Committed to Climate Integrity through ICROA

The voluntary carbon market (VCM) has expanded rapidly over the past two decades—but not without growing pains. Early on, inconsistent credit quality and lack of oversight raised serious concerns. ICROA was founded in 2008 as a response: a collective effort by leading service providers to bring consistency, trust, and high standards to a fragmented space. It was formed by leading carbon offset providers to establish best practices for the voluntary market and raise the bar on quality. By creating a Code of Best Practice and an approval program, ICROA sought to address issues like transparency, inconsistent methodologies, and buyer confidence in carbon offsets. In short, ICROA’s founding mission was to bring credibility, consistency, and trust to the burgeoning voluntary carbon offset market.

While the market continues to evolve and face new scrutiny, ICROA’s foundational principles remain more relevant than ever: credible crediting programmes, transparency, and independent assurance to restore and maintain trust in voluntary climate action. 

Today, ICROA remains a leading voice for integrity in the voluntary carbon market. Its core functions include:

• Code of Best Practice: The ICROA Code of Best Practice sets out global standards for science-based emission reductions and the responsible use of high-quality carbon credits. It outlines the baseline criteria that all ICROA Approved organizations are required to follow. It ensures member companies maintain high environmental integrity in their climate services.
• Approval Programme: Every organization undergoes a strict, independent audit each year. Passing this audit grants the right to use the ICROA Approval Label—an internationally recognized mark of quality in climate finance.
• Endorsement Programme: This process reviews and endorses crediting programmes and their regisitres that align with ICROA’s principles. These endorsed systems provide the underlying infrastructure for the carbon credits used by ICROA Approved organisations - ensuring a consistent chain of environmental integrity from issuance to retirement. Together, the Approval and Endorsement programmes form a connected ecosystem of trust, quality, and transparency in the voluntary carbon market.
• Knowledge Sharing & Market Guidance: ICROA convenes experts to discuss policy developments, emerging carbon credit standards, and best practices for voluntary carbon projects. The alliance’s guidance helps corporates structure climate action strategies that genuinely complement their decarbonization efforts.

By enforcing consistent requirements on additionality, permanence, verification, and transparency, ICROA ensures that carbon credit use remains a credible, accountable tool for unabated residual emissions. Its influence extends beyond approval: ICROA’s frameworks often inform corporate climate policies and drive higher market-wide expectations, helping ensure that voluntary contributions truly advance net-zero objectives. 

When FORLIANCE began pursuing ICROA approval in 2021, three clear objectives guided our decision:

Embed Best Practices: 

• Alignment with ICROA’s Code of Best Practice helps FORLIANCE continually refine its processes—whether measuring greenhouse gas footprints under the GHG Protocol or prioritizing direct emissions reductions before applying carbon credit use.
• These standardized procedures minimize risk for clients, ensuring that every carbon credit we recommend delivers a real, measurable climate benefit.

Client Protection and Trust:

• Our ICROA affiliation means clients can rely on our procedures and offerings as robust, independently audited, and aligned with global standards—lowering reputational and quality risks in their climate action efforts.

Collaborate on Market Evolution:

• ICROA membership granted us a seat at the table with fellow pioneers in voluntary carbon finance. Sharing experiences and lessons learned fosters innovation—whether in project design, remote verification technologies, or emerging carbon removal methods.
• By contributing to ICROA working groups and events, FORLIANCE helps shape the future of voluntary carbon markets, making them more robust and trustworthy for all participants. 

For FORLIANCE’s Corporate Clients

• Assured Quality and Transparency: When you partner with FORLIANCE, you gain the confidence that every carbon credit we provide is reviewed under ICROA’s strict criteria—covering additionality, permanence, and independent verification.
• Reduced Reputational Risk: Working with an audited, ICROA-approved provider reduces the risk of exposure to greenwashing claims or low-credibility projects.
• Aligned with Net-Zero Goals: ICROA’s frameworks support science-based targets. Working together, we ensure that your climate contributions cleanly complement your decarbonization pathway.

For the Voluntary Carbon Market

• Elevating Industry Standards: FORLIANCE’s continued compliance and active participation help reinforce ICROA’s Code across the market. As more providers meet these requirements, the entire VCM becomes more transparent and effective.
• Building Buyer Confidence: Corporate buyers increasingly demand high-integrity climate contributions. Our ICROA affiliation signals to peer organizations that rigorous, standardized practices are both possible and essential—encouraging broader adoption of best practices.
• Driving Real Impact: By channeling climate finance into projects that meet ICROA’s criteria, we strengthen the pipeline of credible emissions reduction and removal projects, which supports global climate objectives. 

While FORLIANCE has been ICROA-approved since 2021, our engagement intensified in 2024 when Julian Ekelhof, our Senior Director of Climate Solutions, was appointed to ICROA’s Governance Committee. This committee serves as the governing body for ICROA’s approval programme— reviewing methodology updates, guiding strategic direction, and ensuring the Code is applied consistently across all members.

• Expertise at the Core: Julian brings more than a decade of experience in global carbon markets and corporate climate action. His involvement ensures that FORLIANCE’s experience—grounded in real-world project implementation—also benefits ICROA’s evolving standards.
• Driving Best Practices: By participating in programme updates, Julian helps ICROA adapt to emerging market needs, whether incorporating new verification methods or expanding criteria for carbon removal technologies.
• A Voice for FORLIANCE Clients: Julian’s committee seat means FORLIANCE has direct insight into market trends and ICROA’s unique peer network that is reflected in our work with our clients to keep their climate strategies ahead of the curve.

“Continually raising ambition is crucial for the voluntary carbon market and its unique role for global climate action. ICROA continues providing crucial guidance for what best practice looks like. It’s an honour to work with the Governance Committee on ICROA’s future development,” says Julian. His role exemplifies how FORLIANCE has moved from being an approved member to actively shaping the standards that underpin voluntary carbon finance.

Through this multi-year commitment, FORLIANCE embeds ICROA’s principles into every facet of our climate solutions:

• Rigorous Carbon Accounting: We adhere to the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064 in measuring and reporting emissions, ensuring clients’ carbon footprints are calculated with the utmost accuracy.
• High-Quality Carbon Credit Use: We develop and offer credits that meet ICROA’s strict criteria—real, additional, permanent, independently verified, and transparently retired via third-party registries.
• Ambitious Emission Reductions: We guide clients to prioritize direct reductions (energy efficiency, renewables) and use carbon credits only for unabated residual emissions, aligning with best-practice net-zero frameworks.
• Transparent Reporting & Auditing: Our climate services are subject to annual independent audits under ICROA’s Approval Programme, verifying that all processes comply with the latest Code requirements.

For corporate climate teams, this means working with FORLIANCE translates to trusted, market-leading climate finance solutions. 

FORLIANCE’s ongoing affiliation with ICROA is far more than a membership badge—it represents a collaborative, evolving effort to strengthen voluntary carbon markets. As global demand for credible climate contributions continues to rise, our partnership ensures that every project we champion adheres to rigorous, transparent standards. In turn, this builds client confidence and fosters a healthier, more effective market.

With Julian Ekelhof actively contributing to ICROA’s Governance Committee, FORLIANCE is positioned not only to maintain the highest levels of compliance but also to help shape the future of carbon market governance. For businesses seeking to navigate complex climate targets and net-zero commitments, working with FORLIANCE means partnering with a team dedicated to upholding and advancing climate integrity on every front.

Learn more about how FORLIANCE’s ICROA-approved climate solutions can support your organization’s climate goals. Together, we can ensure that voluntary climate contributions make a real difference.