Gold Standard
The Gold Standard (GS), also known as the Gold Standard for the Global Goals, is a certification mark program for non-governmental emission reductions projects in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the Voluntary Carbon Market, and other climate and development interventions. It is published and administered by the Gold Standard Foundation, a non-profit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
The GS was designed to ensure that carbon credits are real, verifiable, and that projects make measurable contributions to sustainable development1. The objective of the GS is to add branding, with a quality label, to carbon credits generated by projects which can then be bought and traded by countries that have a binding legal commitment according to the Kyoto Protocol, businesses, or other organizations for carbon offsetting purposes.
The Gold Standard sets the standard for climate and sustainable development interventions to quantify, certify, and maximize their impact – creating value for people around the world and the planet we share. It is backed by WWF, Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), Carbon Market Watch, and other leading NGOs.