What Is VCMI? The Claims Code of Practice for Corporate Carbon Buyers
Virginia Njeri
Carbon Project Development & Community Specialist
The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative published its Claims Code of Practice to tell companies exactly what they can and cannot say when they use carbon credits. Here is what VCMI is, what the Claims Code requires, and what it means for companies buying credits from African projects.
If ICVCM focuses on the supply side of the voluntary carbon market — setting standards for what makes a credible credit — then VCMI focuses on the demand side: telling companies how to use carbon credits responsibly and what claims they are permitted to make when they do.
What VCMI Is
The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) is an initiative backed by the UK government, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, and a coalition of public and private stakeholders. It published its Claims Code of Practice in 2023, with subsequent updates addressing the relationship between the Claims Code and the ICVCM Core Carbon Principles.
VCMI does not assess credits or crediting programmes. Its function is specifically to govern what companies are allowed to say — publicly, to investors, and to regulators — about their use of carbon credits in the context of their climate strategies.
The Three Claims Tiers
The VCMI Claims Code establishes three tiers of claims that companies can make, each with progressively stricter requirements.
VCMI Claim tiers:
- VCMI Silver Claim — the company has met its near-term science-based emissions reduction target, and the carbon credits it retires are CCP-labelled or equivalent
- VCMI Gold Claim — as Silver, plus at least 20% of the credits retired are from projects with additional sustainability certification (such as CCB Standards or SD VISta)
- VCMI Platinum Claim — as Gold, plus the company has also met or exceeded its long-term science-based target
The critical condition
A company cannot make any VCMI Claim unless it already has a credible, science-aligned near-term emissions reduction target in place. Carbon credits cannot substitute for decarbonisation — they are only permitted as a supplement to it.
What Companies Cannot Claim
The Claims Code is equally important for what it prohibits. Companies cannot describe themselves as 'carbon neutral' purely on the basis of credit purchases without meeting the underlying emissions reduction thresholds. Claims like 'net zero flights' or 'carbon neutral product' that imply total neutrality from credits alone are not permitted under the VCMI framework — and are increasingly scrutinised by advertising regulators in the UK, EU, and Australia.
Why This Matters for African Project Developers
Corporate buyers are the demand side of the voluntary carbon market. As VCMI claims requirements become embedded in corporate procurement policies, buyers are increasingly asking whether the credits they purchase are CCP-labelled (per ICVCM), and whether the projects carry additional sustainability certifications. For African project developers, this means the certification and integrity architecture of a project affects its marketability as directly as its volume.
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