29 April 2025, London - South Pole is pleased to announce that we have officially joined the Carbon Data Open Protocol (CDOP) - an open, multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at developing a unified protocol to align definitions and rules for standardising data on carbon crediting projects and carbon credits across markets, geographies and activity types.
Chaired by Global Carbon Market Utility (GCMU), RMI (founded as Rocky Mountain Institute), S&P and Sylvera, CDOP will complement and build on market-wide efforts to develop clearer processes and definitions that improve integrity and dramatically scale carbon markets.
Carbon markets currently face significant data and systems fragmentation which is a blocker for process efficiency and interoperability, ultimately limiting the market potential to drive meaningful climate action at scale. A universally accepted protocol for project and credit data, bringing much-needed transparency and standardisation, will be key in addressing roadblocks for unlocking scale and impact in carbon markets and in turn strengthen confidence of carbon credit investors and buyers.
"As one of the foundational players in carbon markets, at South Pole we recognise the importance of standardisation and transparency for unlocking scale and impact" said Serena Oggero, Associate Director, Digital Innovation, South Pole. "Actively contributing our expertise and know-how in global carbon markets to the newly launched Carbon Data Open Protocol is part of our commitment to carbon market integrity - meaning building for greater interoperability, transparency and shareability of information in carbon markets".
As a CDOP Committee Member, we look forward to working with ~30 leading businesses, nonprofits and public sector organisations who have joined CDOP, including Verra, ICVCM, BeZero, CAD Trust, IETA, and SustainCERT, to continue strengthening the integrity and scalability of carbon markets.
CDOP has already been recognised by The World Bank Group's Carbon Markets Infrastructure Working Group as an example of a much-needed multi-stakeholder initiative to address interoperability in carbon markets.
Support for the initiative is growing, and the first version of the protocol is expected to be launched later this year at New York Climate Week.
As one of the foundational players in carbon markets and climate consulting, South Pole is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of ethical practice and transparency in everything we do. Read more about how we uphold this commitment.
South Pole is the world's leading carbon asset developer and climate consultancy.
Since 2006, South Pole has been a trusted partner and advisor to governments, public sector organisations, and leading businesses on their decarbonisation journeys. South Pole serves over 1,000 clients across the world, and its global team of experts has helped many Fortune 500 businesses implement comprehensive strategies that help build resilience and turn climate action into long-term business opportunities.
In line with its mission to deliver true climate impact for all, South Pole has used the power of markets to help channel climate finance to over 850 projects in more than 50 countries across the globe. To date, these projects have helped reduce over 200 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions, accelerated low-carbon transformations across several sectors, and provided measurable benefits to communities vulnerable to climate change.
The business is supported by world-class investors, including Temasek's GenZero, Lightrock, Corisol, and Salesforce Ventures.
South Pole is a social enterprise recognised by the World Economic Forum's Schwab Foundation, and committed to becoming a B Corp globally across all of its local entities.
For more information, visit www.southpole.com or LinkedIn.
