Rivers – a French standard and platform for carbon credit certification – has become only the twelfth independent organization to receive global certification ICROA accreditation and the first to focus on circular economy projects.
The company has developed its own product Rivierse Standaard with a dedicated in-house scientific team and this approach has made it the first to be fully approved under ICROA’s rigorous new assessment process, which was introduced late last year.
After the announcement Clement GeorgetRiverse, co-founder and head of Standard Development said: “I am pleased to announce our ICROA approval. This recognition underlines our commitment to advancing carbon credit standards that prioritize circular economy principles to avoid and remove emissions. Together we pave the way for transparent and reliable lending through integrated digital MRV solutions, ensuring that every action contributes to a healthier planet.”
Antoine DiemertICROA Accreditation and VCM Policy Director at IETA also commented on the accreditation: “ICROA is pleased to add Riverse to the list of approved credit programs. Riverse’s groundbreaking work encourages and accelerates the transition to a circular and sustainable industry, and their standard successfully meets all ICROA criteria.”
Circular economy meets carbon credits
As it stands, Riverse has approved 41 projects and issued more than 150,000 carbon credits since its launch in 2022. All these credits come from four types of projects: bio-based building materials, electronics refurbishing, bioenergy and biochar. The company is also working on standards for more circular technologies and carbon dioxide removal.
Speaking to Carbon Herald, Ludovic Chatoux, co-founder of Riverse, explained that the main reason behind Riverse’s focus on circular technologies is the level of measurability and trust they can generate. With a data-first mentality, the team has managed to develop models that use industrial inputs and outputs such as energy consumption, material flows and material losses as a basis.
Combined with regular assessments, laboratory testing and sampling for the metrics that demonstrate emissions reduction and removal, this has enabled Riverse to develop its own standards in close collaboration with project developers and market participants, creating a blend of both scientific rigor and practical expertise.
This approach has allowed project developers to access the voluntary carbon market much faster than is usual for the VCM, and at a lower cost.
One of the most important figures responsible for this is Dr. Erica Dorr, Climate Science Lead at Riverse, who also welcomed the ICROA certification: “I am extremely proud that Riverse is being endorsed as a VCM standard that complies with ICROA’s Code of Best Practices. This approval confirms our team’s commitment to ensuring the high integrity of the carbon credits we issue. Our commitment to continuous improvement remains strong and we are excited to apply our latest standard rules to upcoming projects, further strengthening our compliance with the ICROA Code of Best Practices.”
Side by side with project developers
All phases of Riverse’s work are based on the knowledge of project developers and actual site conditions, while striving to meet the requirements of verification bodies.
This means there are regular reviews and constant communication with developers, but it seems like this is a good fit for them.
Yann Mercier – President of biochar and bioenergy company Terrawatt describes the collaboration as follows: “We have worked with Riverse on the certification of three biochar projects in Spain. In less than three months, Riverse’s solution enabled us to collect data, measure impact, create project descriptions, work with auditors and connect with investors. We plan to develop a number of more biochar projects in Europe through Riverse in the coming years.”
Everything about Riverse’s ICROA approval can be found in their blog postas well as more details on their work on circular economy certification standards.
Read more: Isometric receives conditional accreditation from ICROA
