There are multiple ways for project developers to sell credits in order to raise carbon finance for the implementation of activities. These include those listed below.
Direct purchase
Some companies seek to purchase carbon credits directly from project developers. They may seek emission reduction purchase agreements early in a project’s development, through which the company secures the right to purchase future credits at a pre-agreed price.
Accredited service providers
Some companies purchase carbon credits through service providers, who support companies with emission reduction services as well as their purchase of carbon credits.
The International Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Alliance (ICROA) operates an accreditation programme to uphold good practice among service providers, with accredited organisations listed here.
Marketplaces
Carbon credit marketplaces provide a platform for individuals or organisations to purchase carbon credits either directly from project developers, or from intermediary holders of carbon credits. Credits are typically sold at a fixed price through such marketplaces, set by the seller.
Gold Standard operates a Marketplace available to any project developer that has available credits issued to a Gold Standard-certified project.
Other established marketplaces include:
Exchanges
Exchanges provide a platform for organisations to buy and sell carbon credits, either through the sale of batches of credits from an individual project, or through standardized contracts.
Established carbon credit exchanges include:
In recent years there has been a growth in national exchanges for the sale of carbon credits, alongside international exchanges such as those listed above.
Article 6 cooperation
An increasing number of governments are entering into bilateral agreements to transfer ‘mitigation outcomes’ under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Under some of these bilateral agreements, governments – or entities acting on their behalf – seeking to acquire mitigation outcomes are publicly procuring for projects that can deliver mitigation outcomes for use towards the acquiring country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
An overview from IETA of announced bilateral agreements between governments, including those involving the Government of Vietnam, can be accessed here.