ICVCM approves BioCarbon Standard, Cercarbono, and Plan Vivo programmes

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) approved BioCarbon Standard, Cercarbono, and Plan Vivo (PV Climate) programmes on 4 August, bringing the total number of ICVCM-approved programmes to 13. This decision raises the estimated coverage of cumulative voluntary carbon market issuances by CCP-Eligible programmes to over 95%. The approvals are conditional on specific versions of each programme's rules and protocols, and for Plan Vivo, on the use of accredited validation and verification bodies. BioCarbon Standard and Cercarbono, both Global South-led initiatives, collectively account for over 215 million issued credits. All three programmes implemented governance, transparency, and safeguard improvements during the assessment process.