Verified Carbon Standard – VCS Version 4.5

Bulletin date:
Bulletin number:
2024-09

Action required

Customers and applicants that have a project registered with the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program shall use VCS Standard, version 4.5.

 

Customers are responsible for keeping up with the minor revisions of the VCS scheme required documents as per the scheme owner transition deadlines (e.g., VCS Standard version 4.4 to version 4.5). SCC will no longer issue bulletins for minor revisions.

 

Customers can find the latest information about the VCS Program on the VCS Programs Details page on the Verra website.

 

Affected customers

Verification and Validation Bodies Accreditation Program (formerly the Greenhouse Gas Accreditation Program) customers and applicants that have a project registered or are seeking to register a project in the VCS Program.

 

Background

The new version of the standard, VCS Standard, version 4.5 was released on August 29, 2023.

 

The VCS Standard is a global standard for GHG emission reduction and removal projects and programs. It uses as its core the requirements set out in ISO 14064-2:2019, ISO 14064-3:2018 and ISO 14065:2020.

The program’s three principal documents are:

  • the VCS Program Guide that describes the rules and requirements governing the program, including the project registration and methodology approval processes, the Verra Registry and the accreditation requirements for validation/verification bodies. 
  • the VCS Standard that provides the requirements for developing projects and programs, as well as the requirements for validation, monitoring and verification of projects and programs, and GHG emission reductions and removals. 

  • the VCS Methodology Requirements that provide the rules and requirements for developing new VCS methodologies. 

     

New requirements

The Standards Council of Canada will no longer issue bulletins for minor scheme revisions (e.g., VCS Standard version 4.4 to version 4.5). Bulletins will only be issued for major standard revisions updates (e.g., from VCS Standard version 4 to version 5).

 

Effective immediately, customers are responsible for keeping up with the revisions to the VCS scheme’s required documents as per the scheme owner transition deadlines.

 

Deadline

Customers will be assessed to the new requirements at their next scheduled assessment activity.

 

Questions?

Please contact Abdel Kassou, Manager, Compliance and Assessment Services, at abdel.kassou@scc-ccn.ca or +1 613 238 3222 for more information.