What is it?
Certification scheme issued or operated by Gold Standard Foundation.
Regulatory recognitionCORSIA-eligible programme; CCP-Eligible under ICVCM; NGO-governed heritage (est. with WWF)
Standards & schemes · Certification scheme
Gold Standard
Gold Standard Foundation
Which version is current?
Profile version 2. Official information last verified 24 August 2026.
Who and what does it cover?
- Geography
- Global
- Sectors
- Carbon credits with SDG co-benefits
- Scope
- Project / credit
What does it require?
Gold Standard for the Global Goals: carbon crediting with mandatory safeguards, stakeholder consultation and quantified SDG co-benefits alongside verified emission reductions or removals.
What it does not demonstrateThe scheme does not by itself prove that a particular product, site or organisation holds a current certificate; its scope and validity must be checked.
How is conformity assessed?
Accredited third-party validation/verification bodies
Grievance mechanismGold Standard grievance procedure
Who makes the decision?
Gold Standard Foundation
Assurance arrangementAccredited third-party validation/verification bodies
Chain of custody
Registry issuance and retirement of GS-verified credits
ISEAL membership—
Conditional relationships
Claims it may support
A relationship does not mean that the standard proves or validates every use of a claim.
Carbon neutral productMay support · Requires a current valid certificate within the scheme's scope; certification supports but does not by itself prove the claim — wording must reflect certified scope and assurance level.see standards.last_verifiedWe offset all our emissionsMay support · Requires a current valid certificate within the scheme's scope; certification supports but does not by itself prove the claim — wording must reflect certified scope and assurance level.see standards.last_verified
Legal context
Laws referencing it
No reviewed law references are published.
Dictionary
Dictionary concepts
Version record
What has changed
- Version 2Initial profile published after recorded site-owner/editor review of the complete standards batch.
- Version 1Initial private editorial draft imported from the reviewed standards handover.
Last verified 24 August 2026. This neutral profile is informational and does not recommend, rank or endorse the standard.