ARC COALITION

ARC Coalition is an industry-led initiative supported by strong corporate, expert and public backing. Recognising that carbon markets with robust environmental and social safeguards can contribute towards the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement, it seeks to aggregate corporate demand for high-integrity carbon credits to complement decarbonisation strategies and catalyses investment into high-quality carbon projects. ARC's target is to procure at least 10 million tonnes of high-integrity carbon credits by 2030.

ARC Coalition will operate according to the following principles, recognising that carbon markets with robust environmental and social safeguards can contribute towards the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement:

1. Members aim to advance corporate climate action globally through carbon markets and support the achievement of global net-zero emissions.
2. High-integrity carbon credits are used as a complementary tool to meet corporate decarbonisation plans, address hard-to-abate emissions, and support the raising of global climate ambition.
3. The integrity and credibility of carbon credits depend on stringent quality criteria rather than the distinction between reduction and removal credits, or between technology or nature-based solutions alone.
4. Corporate voluntary commitments operate independently of national Paris Agreement obligations. Corresponding adjustments do not apply for voluntary climate commitments.
5. Claims made in relation to the use of carbon credits should be accurate and substantiated 

The voluntary carbon market has faced persistent challenges around demand and supply headwinds, fragmented standards, inconsistent quality metrics, complex market structures, and limited financing for early-stage projects. ARC seeks to address these issues by:

• aggregating demand for carbon credits to create a unified market signal that helps shape pricing, scalability, and quality standards;
• adopting standards for high-integrity carbon credits across both technology- and nature-based solutions, across emissions reductions and removals, consistent with international standards such as the ICVCM-CCP;
• adopting an ecosystem approach by building capacity both within the coalition and with projects and project developers and enabling development of a common pool of resources (e.g. contracting templates) for market participants;
• improving access to carbon credits through streamlined procurement and curated credit portfolios; 
• unlocking financing by working with partners to provide fit-for-purpose capital to early-stage, high-quality carbon projects.

The Coalition welcomes participation from companies with decarbonisation plans that are aligned with the long term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement and are undertaking active efforts to reduce their own emissions. Members should be committed to using high-integrity carbon credits as a complement to, not a substitute for, direct emissions reduction.

Yes. ARC is designed to be a complementary part of a member’s broader procurement strategy, not a replacement for it. 

For enquiries on the ARC Coalition, please reach out to the team here. Our team will be in touch to walk you through the next steps.