January 30, 2024 \u2013 Voluntary standards and initiatives for carbon management (VSICMs) can help fill a legal void in climate regulations and add much-needed credibility to corporate climate action claims. However, new research shows that a lack of uptake from private sector companies and limited coordination and alignment between VSICMs are hindering their impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two new reports<\/a> from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) unpack and address these issues by mapping out the different types of voluntary measures that companies can use to reduce carbon emissions and outlining what more needs to be done for them to reach their potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt a time when not all greenhouse gas emissions are strictly regulated across countries and sectors with the ambition required, VSICMs can provide companies with a useful roadmap for reducing their carbon emissions,\u201d says Arturo Balderas, senior consultant on climate action. \u201cThey can also increase the transparency and credibility of their carbon management efforts and claims\u2014helping regulators, businesses, and consumers start to distinguish real impact from greenwashing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n