How does this work

Once an institution has confirmed it wishes to partake in the Carbon Coalition, EAUC will ask for some information from you. This will confirm you comply with the conditions of entry along with your plans for offsetting.

It is for the institution to decide how much they wish to offset and set their own budget. It is the institution’s decision on what aspect of their activities they wish to offset. For example, an institution could decide they wish to offset travel emissions, or they wish to offset at an institutional level to achieve their net-zero targets. It is for the institution to measure and calculate their emissions and decide what scopes are included within their net-zero plans (e.g. whether Scope 3 is included).

If an institution needs advice on their carbon emissions and net-zero plans is we can provide this via our Sustainability Consultancy outside of the Carbon Coalition. 

We will then share the Portfolio with you and it is for you to decide which offsetting projects you choose. You inform us of your choice and we then hand you over to the Appointed Verification Manager who undertakes the transaction for you. The Appointed Verification Manager will provide you with the necessary certificates and paperwork to confirm your offset. The financial transaction will be between you and the Appointed Verification Manager.

The Advisory Board is chaired by the Deputy Chair of EAUC to assure institutions that all decisions are in line with EAUC principles and governance.

Conditions of Entry

For institutions to be part of the Carbon Coalition we require the following:

1. Institutions must have a clear target to be net-zero. With the recommendation of 2030 for scopes 1 & 2, and include scope 3 by 2050 at the latest
2. Institutions must have a clear plan on how to reduce carbon emissions in line with their net-zero targets
3. Institutions must publicly report progress against their carbon plans and targets, with a recommendation to use a recognised standard 

Offsetting should only be used for emissions that cannot be reduced any further or as part of a net-zero plan to achieve a more ambitious target year.

The Portfolio

The Portfolio will comprise of offsetting projects that meet the Advisory Board scoring criteria and methodology, providing the most sustainable, robust and cost-effective projects. These will include a variety of nature-based and permanent carbon storage/capture, along with additionality aspects such as research opportunities and provide both UK and Ireland and global options.

Institutions will have 2 options to choose from:

1. A ‘set menu’ which will comprise a mixture of offsetting projects, this will include a small % initially of permanent carbon storage (due to high cost) and combine with nature-based projects which are lower in cost. This will provide an average price overall allowing an affordable option for institutions.
2. An ‘a la carte’ option where institutions can choose either one or a selection of offsetting projects from the Portfolio. This allows institutions to match their aims of offsetting with projects that relate to priorities – for example it may be a UK project or a project that has particularly research opportunities linked to it.

All the projects included in the Portfolio will be made available to institutions in due course. Please note the current Portfolio is for the current window and is subject to change and availability for future cohorts. 

Costs

As it is for the institution to set their own offsetting target and budgets it therefore depends on your decisions.

Part of the aims of the Carbon Coalition is that by combining institutions offsetting we have a much more powerful purchasing power and we will be able to negotiate bulk discounts. Therefore, we aim that the service charge will be less than what you would achieve without the bulk discounts (e.g. even with the service charges it will still be cheaper for the institution to go through the Carbon Coalition rather than approaching the projects direct). 

As EAUC is a registered charity we do have to ensure our costs are covered. There will be a 10% charge for EAUC to cover our costs of administrating the scheme. These costs will be included within your financial transaction with the Appointed Verification Manager. The Appointed Verification Manager has a sliding scale on costs:

• Up to £125,000 - a 10% fee will be applied
• For purchases over £125,000 - a 6.75% fee will be applied
• For purchases over £250,00 - a 4.5% fee will be applied
• Therefore the overall fee will be £27,687.50.

For example, if you purchase £400,000 of carbon credits - the fee will be 10% of the first £125,000, a 6.75% fee for the second £125,000 and 4.5% on the remainder.

The Appointed Verification Manager will also add the EAUC fee and then transfer the charge to EAUC. As the Carbon Coalition grows the service charge may be able to be reduced in the future. 

Who is the Appointed Verification Manager?

As part of the national framework LUPC, TEC and EAUC have jointly appointed Carbon Carbon Ltd as the Appointed Verification Manager for the pilot (trading as MyCarbon). This will be reviewed in April 2025 and as the Carbon Coalition grows the framework will seek further Appointed Verification Managers as required.

MyCarbon was co-founded by Dr Toby Green and Michael Greenhough and was established in 2018. Dr Toby Green was a co-author of the Offsetting Briefing and adheres to the principles within this. They are passionate about being part of the solution to the climate crisis we are currently facing. MyCarbon’s corporate mission is to enable organisations and individuals to become carbon neutral in a simple and cost-effective manner.

As a business, they are trained and certified in:

• ISO 14064 – 1: Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals.
• ISO 14064 – 2: Specification with guidance at the project level for quantification, monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emission reductions or removal enhancements.
• ISO 14064 – 3: Specification with guidance for the verification and validation of greenhouse gas statements.

MyCarbon have an exceptional understanding of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) accounting, reporting and reduction and are very familiar with the carbon credit market, from creation to retirement, including both voluntary and compulsory markets.

Timing

We are aiming to have 2 windows during the year when institutions can offset. This is likely to be July and November to cross different financial years. We will confirm with you on your preferred timeline. 

As we wish to obtain the best possible price we will require all institutions to make the transaction within the same time period.

However, institutions can also choose to offset outside of these periods but the costs of the offset may vary.

Support & Engagement

EAUC wish to support institutions and will be sharing examples of offsetting strategies and staff and student engagement ideas. If your institution needs support please get in touch!

Confidentiality 

All information regarding the Carbon Coalition, including the Advisory Board and the scoring methodology, is publicly available on the EAUC website. We will not be disclosing any list of names of institutions, carbon data, financial transactions or scopes of institutions – this will remain confidential between the institution, EAUC and the Appointed Verification Manager. It is the institution's choice if they wish to disclose some or all of this information. As EAUC is a registered charity and not a public body we are exempt from Freedom of Information requests.