30th Week Carbon Credit Markets 2025. Public consultation in Brazil; US$ 30/ton Cristalino; Equitable Earth; List of registries and tokens; US against ESG; Europe SMEs and greenwashing; UNFCCC, COP 30
- Art Dam
- Aug 3
- 6 min read
Monday, 04 August 2025.
Highlights from the 30th Carbon Credit Markets 2025 week.
- Carbon Credits. 🌱 The Cristalino project in the Amazon 🌳 and the new Equitable Earth show how well-structured forest initiatives can generate high-integrity credits, while UNIDROIT discusses tokenization 🔗 and interoperability of credits to increase transparency and global liquidity. We also list 🌏 examples of Article 6 registries: 4 from countries, 2 from organizations, and 6 from third parties. 🏆 A must-see list.
- Other Highlights. 🏦 The clash between sustainability and financial interests intensifies again in the United States🇺🇸: 21 states are pressuring asset managers to abandon ♻️ESG strategies, alleging breaches of fiduciary duty and threatening divestment. Meanwhile, Europe 🇪🇺 is moving forward with a new standard to facilitate ESG reporting for small and medium-sized enterprises and is preparing stricter rules against greenwashing, requiring official proof for environmental claims. The UNFCCC 🇺🇳 is admitting several observer entities to COP 30.
- Opportunities. 🚨🇧🇷Brazil is launching a major public consultation until August 18th for its National Mitigation Strategy and seven sectoral plans. The initiative is part of the global engagement on the climate agenda, with 📢 calls for proposals, 🚀job opportunities, and participation in international initiatives.
- Events in August. 📅 Fastmarkets Latin America Carbon Forum with keynote by Ana Toni, COP30 CEO (Aug 11), Latest Developments and Prospects for China’s ETS, ICAP WEBINAR (Aug 7), Masterclass CCS and the Low-Carbon Market in Brazil (Aug 11), The Geological Unicorn of Ionic Clays (Aug 19) and IETA Latin America Climate Summit (Aug 26–28).
Here the details.
CARBON CREDITS
🌳Our portal supporting exemplary projects: Cristalino and Equitable Earth show how to do it right.
The Cristalino project in the Amazon generated high-integrity Social Carbon credits sold for USD 30/ton to UPL Corp Brasil, marking a breakthrough in the national voluntary market and making the company carbon neutral. The initiative reinforces the value of well-structured forestry projects, in the words of Flávio Ojidos and Rogério Melo.
The former ERS has become Equitable Earth, with the support of experts and Indigenous leaders, expanding its mission to certify forestry projects with social and environmental impact. The change represents an important step in the evolution of global carbon standards with a focus on climate justice, says its CEO, Thibault Sorret.
🔗 Carbon on Blockchain: UNIDROIT Explores the Future of Tokenized Credit Interoperability.
During the fifth session of the UNIDROIT Working Group, experts discussed the challenges and opportunities of interoperability and tokenization of verified carbon credits (VCCs). Interoperability was highlighted as essential for connecting different registries and platforms, increasing market liquidity, and ensuring transparency and legal certainty, including in cases of insolvency. Tokenization was addressed in multiple models, from the creation of digital assets representing monitoring data to native tokens that replace traditional registries. The discussion reinforced the need for a clear legal framework to ensure that property rights linked to tokens are recognized and transferable. Read the source, UNIDROIT Summary Report – Fifth Session, April 2025.
🌏Examples of Article 6 Registrations.
As anticipated, and complementing last week's article "ITMOs and Article 6 Registrations: Types, Integration, Interested Countries, and the UNFCCC International Registry", we share links to some registrations below:
Country registries
- Ghana Carbon Registry (GCR)
Organization registries
- UNDP, National Carbon Credit Registry (DPG, digital public good)
- World Bank, National Core Carbon Registry and National Enhanced Carbon Registry (open-source software)
Third-party registries
- S&P Global Registry (currently for Honduras, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Suriname)
- Verra Registry, Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)
- Winrock International, American Carbon Registry (ACR)
Next week we will comment on some projects registered with ART Registry, Architecture for REDD+ Transactions.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
🏦♻️Wall Street's New Battle: Fiduciary Duty vs. Sustainability.
