WHAT IS THE PROJECT MARKETPLACE AND WHAT CAN BE SOLD?

Gold Standard has created an online Project Marketplace to better support project developers selling their Gold Standard-certified carbon credits. We have also created an optional service called the “Marketplace Integration Kit”, which connects websites/apps via an Application Programming Interface (API) with our Project Marketplace directly linked to the Impact Registry, enabling credible, transparent and simple transactions of Gold Standard-certified carbon credits.

Project developers that have Gold-Standard certified, issued Voluntary Emissions Reductions (VERs) available for sale can apply to sell these credits through our online marketplace. To note, where VERs from the same project are held by more than one party, priority is given to the issuing project developer if the project developer wishes to sell credits through the Gold Standard Marketplace.

HOW WE CALCULATE MINIMUM PROJECT PRICING:

Gold Standard sets a minimum price per project type. We have used the Fairtrade carbon credit pricing model as a foundation and adjusted upward according to the additional economic value created in sustainable development. This is calculated using data from the Vivid Economics study ‘Valuating the benefits from improved cooking solutions’ and ‘The real value of robust climate action’ report published by Netbalance – adding 2 cents for every $ of shared value created. We set this minimum to ensure the marketplace actively promotes sustainable pricing for projects. Project Developers can then choose to sell their credits at this price or any price above this minimum.

The table below shows the minimum prices per project type – project developers can choose to sell their credits at this price or above. Please note, an admin fee is applied to these prices to cover the foreign exchange rate fees, PayPal service charges and the administration costs to maintain and host this platform.

MARKETPLACE FEES:

• The Gold Standard provision for credits sold through the Gold Standard Project Marketplace is 15%  - with approx 8% allocated to Forex and transactional fees and 7% used for administration and external costs for hosting and maintaining the platform.
• The provision for the credits sold via the Marketplace Integration Kit (i.e. sold through a third-party website) is 19% - 15% for Gold Standard who currently retains all back office processes, transactional costs and development + maintenance fees for the API and 4% for third party providers (collected and transferred to third parties by Gold Standard).

HOW TO ADD A PROJECT TO THE MARKETPLACE:

We require you to do the following: 

1. Fill in this online form – to provide information for your project profile and to agree to our Seller Terms. Please complete one form for each project.
2. Transfer the VERs you’d like to sell on the marketplace to the Gold Standard Project Marketplace registry account: Recipient number: 1054847 and drop me an email to inform me of the transfer. Once the profile is complete and the transfer accepted you will be online selling credits.

If you would like to opt-out of the Marketplace Integration Kit, you can do this in the online form. We will then make sure your project is only featured on our marketplace and not within the API for third party websites. If in the future, you’d like to add your project to the API, you can do this at any time by emailing claire.willers@goldstandard.org. 

Also, worth noting that we are a small team, so we will upload projects on a first come, first serve basis and as fast as our capacity allows. we will keep you informed of when your project will be listed.

HOW PAYMENTS ARE MADE 

At the end of a quarter, we complete a reconciliation to check the number of credits sold through our Project Marketplace and via the Marketplace Integration Kit (if applicable). Once this reconciliation has been completed, we will provide you with a quarterly payment report for your project(s) and make the relevant payment (minus the fees as outlined above). This is the process that we will follow every quarter. 

For more information, email claire.willers@goldstandard.org