A recognised integrity benchmark
The Core Carbon Principles set a global threshold for high-integrity carbon credits in the voluntary carbon market.
Carbon standards
What are CCP-labelled carbon credits?
The Core Carbon Principles provide a global benchmark for identifying carbon credits that meet a high threshold for integrity. A CCP label is not a new carbon standard. It is an additional designation applied only where both the crediting programme and the relevant methodology have passed the Integrity Council’s assessment.
The short answer
A quality label, not a new standard
A CCP-labelled carbon credit has passed the Integrity Council's two-part assessment pathway. The crediting programme must be CCP-Eligible and the methodology used by the project must be CCP-Approved.
Two approvals are required
Programme eligibility and methodology approval are both needed before qualifying units can carry the CCP label.
Due diligence still matters
The label is a useful quality signal, but buyers should still assess the project, unit details and fit with their intended use.
The two-tick process
How the CCP label works
The Integrity Council assesses the systems that issue credits and the methodologies that determine how projects quantify their climate impact.
Programme assessment
The carbon-crediting programme is assessed for governance, tracking, transparency and assurance.
Methodology assessment
The relevant methodology is assessed against the criteria for additionality, quantification, permanence and wider integrity.
Credit identification
Eligible programmes can identify qualifying credits from approved methodologies with the CCP label.
Integrity benchmark
What the Core Carbon Principles assess
Governance
- Effective governance
- Tracking
- Transparency
- Independent third-party validation and verification
Emissions integrity
- Additionality
- Permanence
- Robust quantification
- No double counting
Wider integrity
- Sustainable development benefits and safeguards
- Contribution towards the net zero transition
Project foundations
Quality begins with how projects are designed and delivered
A methodology provides the accounting rules, but credible outcomes also depend on local engagement, reliable implementation, monitoring and independent verification. Buyers should understand how those elements work together in the project behind each credit.
Buyer diligence
What to check beyond the label
The CCP label can make quality easier to identify, but a responsible purchase still starts with the exact project and units being offered.
Project activity and approved methodology
Credit vintage and issuance details
Monitoring and verification evidence
Permanence and reversal arrangements
Community engagement and safeguards
Relevant Sustainable Development Goals
Registry status and retirement process
Fit with the buyer's climate strategy and claims
Different frameworks
CCP and CORSIA serve different purposes
CCP-labelled carbon credits
The CCP label is an integrity benchmark for credits in the voluntary carbon market. It signals that the programme and methodology have passed the Integrity Council's assessments.
CORSIA-eligible emissions units
CORSIA eligibility determines whether an emissions unit can be used for a specific international aviation compliance obligation under ICAO rules.
Read our CORSIA guide →A credit may satisfy both frameworks, but neither designation automatically confers the other.
CO2balance perspective
Integrity is built into the full project cycle
High-quality credits begin long before issuance. CO2balance focuses on feasibility, appropriate methodology selection, community engagement, monitoring and delivery that can stand up to independent scrutiny. Credit availability and any CCP-labelled status should always be confirmed for the specific units under consideration.
Frequently asked questions
CCP-labelled carbon credit questions
What does CCP stand for?
CCP stands for Core Carbon Principles, the Integrity Council's ten principles for identifying high-integrity carbon credits.
Is a CCP-labelled credit a new type of carbon credit?
No. It is a quality designation applied to qualifying credits issued by an existing CCP-Eligible carbon-crediting programme under a CCP-Approved methodology.
How does a credit receive the CCP label?
The issuing programme must be CCP-Eligible and the methodology used for the project must be CCP-Approved. The programme can then identify qualifying units with the CCP label.
Does the CCP label remove the need for due diligence?
No. It provides a consistent integrity signal, but buyers should still assess the project, unit vintage, registry status, safeguards and suitability for their climate strategy.
Are CCP-labelled credits the same as CORSIA-eligible units?
No. CCP is a voluntary-market integrity benchmark, while CORSIA eligibility relates to international aviation compliance. A unit can meet both only if it satisfies both frameworks.
Does CO2balance currently sell CCP-labelled credits?
Availability and label status can change by project, methodology and issuance. Contact CO2balance so the team can confirm the status of the exact units available at the time of enquiry.
Primary sources: Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market, What is a CCP-labelled carbon credit? and CCP-Approved Methodologies. Last reviewed July 2026.
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