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Supporting nature-based projects

At Ecologi, we love nature.
When you support nature-based projects, you’re helping to prevent carbon emissions, but you’re also preserving natural habitats like forests and peatlands, and protecting endangered species. In this blog, we’ll dive into everything you need to know about the nature-based projects you can support through <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/impact-shop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our Impact Shop</a>.

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When we refer to nature-based projects on our <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/impact-shop">Impact Shop</a>, we’re usually referring specifically to carbon avoidance projects (as opposed to carbon removal projects, or to our tree-planting and forest restoration projects).
This means that by supporting these projects, you’re preventing a certain amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) from ever entering our atmosphere &#8211; for example, through preventing deforestation. High-quality nature-based projects are an excellent climate solution as they curb GHG emissions while also supporting local communities and wildlife habitats.
The different types of nature-based projects which generate carbon credits include <a href="https://unfccc.int/topics/land-use/workstreams/redd/what-is-redd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the REDD+ scheme</a> for avoided deforestation, as well as  <a href="https://verra.org/methodologies/vm0035-methodology-for-improved-forest-management-through-reduced-impact-logging-v1-0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">improved forest management</a> (IFM), and <a href="https://verra.org/methodologies/vm0042-methodology-for-improved-agricultural-land-management-v1-0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">improved agricultural land management</a>.
Other types of nature-based projects which are classified as nature-based carbon removals include <a href="https://globalgoals.goldstandard.org/403-luf-ar-methodology-ghgs-emission-reduction-and-sequestration-methodology/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">afforestation, reforestation and revegetation</a> (ARR).

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Nature-based carbon avoidance projects prevent precious natural habitats from being degraded, such as by protecting trees from deforestation, and restoring and protecting carbon-rich peatlands. By supporting these projects, carbon in plants and soils remains locked away, and habitats vital to the survival of threatened and endangered species are preserved, helping to protect and boost biodiversity.
Protecting these natural carbon sinks, such as soil, is key to slowing climate change &#8211; and by working with nature, these projects don’t rely on new or experimental technologies to prevent or remove emissions. 
On top of the environmental benefits of our nature-based projects, there is also a boost in quality of life for surrounding communities. These projects can benefit livelihoods by providing new and improved sources of income for local people, and can even bring in better education and healthcare facilities.
Planting new trees is a great climate solution, but we also need to conserve forests that are already there &#8211; not just for their carbon storage, but also to protect and provide habitats for local wildlife.

Things to consider when funding nature-based carbon avoidance projects

Key indicators of a great avoided deforestation project include:
<ul>
<li>Accurate baselining, meaning its estimates of background rates of deforestation were correct.</li>
<li>Additionality, meaning the forest protection would not have happened without the project being there.</li>
<li>Permanence, meaning the project has a good chance of locking up the carbon for a long time.</li>
<li>Strong co-benefits, meaning the project generates additional benefits for the community, or biodiversity.</li>
</ul>
This does mean there are lots of trade-offs to think about when supporting nature-based projects.
For example, a forest project project might have over-achieved in its carbon avoidance goals, but have minimal co-benefits for the local community. Or, a project might be excellent for biodiversity and for the local community, but have seen a little bit more deforestation than it anticipated, leading to a slightly lower carbon benefit.

How do we know our nature-based projects are impactful? 

If you choose to support carbon avoidance through nature-based projects in our Impact Shop, you’ll be supporting a different, carefully selected project each quarter. The majority of the nature-based projects we support fall into the category of <a href="https://drawdown.org/solutions/forest-protection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forest protection</a>, which is recognised as a key climate solution. 
The nature-based projects we support are all certified by either the <a href="https://www.goldstandard.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gold Standard</a> or the <a href="https://verra.org/project/vcs-program/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Verified Carbon Standard</a> (VCS), and are individually vetted by our expert in-house team. We choose projects based on our analysis of the project&#8217;s chances of success, across all these key indicators.
Additionally, all the nature-based projects we support have been scrutinised and rated highly by <a href="https://www.sylvera.com/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=carbon_credit&amp;utm_term=sylvera&amp;utm_term=sylvera&amp;utm_campaign=Carbon_Credit_NB_EXM_IE&amp;utm_source=adwords&amp;utm_medium=ppc&amp;hsa_acc=3270614844&amp;hsa_cam=16561698208&amp;hsa_grp=135219634780&amp;hsa_ad=587626569584&amp;hsa_src=g&amp;hsa_tgt=kwd-34620595519&amp;hsa_kw=sylvera&amp;hsa_mt=e&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwwL6aBhBlEiwADycBIBvP0d7Yr4wWVqDSCOuShQfInVA8BidrqKrGr_24yAh_yfDRWssFPxoCAcMQAvD_BwE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sylvera</a>, an independent carbon intelligence platform. Sylvera gives each project a carbon score, as well as additional scores for additionality, permanence, and co-benefits. This gives us an extra layer of due diligence through adding the analysis of an independent third-party. You can read more about our collaboration with Sylvera <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/updates/weve-teamed-up-with-carbon-intelligence-platform-sylvera" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

