Amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions avoided through carbon credits sold during the reporting period.
Organizations should footnote relevant details on the carbon offsets sold, along with the assumptions and methodologies used in calculating the emissions avoided. See usage guidance for further information.
This metric is intended to capture the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions avoided through the organization’s sale of carbon credits during the reporting period. The same data captured through this metric can also be captured through a combination of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation Types (OI9839) and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Avoided or Reduced (PI2764).
Examples of relevant details to footnote include the methodology used to quantify the GHG offsets, equivalent monetary value of the carbon credits generated and sold, information on the carbon offset market(s) in which the organization sold the credit(s), and the unique identification number and third-party registry for the carbon credit(s) sold. Organizations can refer to the glossary for additional information on carbon credits.
A number of methodologies offer detailed procedures for quantifying the real GHG benefits of a project, along with guidance to help project developers determine project boundaries, set baselines, assess additionality, and ultimately quantify the GHG emissions that were reduced or removed. For more information and examples, see the Verified Carbon Standard (http://www.v-c-s.org/methodologies/what-methodology).
In some contexts, this metric can serve as an indicator of whether the outcome being sought by an investor or organization is occurring (the WHAT dimension of impact). For more on the alignment of IRIS metrics to the five dimensions of impact, see IRIS+ and the Five Dimensions of Impact (https://iris.thegiin.org/document/iris-and-the-five-dimensions/). No single metric is sufficient to understand an impact; rather, metrics are selected as a set across all dimensions of impact. When possible, the selection of metrics to measure and describe the five dimensions should be based on best practice and evidence.
June 2022 - IRIS v5.3 Released (current version)
Immaterial change. Minor revision to usage guidance for clarity.
May 2021 - IRIS v5.2 Released
Immaterial change. Minor revision to Usage Guidance for clarity.
January 2020 - IRIS v5.1 Released
Immaterial change. Minor revision to Usage Guidance for clarity.
May 2019 - IRIS v5.0 Released
No change.
March 2016 - IRIS v4.0 Released
New metric. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Avoided due to Carbon Offsets Sold (PI2787) was developed via the IRIS Taxonomy Group.
IRIS Metrics Work Better in Sets
To use IRIS metrics—and the resulting data—to understand impact performance, IRIS metrics should be used and analyzed in generally accepted sets and according to well-defined objectives. IRIS+ gives you access to generally accepted Core Metrics Sets aligned to common Impact Themes and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).