Verra

United States · Environmental Services

Verra works to provide "Standards for a sustainable future," that address pressing environmental and sustainable development issues. Through robust standards, we help accurately quantify benefits and drive investment in responsible, high-performing projects and programs. We work closely with partners in civil society, governments and the private sector to develop novel frameworks and enable results on the ground. Our flagship standard, the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program, is the longstanding leading standard in the voluntary carbon market. Since our start in 2009, Verra has expanded our work into new arenas based on increasing demand for social and environmental standards. Today, a growing staff with operatives around the world manage our standards and programs, including the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standard, the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard and the Landscape Standard. We consistently work with our partners to ensure that our existing and new requirements reflect the most current knowledge and global best practice. We are steadily expanding the scope of Verra to respond to the need for new, forward-thinking standards, with a focus on market-based, workable solutions to thorny social and environmental challenges. Verra was originally founded by a collection of business and environmental leaders who saw a need for greater quality assurance in voluntary carbon markets. Our founding partners - The Climate Group, International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and The World Economic Forum - convened a team of global carbon market experts to draft the first Verified Carbon Standard requirements. World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) joined the effort soon after.