How It Works

In one sentence

A carbon credit is one tonne of CO2 that a verified project removed or prevented from being emitted. When you buy one from OpenCarbon, it's transferred into your name in a public registry and then permanently "retired" so no one else can ever claim it — you get a certificate as proof.

It isn't a donation and it isn't a symbolic gesture. It's a tracked, serial-numbered, one-time-use unit — more like a deed to a specific tonne of avoided carbon than a receipt.

The mechanism, step by step

From verified project to your certificate

Here's exactly what happens between a project reducing emissions somewhere in the world, and you holding proof of it.

Step 1

Verified against real standards

Projects are audited under an established methodology (e.g. Gold Standard, Verra, Puro.earth) before any credit is issued.

Step 2

Serial-numbered & registered

Each credit equals one tonne of CO2e and gets a unique serial number in a public registry — so it can't be sold twice.

Step 3

You buy from OpenCarbon

We source credits from registered projects and transfer them into your name the moment you check out.

Step 4

Retired — with your certificate

Your credit is permanently retired in the registry, and you get a certificate showing its serial number as proof.

Grounded in real standards, not marketing claims

Registry-tracked Third-party verified Serial-numbered, never resold Scored against ICVCM's Core Carbon Principles