Consultations & Grievances
We rely on public stakeholder consultations to make our rule-making transparent, informed and conservative. Comments and feedback from our committed stakeholders allow us to make decisions that are based on evidence, experience, and the views of those local communities who will be most affected by the rules or decisions.
When Gold Standard is considering a decision or rule that requires a public stakeholder consultation process, we will publish a call for stakeholder comments that will be open for 30 days. Immediately following each consultation, we will publish the initial call for comments, responses and the ultimate decision or rule made. For more details on our public stakeholder consultation policy>>
Open Consultations
Below lists our active public consultations. Please feel free to provide your input and opinion.
| Title & Description | Scope/Activity | Closing Date |
|---|---|---|
 Gold Standard is exploring the possibility of expanding its 'Renewable Energy Label Requirements' to include flexibility for retroactive Renewable Energy... |
7. Affordable Clean Energy, 11. Sustainable Cities, 12. Responsible Consumption, 13. Climate Action | 18 Feb 2019 |
 Gold Standard expands the scope of its 'Renewable Energy Activity Requirements' to include Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) incineration project activities. Gold... |
7. Affordable Clean Energy, 11. Sustainable Cities, 12. Responsible Consumption, 13. Climate Action | 18 Feb 2019 |
 This guidance is designed to support the Value Chains Interventions Guidance, with specific focus on how to select and apply methods for the quantification... |
13. Climate Action | 31 Jan 2019 |
Closed Consultations
Below are the feedback summaries and results from our past consultations
| Title & Description | Scope/Activity | Closing Date |
|---|---|---|
 To manage their carbon footprint, many companies have been focusing on reducing emissions within their direct ownership or operational control (scope 1) and... |
13. Climate Action | 5 Oct 2018 |
 Gold Standard is reassessing the role of carbon finance in supporting the transition to renewable energy to reflect market evolution and to direct funding... |
7. Affordable Clean Energy, 13. Climate Action | 12 Sep 2018 |
 Many companies are motivated to set value-chain GHG emissions targets and report on their progress, using approaches such as the... |
13. Climate Action | 27 Jul 2018 |
 The voluntary carbon market has played a significant role in delivering climate action at scale. Yet post-2020, a significant share of voluntary carbon... |
13. Climate Action | 10 May 2018 |
 With the ambition of the Paris Agreement set at keeping temperatures rises ‘well below 2oC’ but country commitments that lead us on a path to 3- 4 oC,... |
13. Climate Action | 30 Nov 2017 |
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17 Sep 2017 | |
 As part of its new standard Gold Standard for the Global Goals, Gold Standard will launch a new... |
7. Affordable Clean Energy | 21 Jul 2017 |
 Draft MRV document, subject to this consultation, has been prepared in the context of Integrated Forest Management, which is executed by General Directorate... |
19 May 2017 | |
 Gold Standard is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with UNFCCC secretariat, forged with a shared goal of supporting non-party stakeholders in... |
17. Partnership | 4 May 2017 |
 The Gold Standard for Sustainable Urban Development is intended as a pathway to certification within the ... |
11. Sustainable Cities, 13. Climate Action | 2 Apr 2017 |
 Claims Consultation Feedback Can you provide more clarity between SDG contributions and Certified SDG Impacts?... |
2 Apr 2017 | |
 Summary of the second consultation of Gold Standard for the Global Goals Gold Standard thanks all reviewers for the hundreds of... |
2 Apr 2017 | |
 The development of the Methodology to Estimate and Verify Averted Mortality and Disability Adjusted Life Years (ADALYs) from Cleaner Household Air was... |
1. No Poverty, 3. Good Health, 7. Affordable Clean Energy, 13. Climate Action | 1 Dec 2016 |
