Verra Launches Scope 3 Standard Program for Value Chain Climate Action Verification

**Verra's Scope 3 Standard Reshapes Buyer Demand Signals.** Verra has launched its new Scope 3 Standard Program, a comprehensive framework for verifying value chain climate action projects ([link](https://verra.org/verra-launches-scope-3-standard-program-a-comprehensive-framework-for-verifying-value-chain-climate-action-projects/)). This is a significant registry-level development that could reshape how corporates account for and claim credit for upstream and downstream emission reductions. For VCM participants, the program is expected to increase demand for high-integrity credits — particularly removals and nature-based credits — that can be linked to specific supply chain interventions. The launch aligns with growing corporate pressure to substantiate Scope 3 claims ahead of tightening disclosure regimes. Verra also opened a new batch of VCS projects for public comment ([link](https://verra.org/projects-open-for-public-comment-september-14-2026/)), maintaining pipeline activity. **China's Cross-Border Carbon Trading Rules Near Completion.** China is moving closer to finalising its rules for cross-border carbon trading, a development that will bring major clarity to the country's engagement with global carbon markets and could unlock or constrain VCM supply from Chinese-origin projects ([link](https://carbon-pulse.com/551441/)). Given China's vast forestry, cookstove, and industrial project pipeline, formalised cross-border rules may affect credit-type spreads — particularly for REDD+ and renewable energy avoidance credits — depending on whether exports are permitted or retained for domestic compliance. The move also has implications for Article 6 corresponding adjustments and CORSIA-eligible supply. **Asia & Global South Activity Intensifies.** India is emerging as a notable demand-side actor: New Delhi has invited bids to appoint consultancies to generate and monetise carbon credits from government projects across the national capital ([link](https://carbon-pulse.com/551424/)), representing a rare instance of a sovereign city-level authority actively seeking VCM revenue. Separately, Mumbai's embattled coastal wetlands — long the subject of conservation battles — may become a test bed for a green-blue carbon bank, potentially generating tradable blue carbon credits from mangrove and wetland ecosystems ([link](https://carbon-pulse.com/551423/)). These developments signal growing institutional appetite in the Global South for leveraging carbon markets for both revenue and conservation. **Compliance and Policy Watch.** Washington State's cap-and-invest program saw registered accounts edge higher while collective allowance holdings dipped in Q3, suggesting increased participation but cautious positioning ([link](https://carbon-pulse.com/551365/)). In Canada, CCS developers flagged persistent revenue uncertainty as a barrier to scaling projects, even as the federal government announced C$4 million in clean fuels investment including SAF ([link](https://carbon-pulse.com/551387/), [link](https://carbon-pulse.com/551237/)). A US airline that once planned its own ethanol-to-jet SAF plants has entered a 'wait-and-see' posture, reflecting broader market hesitation on SAF deployment economics ([link](https://carbon-pulse.com/551356/)). South Korea deepened Central Asia partnerships targeting critical minerals and clean energy transition — a potential future corridor for bilateral carbon credit cooperation ([link](https://carbon-pulse.com/551394/)).