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About Riverse

General Overview

What is Riverse?

Riverse is a ICROA-endorsed carbon credit standard for European circular Greentech projects. Riverse has developed a carbon credit standard, a dMRV platform and a registry.

How long has it been operating for?

Riverse has been operating since 2021. Riverse has received significant investment from investors, certified more than 40 projects, and more than 150,000 credits. Besides, our registry portfolio forecast is 1.5M tCO2 until 2030.

How does Riverse differ from other players in the market?

Riverse differentiates itself in the carbon credits market through several key aspects:

Methodology and Focus: We specialise in methodologies centered around industrial projects, focusing on carbon credits related to value chain and geography. Our robust process for developing methodologies involves expert stakeholders.
Geography focus: We specialize in European tech-based projects. We have already certified projects in 10 European countries.
Compliance & High Integrity: Riverse is accredited by ICROA, and our carbon credits meet international sustainability guidelines (ICVCM, SBTi, ISO etc).
Transparency and Verification: Our credits are verified using industrial data and are issued and traced on the Riverse Registry, ensuring no double-counting and complete transparency. Projects are audited by a network of independent ISO accredited VVBs.

Solution

What products are included in Riverse's offering?

Riverse has developed a registry made for carbon credit sellers, enabling purchases, retirement, retirement on behalf, and transfer of credits.

Thanks to our integration with Stripe payment solution, Riverse registry can also manage billing and payment if needed.

Our registry can be connected to API on-demand.

In case you want to develop projects on Riverse Methodology, our Impact Certification Platform enables a streamline and efficient certification and MRV process

Is Riverse a reseller?

As any standard, to avoid conflict of interest, we cannot be resellers.

However, we do as much as possible to help our certified projects sell their carbon credits :

We enable carbon credits management.
We generate communication kits
We enable digital connection to our registry through API on demand.

What are Riverse projects certified under “General requirements”?

We are also working on some pilot methodologies, with pionneer project developers. These methodologies are not available publicly yet, therefore these projects are certified under Riverse General Requirements.

Riverse Certification team can provide all the relevant information about the project if you are interested in them.

Riverse Standard : Scope, Process & Eligibility

Riverse Methodologies

What are the methodologies developed by Riverse?

Today, we focus on 4 key methodologies including :

Biochar & Bioenergy
Biobased Construction Materials
Biogas from anaerobic digestion
Electronic Devices Reconditioning

Besides, we keep expanding to new methodologies on Carbon Removal Dioxyde (CDR) and Circular Economy. If you are interested in some of these fields, you can contact us at contact@riverse.io.

How can Partners collaborate with Riverse to develop new carbon credit methodologies?

Riverse is continuously expanding to new methodologies. To do so, it is very common that we conduct pilot projects with partners in these new verticals.

You can find our New Methodology Proposal template in Riverse Procedures Manual.

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The certification process

How is a methodology developed under Riverse Standard?

Anyone may submit a request for a new methodology at any time. Contact us directly here.

A few steps are then taken to kick start the development of a new methodology:

the methodology proposal is submitted to our Standard Advisory Board for review and approval
Then a technical working group with at least 3 people meets regularly to research and develop the methodology
Once a first version of the methodology has been drafted, the methodology is sent to public consultation to gather feedback from experts, project developers to refine the methodology

Find more about our complete Procedures here.

How is a project certified under Riverse Standard?

Our certification process is detailed as follows :

Certification Process

Riverse Standard certification eligibility

Which greentechs & projects does Riverse certify?

Riverse focuses on helping SMEs, mostly in Europe, currently developing an industrial decarbonisation solution. Today, we prioritise 4 different verticals :

IT reconditioning
Biobased construction materials
Biogas from anaerobic digestion
BECCS & Biochar

Here you can find our methodologies’ pages.

We are planning to develop more avoidance and removal methodologies in the coming months, please contact us if you’d like to discuss methodology development.

Can Riverse enable offtakes ?

Yes, Riverse can pre-certify projects that are not yet operational. We conduct a validation based on key criteria and develop a monitoring plan in coordination with a buyer’s agreement. This process is essential to project developers for securing the necessary investment to establish the plant.

How can I make sure our dollars will be most impactful?

Riverse is the 12th independent standard endorsed by ICROA, the first one under the latest procedure. We are also the second european standard and the only one focus on circular economy projects.

Circular economy projects can prove very high quantitive cobenefits on resources, energy efficiency, waste and social aspects.

Last but not least, our one-stop-shop solution streamlines to certification process, enabling on average 90% of the carbon credit revenue to go directly to the project deployment.

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How is additionality assessed under Riverse Standard?

The Riverse Standard enables solutions that would not have occurred without revenue from carbon finance. This principle ensures that carbon financing spurs additional action to fight climate change, rather than subsidizing actions that would have happened anyway.

Riverse Carbon Credits cannot be issued for projects that would have occurred regardless of carbon finance. Several types of additionality tests are described below. To demonstrate additionality, all projects must apply

Regulatory surplus analysis: Regulatory surplus analysis: Mitigation activities must go beyond what is required by regulations to be eligible for RCCs.

