating emissions, the offset provider should use the most accurate figures available for each defined activity.

15.  Summary methodology information should be made available to consumers and must be accurate and concise.

16.  Different emissions factors should not be used for renewable energy tariffs where grid-average figures already account for the renewable fuel mix.

17.  Organisations complying with GHG Protocol scope 2 emissions reporting standard should use the more appropriate of the two sets of figures if available and be prepared to justify their choice, however the double reporting is not required for QAS-Certified carbon offsets per se.

18.  A Radiative Forcing Index (RFI) of 1.7 is recommended, but any other RFI must be used consistently and transparently.

19.  Aviation calculations must take account of significant loading factors such as class of travel.

20.  Modelled calculation using average flight distance or actual Great Circle flight distances must uplift by 8% to take into account indirect routing and delays.

21.  Modelled calculation using car test cycle emission factors must uplift by 22% to convert to ‘real-world’ emission factor values.

22.  If the manufacturer standard European test cycle is used for car or van calculations, estimates must also be included for emissions of CH4 and N2O.

Website checks

23.  All references made to a QAS-Certified offset must either refer prominently to the activity and period of time against which it is made, or link to a page where that information is displayed prominently.

24. Offset providers and resellers must provide consumers at least two out of three of the following at or before the point of sale: total price, price per tonne and total tCO2e. It should also be clear to the consumer if the sales taxes are included or excluded where they exist in the country of purchase.

25.  Summary calculation methodology information should be made available at or before the point of purchase.

26.  All non QAS-certified offsets must be clearly separated from QAS-certified offsets to avoid any potential confusion by consumers.

27.  Offset providers and resellers make clear and truthful any marketing and advertising associated with QAS-Certified offsets in line with environmental claims best practice. They must not mislead stakeholders.

28.  QAS Quality Mark must adhere to the Quality Mark Licence Agreement made separately.

29.  If the QAS Quality Mark is used offline, it must be accompanied by the dates of Certification and a permanent URL linking to a full description of the offset online.

30.  The QAS logo cannot be used interchangeably with the QAS Quality Mark by organisations with QAS-Certified offsets, and permission must be sought for its use elsewhere.

31. General information should normally be provided on the role of carbon offsetting in tackling climate change and the ethical importance of reducing an organisation’s own carbon footprint before or concurrently offsetting residual emissions.

32. Specific Information should normally be provided on how to reduce the measured carbon footprint; alternatively, clear signposting to a suitable information source should be made available to the consumer or organisation.

33.  CO2 emissions must be clearly differentiated from CO2 equivalent emissions.

Renewal checks

34.  Organisations wishing to renew QAS-Certified carbon offsets must confirm any changes to the information provided at application in writing.

35.  A Statement of Account must be provided showing total sales of QAS-Certified and non QAS-Certified carbon offsets, plus the credit retirement information to balance both accounts over the prior period of QAS certification. Both accounts must net to zero.

36. The sales information within the Statement of Account must be signed off by a qualified finance professional such as an accountant or auditor.

37.  QAS-Certified carbon offset projects must already carry one of the following high quality certificates: CERs (CDM CP2 onwards), ERTs (ACR), CRTs (CAR), VERs (Gold Standard or Verra’s VCS 2016 onwards), and Verified Credits (Isometric).

38.  All QAS-Certified carbon offsets sold during the 12 month period of QAS certification must have been balanced by the correct amount of appropriate cancelled (retired) carbon credits in an appropriate registry within six months of the end of the QAS Certification period and direct evidence sourced by the Independent Auditor.

39.  Carbon credits from contentious methodologies outlined at application must not have been used against QAS-Certified offsets.

40.  All QAS-Certified offsets should undergo renewal 12 months later. If not, the QAS Quality Mark cannot continue to be used in any way related to the period not audited and certification for the unaudited period will be removed from the QAS website.

QAS Certification Procedures

Download the QAS Certification Procedures Carbon Offsets v2.7 (pdf)

This is the full & definitive set of rules for the QAS Carbon Offset Standard.

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