ACR Publishes ACR Standard V8.0
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., July 1, 2023 – The American Carbon Registry (ACR) has published Version 8 (v8.0) of its ACR Standard, which details ACR’s requirements and specifications for the quantification, monitoring, reporting, verification, registration and issuance of project-based GHG emissions reductions and removals as carbon credits.
The ACR Standard establishes the foundational level of scientific integrity that every project (guided by our methodologies) must meet in order for ACR to register its GHG emission reductions and removals as tradable environmental assets denominated in metric tons of CO2 equivalent.
The last version of the ACR Standard (v7.0) was published in December 2020. Since then, an extensive process of development, peer review and public consultation has resulted in important clarifications, process and transparency improvements, and other updates and innovative features in v8.0.
Among these are the provision of a new standardized report for project environmental and social impact assessment, a tool and template for reporting projects’ positive contributions to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and standardized templates for non-technical project information to make project details more accessible to a broader range of audiences. Version 8.0 also includes updates to align with UNFCCC Article 6 decisions on avoiding double counting, as well as an enhanced Complaints and Appeals process and a codification of ACR’s existing scope exclusion for projects that displace one type of fossil fuel to another type of fossil fuel and projects that lock-in long-term GHG emissions.
"We often talk about continuous improvement and innovation in the carbon market, and this is a concrete example of that principle," said Mary Grady, Executive Director of ACR. "Our fantastic team of experts -- supported by the broader range of stakeholders who dedicated their time and experience to this effort -- have incorporated a wide range of knowledge, learning and input into the latest version of the ACR Standard as part of our broader mission to enhance confidence in the integrity of carbon markets to catalyze transformational emission reductions."
