Compensate Foundation and other key stakeholders have signed a joint declaration supporting the credible use of the Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM) model, published on January 16 by Carbon Market Watch.
Also any company, organization or individual is welcomed to show their support by signing this statement – sign here.
BVCM – a Framework for Genuine Accountability
The Beyond Value Chain Mitigation model offers companies a way to take climate responsibility beyond their own operations without relying on misleading offset claims. Instead of claiming ”carbon neutrality,” BVCM focuses on funding high-impact climate projects outside the value chain, guided by internal carbon pricing and rigorous standards.
This model ensures that companies prioritize reducing their own emissions first, in alignment with the 1,5 degree target and climate science, while transparently supporting additional climate actions. BVCM promotes genuine accountability, builds trust, and avoids greenwashing, making it a credible path for businesses to contribute meaningfully to global climate goals.
To implement BVCM credibly, companies should:
- Calculate and disclose their full GHG footprint (scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions).
- Allocate a budget for beyond value-chain actions, such as through internal carbon pricing.
- Conduct due diligence to identify high-impact climate initiatives.
- Finance these initiatives transparently.
- Communicate clearly, ensuring no implication that emissions have been fully offset.
Shift from offset to contribution
Corporate climate claims are facing a critical transformation. Traditional claims such as ”carbon neutrality,” often built on carbon offsets, are increasingly seen as inadequate or misleading. Rising regulatory demands and public expectations now require companies to communicate their climate efforts with greater transparency and authenticity. It’s time for companies to adopt claims that reflect true accountability and avoid greenwashing.
For years, many companies have relied heavily on carbon credit purchases without prioritizing emissions reduction within their own operations. This approach has been criticized due to systemic issues in carbon credit markets, including questions about quality and the problem of double counting, where credits contribute both to a company’s offsets and a host country’s climate goals. As a result, regulatory bodies like the EU have started restricting such claims.
Misleading claims like “carbon neutrality” are being replaced by contribution claims, where companies fund climate action without asserting that their emissions have been canceled out. To build trust and achieve meaningful climate impact, these contributions must be transparent, high-quality, and held to rigorous standards.
A new standard for climate responsibility
This is precisely why the Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM) model was developed—to provide a framework for ensuring that such contributions are both credible and genuinely impactful, fostering transparency and accountability in corporate climate efforts. By aligning science-based emissions reductions with responsible climate contributions, companies can foster trust and move away from misleading practices.
Collaboration among businesses, regulators, and climate organizations will be key to ensuring these claims create real climate impact. The future of corporate climate communication lies in honesty, sustainability, and shared accountability for addressing the climate crisis.
Find the statement here: ”Joint letter – Common ground: Credibly funding beyond value-chain climate action” by Carbon Market Watch.
Cover photo: Joakim Honkasalo / Unsplash
Niklas Kaskeala’s photo: Antti Verkasalo