Standards & schemes
Gold Standard Foundation
In brief
Gold Standard is a carbon-credit standard founded by WWF and other NGOs in 2003, now operating as Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS4GG). Its distinguishing requirement is quantified sustainable-development co-benefits: every certified project must demonstrate contributions to at least three UN Sustainable Development Goals, measured under its own SDG methodologies, alongside verified emission reductions. Credits are issued to a public registry, and the programme publishes methodologies, requirements and project documentation. Gold Standard also operates rules for organisational claims — including guidance on what companies may say when retiring credits — which has made it a reference point in debates over offsetting integrity and "carbon neutral" product claims. Its units are among those assessed under CORSIA eligibility and ICVCM's Core Carbon Principles. A retired credit supports a compensation claim only for the stated tonnes within the programme's rules; it does not by itself substantiate broader neutrality or impact wording, and the credit's vintage, methodology and co-benefit evidence all condition what may be claimed.
Conditional relationships
A relationship does not mean that the standard proves or validates every use of a claim.
Recognition & legal context
No reviewed law references are published.
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