Credit classes are not interchangeable
A carbon credit is only as useful as the claim it can support. Carbon Trader keeps the classes apart and labels every listing with what it is.
New Zealand Units (NZUs)
The compliance unit of the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme. An NZU can be surrendered against an ETS obligation. Holders list these themselves on the sell page.
International voluntary credits
Credits issued under standards such as Verra and Gold Standard. They are not NZ ETS eligible and cannot be surrendered against an ETS obligation.
NZ voluntary and nature credits
New Zealand-origin voluntary and nature-based credits. A nature or biodiversity credit is not a carbon offset unless it carries a carbon component that has been reviewed.
Specialist units
Australian units, CORSIA-eligible units and Article 6 units each have their own rules and usually need specialist advice before a claim is made.
NZUs are listed directly by the holder. Any other credit type is listed only after Carbon Trader has reviewed the project, the registry and the evidence. To offer one, use the other credit types form.
Quality and claims
Before a non-NZU credit is listed, the review looks at the things a buyer would otherwise have to find out for themselves:
- Standard and registry. Which standard issued the credit, which registry holds it, the methodology, the vintage and the host country.
- What it can be claimed for. NZ ETS compliance, a voluntary offset claim, a contribution claim, or a nature outcome only. A credit is labelled with the claim it supports.
- What it cannot be claimed for. A listing says plainly when a credit is not NZ ETS eligible, is not automatically a carbon offset, or needs retirement before any claim is made.
Review and assessment fees are published on the fee schedule.
Evidence
A settled trade produces a record of what was bought, from which registry, and what happened to it: the listing, the transfer or retirement reference and the settlement statement. Where a buyer needs to support a public claim, an evidence pack gathers the project and registry documents, the vintage evidence and the retirement proof in one place.
Nothing on this page is advice on whether a credit is suitable for a particular claim. A public environmental claim is the responsibility of the person making it, and may need legal or specialist review.