The Voluntary Carbon Market’s Turning Point: Transparency, Integrity, and Trust

ClearBlue Markets is proud to have been recognized once again by Environmental Finance as Best Advisory/Consultancy in the Voluntary Carbon Market Rankings. The recognition comes at a pivotal time for the voluntary carbon market (VCM).

In an interview with Environmental Finance, our President and COO, Richard Myerscough, emphasized that 2025 marks “a reset” for the VCM. After years of turbulence, the market is beginning to realign around the fundamentals of transparency, integrity, and trust. He noted that buyers are rewarding quality: “Higher-integrity credits are now commanding a clear price premium. That’s a strong market signal, and it reflects years of effort to align definitions of quality and build consensus.”

ClearBlue has been working to strengthen those foundations through our own innovations. Richard highlighted the Offset Price Discovery Tool, which applies AI and machine learning to provide compliance-market-style visibility into VCM pricing. He also pointed to our partnership with Calyx Global on the Price-Integrity Index, which demonstrates the link between credit ratings and value. As he explained: “Pricing and integrity go hand in hand. Buyers are no longer just looking for the cheapest credit – they want assurance of genuine climate impact.”

These shifts matter because they restore confidence, attract investment, and encourage companies to take longer-term positions in the market. As Richard put it, the key is “progress over perfection”—the VCM may not be flawless, but it is moving decisively in the right direction.

We’ll be exploring these themes further in our upcoming webinar, “The 2025 VCM Reset: Price Transparency, Credit Integrity & Buyer Confidence.” Join us as we discuss how transparency and integrity are reshaping the VCM, and what this turning point means for businesses ready to engage with confidence.