Plus one of the two below

Investment analysis: Project Developers may use investment analysis to prove that revenue from carbon finance is necessary to make the project investment a financially viable and interesting option
Barrier analysis : Barriers may exist that prevent the mitigation activity from continuing or expanding. These may be financial, institutional, or technological barriers. Project Developers must demonstrate how revenue from carbon finance is necessary to allow projects to over come these barriers.

The Riverse Additionality Template enables Project Developer to demonstrate their additionality.

Our approach is based on BeZero guidelines regarding additionality, which is a leading carbon credit rating agency.

How is permanence assessed under Riverse Standard?

Permanent carbon removals mean that carbon removal is ensured for the committed-upon duration (at least 100 years for removal RCC). This duration is the commitment period, and represents the number of years for which the Project Developer can prove that carbon will likely remain sequestered.

Carbon removals are not permanent if the carbon is re-emitted (i.e. the removal is reversed) before the commitment period ends, for example through natural disaster (fires, drought, pests) or project mismanagement.

Reversal risks are managed through:

Contribution to the provision pool: projects eligible for removal RCCs must contribute a default 3% of their verified removal RCCs to the provision pool. This covers a minimum inherent reversal risk of all removal RCCs. More details on the provision pool are available in the Riverse Procedures Manual.
Risk assessment: projects eligible for removal RCCs must evaluate the risk of reversal during the validation step using the Reversal Risk Evaluation section of Risk Assessment Templates. Details on how to fill in the template, and how to use the results, are in the Risk assessment section below

How is ESDNH assessed under Riverse Standard?

Environmental and Social Do No Harm (ESDNH) assessments under the Riverse Standard involve evaluating the potential negative impacts of a project on environmental and social factors. Projects must demonstrate that they do not contribute to substantial environmental and social harms, which involves identifying, evaluating, and managing risks associated with the project. These risks are managed through:

Stakeholder consultation: Project Developers must conduct a comprehensive and documented stakeholder consultation. Incorporating diverse perspectives and feedback is fundamental to the integrity of anyproject, and this takeholder feedback is collected online through the Riverse Registry for one month during the validation phase.
Risk assessment: Project Developers must evaluate the risk of environmental and social damage using Riverse Risk Assessment Templates.
Health & Safety of workers is particularly important for Riverse projects, given the standard’s focus on industrial projects. Industrial environments may pose unique challenges and risks to workers, who’s well-being and protection must be prioritized. Specific risks, such as exposure to harmful chemicals, are treated in methodologies where relevant.

Project developers are required to identify these risks and assess their severity and likelihood. They must also provide mitigation strategies to manage identified risks effectively. The Riverse certification team reviews these assessments to ensure thoroughness and may suggest modifications or additional precautions to address any overlooked issues.

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How is double counting assessed under Riverse Standard?

Riverse’s Double Counting Policy provides full explanations and requirements regarding this eligibility criteria. Key points are summarized here:

Double use of credits within the Riverse Registry: RCCs are traced with a unique identification number from issuance to retirement (see more in Riverse Procedures Manual at Chapter 9 RCC Management). An immutable certificate is generated upon retirement.

Double issuance of credits on multiple registries: It is not allowed to simultaneously issue carbon credits for the same mitigation activity, in the same crediting period, under the Riverse Standard and a different standard.

Double issuance of credits along the value chain: Multiple actors along the supply chain are not allowed to issue multiple carbon credits for the same mitigation activity. RCCs are issued to projects that are fundamental in the value chain, and are fully allocated to the project.

Double claiming: RCCs shall not be claimed by both the entity retiring the carbon credit for the purpose of making a GHG emission offsetting claim, and

nationally determined contributions (NDCs),
national climate policies and emissions trading schemes, or
other GHG-related environmental credits.

For double claiming between entities retiring carbon credits, and the end-users of products that have been issued carbon credits, guidance from reporting schemes, GHG Protocol, and other accounting mechanisms shall be followed.

Does Riverse conduct public consultation?

Yes, the Riverse Standard includes public consultation as part of the process for methodology creation and revisions. The Secretariat organizes a 30-day public consultation by publishing a "Call for Consultation," allowing stakeholders, industry experts, and the general public to provide insights and feedback. This feedback is then integrated into a Final Methodology Creation Proposition, which is validated by the Standard Advisory Board.

Public consultations are conducted at three levels:

For every main Standard documents release
For each new methodology and methodology major update
For each project during the certification process.

What criteria must a project meet to be eligible for Riverse certification? How does Riverse establish eligibility ?

We have detailed our eligibility criteria in our Standard rules.

This document is highly inspired by the ICROA and ICVCM Core Carbon Principles.

Otherwise, in France people sometimes refer to the 5 criteria set by ADEME (which overlap with the ICVCM)

Additionality
Measurability
Verification
Permanence
Unicity

Buying Carbon Credits

Buying Process

What fees does Riverse charge?

There is no fee to access Riverse registry

Riverse charges an issuance fee per credit, but it is included in the carbon credit price.