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How to support nature-based projects on the Impact Shop 

Supporting nature-based projects through the Impact Shop couldn’t be simpler. There’s no need for a subscription, you just need to visit our website and create a business account. From there, you’ll be able to visit the Impact Shop and search for nature-based projects. You can find all the details about each project and once purchased, the impact will be added to your online profile, giving you an overview of all your climate action. 
<h3><a href="https://ecologi.com/business/impact-shop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Take me to the Impact Shop 🌿</a></h3>

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UK Voluntary Carbon Market Guide: Best Practices for Climate Action

<h2>Upcoming webinar, 29th May</h2>
Which carbon credits can your business trust? Join Ecologi’s Director of Climate Science and Impact, Sam Jackson, to uncover the proven framework behind high-quality, high-impact climate investments.
<a href="https://ecologi.com/resources/webinars/which-carbon-credits-can-your-business-trust">Register for free</a>

The voluntary carbon market plays an important role in corporate climate strategies – but its effectiveness relies on buyers doing due diligence and rigorous quality assessment on each project, as well as placing the purchase of credits in the right place in the climate journey.
To ensure meaningful climate impact, businesses must develop a comprehensive carbon strategy and find ways to fund only high-quality credits in the voluntary carbon market – and this guide shows you how to do so with Ecologi.

<h2>Table of contents</h2>
<ul>
<li>When to buy carbon credits</li>
<li>Our new carbon projects assessment framework</li>
<li>Ecologi&#8217;s core due diligence principles</li>
<li>How Ecologi scores and ranks carbon credit projects</li>
<li>Questions to ask your carbon credit supplier</li>
<li>Take action in the voluntary carbon market</li>
</ul>

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<h2>When should businesses buy carbon credits in the voluntary market?</h2>
Businesses must not use credits in place of making direct, measurable reductions in their emissions. Instead, follow these steps to ensure you buy your carbon credits on the right step of your corporate climate action journey, and in the right way:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Measure your emissions first – to allow you to understand where your business’s emissions are coming from. 
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Set science-based targets and work towards them – set ambitious targets aligned with the SBTi and compatible with the global 1.5ºC warming target.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Beyond value chain mitigation (BVCM) – design your BVCM portfolio to work alongside your decarbonisation plan and address your unabated emissions in each reporting year. Align it with SBTi guidance and the Oxford Principles. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Buy high-quality carbon credits – use this guide to ensure the carbon credits you buy meet rigorous quality standards. Remember, under the SBTi framework you’ll also need permanent carbon removal credits for neutralising your residual emissions when you reach your net-zero date.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Disclose and report transparently – publicly disclose information about your carbon credit purchases, and clearly communicate the limited role of carbon credits in your broader sustainability strategy.</li>
</ol>

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<h2>Ecologi&#8217;s carbon project assessment framework</h2>
In April 2025, we published a report summarising how we assess carbon credit projects against our rigorous proprietary rubric. A snapshot of what goes into our carbon credit project assessment is below, or you <a href="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20250428124112/Ecologi_Whitepaper_A4.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">download the full whitepaper here</a>.