 The 'Financing efficient cookstoves for rural Andean communities' project, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and World Vision Australia, aims to... |
7. Affordable Clean Energy | 31 Aug 2016 |
 We are working with Inter-American Development Bank and World Vision Australia to promote the development of improved cookstove (ICS) activities in Peruvian... |
7. Affordable Clean Energy, 9. Infrastructure, 13. Climate Action | 30 Apr 2016 |
 Gold Standard is looking at developing a methodology to calculate health benefits using Averted Disability Adjusted Life Years (ADALYs) as the impact... |
1. No Poverty, 3. Good Health, 7. Affordable Clean Energy, 13. Climate Action | 7 Mar 2016 |
 We are restructuring our standard to better enable us to meet our vision of a climate secure world where sustainable development brings life changing... |
6. Clean Water, 7. Affordable Clean Energy, 15. Life on Land, 13. Climate Action | 15 Apr 2016 |
 Gold Standard is pleased to present our latest Agriculture development, the Cool Farm Methodology, for public comment. The methodology helps farmers... |
2. Zero Hunger, 13. Climate Action | 18 Feb 2016 |
 We are working with Microsol and World Vision Australia to develop an online platform for calculating greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission reductions from Gold... |
1. No Poverty, 3. Good Health, 13. Climate Action | 20 Nov 2015 |
 We're asking for feedback on a proposed initiative meant to improve transparency in carbon markets. |
13. Climate Action | 20 Nov 2015 |
 We are seeking inputs and feedback on our proposed new drip irrigation methodology to quantify water savings in agriculture. This methodology is currently... |
6. Clean Water | 3 Aug 2015 |
 We are seeking inputs and feedback on our proposed new positive list approach within the Water Standard. |
6. Clean Water | 3 Aug 2015 |
 We are seeking inputs and feedback on our proposed new guideline for dealing with Double Counting risks concerning GS VERS. These risks occur in countries... |
7. Affordable Clean Energy, 13. Climate Action | 17 Jul 2015 |
 Black Carbon Quantification Methodology |
13. Climate Action, 7. Affordable Clean Energy | 3 Mar 2015 |
 Sustainable Cities Programme Framework |
13. Climate Action, 7. Affordable Clean Energy, 9. Infrastructure, 6. Clean Water | 6 Feb 2015 |
 Certification of emissions reductions from black carbon |
13. Climate Action | 18 Jul 2014 |
 Incentivizing supply chain resource efficiency |
13. Climate Action | 1 Jun 2014 |
 Land Use & Forests Framework, A/R Requirements |
15. Life on Land | 28 Jun 2013 |
 Low greenhouse gas food preservation |
2. Zero Hunger, 9. Infrastructure | 30 Jun 2013 |
 Agriculture product processing methodology |
7. Affordable Clean Energy, 2. Zero Hunger, 9. Infrastructure | 30 Mar 2013 |
 Microscale cookstove methodology |
7. Affordable Clean Energy | 30 Mar 2013 |
 The Gold Standard Secretariat is presently working on a revision of its... |
7. Affordable Clean Energy | 12 Mar 2012 |
Grievances
Our certification process is designed with several checks to ensure that projects follow our rules. We recognize, however, that sometimes a project requires more attention. We welcome complaints from local stakeholders if they reasonably believe that a project isn’t following our rules. In such cases, we will review the complaint and decide whether to open an investigation. See below for more information on our grievance process and click here for guidance on how to make a submission>> .
| Title & Description | Date of Submission |
|---|---|
|
Sustainable Deployment of the Lifestraw Family in Rural Kenya GS886 In June 2011, Kevin Starr wrote a blog for the Stanford Social Innovation Review criticising Vestergaard Frandsen ́s approach of using carbon markets to... |
16 Jun 2011 |
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Kikonda carbon tree plantation project A report titled, “REDD: A Collection of Conflicts, Contradictions and Lies,”... |
20 Nov 2015 |
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Geris Wind Power Plant Geris Platform raises a formal complaint against the Geris Wind Power Plant GS3623. |
22 Jan 2015 |