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Is there a minimum purchase size for carbon credits?

How can buyers and resellers track the impact of their carbon credits?

Thanks to our one-stop-shop solution, we can provide for each carbon credit retirement a certification report, but also a detailed impact report providing all information regarding carbon, social and environmental cobenefits impact.

How long does the purchasing process typically take from start to finish?

Thanks to our integration with Stripe, the process will take only a few minutes:

You make the purchase order on Riverse Registry. The credits are pushed to your registry portfolio, but are freezed (cannot be retired nor transfer) at that stage
You receive automatically a bill on behalf of the project, with a unique IBAN provided by Stripe for the project developer.
Once the payment is done on your side, the credits are automatically accessible on your registry account portfolio and can be retired or transfered.

What documentation is required to purchase carbon credits?

Very simple, you just need to go through Stripe KYC to be able to purchase carbon credit on the registry.

support & Communication

What happens if a project fails to deliver the promised carbon savings?

Riverse only delivers ex-post credits. Failure on delivery is not an option.

How should we talk about carbon credits once we’ve purchased them?

You should follow the IETA or SBTi communication guidelines to make the most understandable and correct claims.

Compliance

Standard Compliance

What is the Riverse Standard level of compliance?

Riverse has already been approved by several compliance entities:

ICROA endorsement
Airport Carbon Accreditation endorsement

Based on these endorsements, Riverse carbon credits can for instance be used in the following claims:

SBTi BVCM and scope 3 claims for avoidance credits
SBTi Net Zero claims for Removal credits
Carbon Trust claims
CDP or CSDR reportings

Note that Riverse is also following very closely the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework, and plan to register our methodologies as soon as it will be possible.

Finally, Riverse is also in the process of CORSIA, IC-VCM CCP and French Airlines decree.

How is Riverse ensuring the transparency and traceability of carbon credits?

Every projects certified by Riverse is uploaded to our registry. Every transaction details are recorded on this registry ensuring transparency and traceability for all stakeholders.

Partnership with Resellers

Rights & Access

What can I do as a seller on Riverse Registry?

With a Buyer Account, here is what you can do:

Purchase credits
Retire or retire credits on behalf
Transfer credits.
Contact directly project developer

You can also access all the information about the certified projects, including:

Names of the projects
Names of the auditors
Number of issued and available credits
Vintages
Prices
Quantified co-benefits of the projects
Projects’ documentations (DPDs, VVB certificates etc)
And more

Can I connect directly with project developer?

Yes, on each project page, you will be able to contact the project developer directly.

Can I develop new methodologies under Riverse Standard?

Yes, to develop new methodology, please contact us directly at contact@riverse.io

Can I access the registry through API?

Yes, on-demand.

Can I develop projects or support project development under Riverse Standard?

Yes, for project development, please fill Riverse pre-eligibility questionnaire.

Process

How can I access Riverse registry ? Are there any associated fees?

There is no fee to access Riverse registry. You just have to contact us so that we create you an account, and then go through Stripe KYC on the platform.

Can we communicate together?

Yes! We often realize common communications and events with our partners.

Carbon Credits Market

Prices & Volumes

How are carbon credits priced?

In the unregulated VCM market, project developers have the autonomy to set prices according to their discretion.The range of carbon credit prices is quite broad, but we typically see most projects fall between 10 and 100€ per ton.Carbon credit prices can vary based on several factors, including:

The project's financial needs, which depend on its business model and complexity
The project's location
The project's vintage
The project's co-benefits
The cost of project certification

Removal carbon credits often command higher prices compared to avoidance carbon credits.

Based on our analysis, here is a subjective classification of carbon credit prices:

Renewable energy and non-deforestation projects in Annex B countries: 5-10€
Reforestation projects in Annex B countries: 15€
Reforestation projects in Europe: 20-25€
Industrial avoidance in Europe: 30-40€
Biobased construction storage in Europe: 50€
Biochar projects in Europe: 100-150€
Long-term storage innovative projects (e.g. DAC): 500€

trends

Should buyers move toward removals, rather than avoidance?

Buyers recognize that carbon removal is increasingly necessary to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis. At the same time, reducing emissions flowing into the atmosphere in the first place remains at the heart of climate action. Guidance such as the Oxford Offsetting Principles offers a blended approach that takes into account the current scale of carbon removal technologies while still supporting work to prevent as many emissions as possible from entering our atmosphere.

Carbon removals can, sometimes, be easier to quantify and track than projects that avoid or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But carbon removal credits also tend to be more costly than those from projects that reduce or avoid emissions, and many removal technologies have yet to reach commercial scale. Meanwhile, some of the most common emission reduction project types, such as forest conservation, have come under intense media scrutiny for overstating their climate benefits.

Buyers have to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each project type and make tough decisions about how to allocate finite dollars toward their sustainability goals — or decide whether they’re even chasing the right goals. Seeking independent, expert guidance on building a carbon credit strategy won’t make those decisions easier, but it can provide assurance that your strategy is evidence-based.

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