<h2>Carbon project due diligence: Ecologi’s core principles</h2>
At Ecologi, we maintain general due diligence principles which we apply universally across the voluntary carbon market, to support our efforts to supply only high-quality carbon credits.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">ICROA-endorsed standards only – we supply credits exclusively from carbon standards which are ICROA-endorsed.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Responsive to ICVCM decisions – we support the ICVCM’s two-tick approach to providing CCP-Approval to project methodologies, and we go further still, to assess individual projects on their merits and limitations as well.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Keep the carbon credit life cycle as short as possible – 75% of our credits in 2024 came directly from project developers and their nominated dispensaries (as opposed to intermediaries on the secondary market), maximising the proportion of purchase price which goes to the developer.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Locally-appropriate projects only – we take care to ensure that supported projects are being applied in appropriate geographies, where they can have the greatest impact.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Deep project-level scrutiny – our extensive assessment criteria are specific to each type of project, and we assess every project against these criteria, ensuring the project’s specifics have been taken into account.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Methodological consensus – we synthesise data we receive from our partners Sylvera, BeZero Carbon, Calyx Global and Renoster) with our own in-house analysis to uncover where there is consensus about project quality, and improve confidence.</li>
</ul>

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<h2>How to evaluate carbon credits: Ecologi&#8217;s scoring methodology</h2>
We designed a three-layer assessment process which takes into account the merits and limitations of the carbon standard used, the carbon credit methodology used, and of the individual project design.
The tables below summarise some of the data inputs we use at each stage.

<h3>Assessment level: Carbon Standard</h3>
Examples: Gold Standard, Verra, Puro Earth, Isometric, Plan Vivo.

<h3>Assessment level: Methodology (or ‘Protocol’)</h3>
Examples: GS TPDDTEC, VM0048, ACM0002.

<h3>Assessment level: Project</h3>
Examples: GS 10790, VCS 1571.

Criteria in the assessment are categorised as either quality criteria or risk criteria, and are segmented by our three pillars of impact: Climate, Nature and People. Based on how it meets each criterion, the project gains points for quality criteria, and loses points for excess risk – ultimately giving a risk-adjusted value out of 100 for each of these pillars.
Having gathered our risk-adjusted pillar scores, we use our own unique scoring formula which weights the risk-adjusted Climate score of the project equally with the combined risk-adjusted Nature and People scores. The formula then produces an ‘overall’ score (also out of 100) for the project. In order to be supplied by Ecologi, projects must meet a minimum overall score of 80, and must achieve no lower than 65 in any given risk-adjusted pillar score.

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<h2>Key questions to ask carbon credit suppliers</h2>
Selecting the right carbon credit provider is important to help guide you to make informed choices as part of your corporate sustainability strategy. Before purchasing carbon credits, businesses should ask:
<h3>Project quality </h3>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do you assess/validate/underwrite project quality? If so, how?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do your projects get good ratings from the ratings agencies? If so, what ratings are they?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do you source credits directly from project developers, or from the secondary market?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do you monitor projects over time to ensure continued success, and how do you remedy it, if a project&#8217;s quality drops?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Due diligence</h3>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How do you ensure you are supporting the right projects in the right locations?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How do you account for project permanence and mitigate risks?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What makes your projects additional?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How do you assess the project&#8217;s impacts on climate, nature and people?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Positioning</h3>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How do you contribute to the development of a high integrity voluntary carbon market?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do you align your portfolios with the Oxford Principles? If so, how?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How do you reflect ICVCM guidance on carbon credit methodologies and technologies?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do you build multi-year portfolios that align to mid- &amp; long-term SBTs?</li>
</ul>
As the voluntary carbon market evolves, corporate buyers have the power and the responsibility to demand high-impact credits to drive real climate progress. This means buyers have a responsibility to do due diligence before placing an order for carbon credits.

<h2>Take action in the voluntary carbon market</h2>
As a business committed to corporate climate action, understanding the voluntary carbon market is essential for making informed decisions about carbon credits. Our comprehensive whitepaper provides deeper insights into creating an effective sustainability strategy.
<a href="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20250428124112/Ecologi_Whitepaper_A4.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Download our full whitepaper</a> to learn how your business can navigate the voluntary carbon market with confidence.

<h2>Connect with one of our climate experts</h2>
Please complete our form to arrange a 30-minute discovery call to discuss your goals and get a tailored solution for your business.

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Supporting nature-based projects

What are nature-based projects?

Why support nature-based projects

Things to consider when funding nature-based carbon avoidance projects

How do we know our nature-based projects are impactful?

How to support nature-based projects on the Impact Shop

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