In cooperation with Helaba Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen, :response has published a study on the future of the voluntary carbon market (VCM).

The study sheds light on the role of the VCM for climate protection, the challenges and uncertainties and the measures needed to strengthen confidence in the market. It found that companies are currently very reluctant to purchase carbon offset certificates. Regulatory uncertainties, concerns about greenwashing and the question of the eligibility of certificates have left their mark. It will hardly be possible to achieve the Paris climate protection targets without investing in carbon removals. Great hopes are therefore pinned on the COP 29 world climate conference in Baku, which begins on 11 November 2024.

For the study, we conducted interviews with providers of carbon offset certificates and a survey of Helaba’s corporate customers.