In July 2025, treasurers and finance officers from 21 US states, coordinated by the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF), sent letters to CEOs of major asset managers such as BlackRock, JPMorgan, and Goldman Sachs, criticizing the use of ESG strategies. They argue that these practices may violate fiduciary duty by prioritizing ideological agendas over financial returns. The letter to BlackRock cites the Spence v. American Airlines case as an example of abuse in proxy voting policies and demands guarantees of an exclusive focus on profits. The signatories threaten divestment or legal action if the institutions do not align with objective principles. The initiative reflects a growing political backlash against corporate activism and could significantly influence asset managers' approaches to sustainability and governance.
🇪🇺🌱 Europe Releases New Standard to Simplify ESG Reporting for SMEs.
The European Commission today adopted the new Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (VSME), aimed at facilitating the disclosure of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information. Divided into two modules—basic and comprehensive—the VSME aims to reduce bureaucracy, increase access to sustainable financing, and support the green transition of SMEs within the European Union's climate goals. See the press release from July 30, 2025.
🇪🇺🌿 Consumer vs. Greenwashing: The European Union Attempting to Redefine the Rules of the Game
The Green Claims Directive, still under negotiation in the EU, proposes rigorous verification of environmental claims, but faces criticism for costs and bureaucracy. Meanwhile, the EmpCo Directive (Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive), effective September 2026, will require concrete evidence for terms like "sustainable" and ban self-declared labels, allowing only official or independent certifications. Here's a brief update from the international law firm Taylor Wessing. Also, remember what we published about it in early 2024.
🇺🇳📢 UNFCCC Document: Admission of Observers to COP 30
The official document presents the list of organizations recommended for admission as observers to COP 30, which will be held in Belém, Brazil. Among the highlights are several Brazilian entities, such as ABSOLAR, Instituto Talanoa, and SEBRAE, reflecting the strengthening of national participation in crucial issues such as renewable energy, climate justice, and sustainable development. Access here the document FCCC/CP/2025/3.
OPPORTUNITIES
🇧🇷 Public Consultation of the National Mitigation Strategy and the 7 Sectoral Plans (*). Until August 18th on the Brasil Participativo platform. (*) 🌱 Agriculture and Livestock 🌿 Nature Conservation 🏙️ Cities 🏭 Industry ⚡Energy ♻️Solid Waste and Domestic Effluents 🚛 Transportation.
🌍 Participation in the Global Climate Action Agenda (GCAA). Call by the Climate High-Level Champions and the Marrakech Partnership on how to strengthen and direct climate action over the next five years. Parties and observer organizations (UN, specialized agencies, admitted NGOs) via the 🔗 UNFCCC Submission Portal and Other non-Party stakeholders by ✉️ email to globalclimateaction@unfccc.int, following the guidelines available here. By August 18.
🚀 12 open positions at UN Climate Change. Join our diverse team of around 400 professionals from over 90 countries and drive progress on the Paris Agreement while supporting governments and communities toward a more sustainable and resilient future. 🔗 Don't miss this opportunity. Application periods close between August 3rd and 18th.
🏆2025 UNFCCC Climate Week 2 | Implementation Labs - Call for Solutions. Details here and registration here. There's still time. Until August 8th.
📢 Sustainability Officer – Land Use and Forests. Gold Standard is hiring. Remote (based in the UK, Germany, or India). Until August 3, 2025.
EVENTS
📢 🇧🇷 August 11, Fastmarkets Latin America Carbon Forum 2025. With keynote address by Ana Toni, COP30 CEO. At the Renaissance Hotel in São Paulo, Brazil. Use code CCM15 for a 15% discount. Register here.
🇨🇳📍August 7, Latest Developments and Prospects for China’s ETS, ICAP WEBINAR. Expansion of China's ETS discussed by experts from Europe and China. Register here.
🇧🇷🖥️ August 11, CCS and the Low-Carbon Market in Brazil. 8-hour masterclass, live on B2S - Business to Science's YouTube channel. Free event, register now.
🇧🇷🖥️ August 19, The Geological Unicorn of Ionic Clays in Poços de Caldas and the Regulatory Challenges of Extracting Rare Earths. By APEMI, São Paulo, Brazil. Details here.
🇧🇷📍August 26-28, IETA Latin America Climate Summit, in São Paulo, Brazil. Details and registration here.
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