Through Green Asset Exchange and Credible Carbon, buyers can now access high-quality voluntary carbon credits, while ensuring that project developers and communities receive fair value for the climate benefits they deliver.

Overview

Green Asset Exchange (GAE) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Credible Carbon, one of South Africa’s longest-established voluntary carbon registries. This partnership expands GAE’s network of trusted registries and reinforces its commitment to scaling credible, transparent, and locally grounded voluntary carbon markets. By working together, GAE and Credible Carbon aim to improve access to high-quality voluntary carbon credits for buyers, while ensuring that project developers and communities receive fair value for the climate benefits they deliver.

About Credible Carbon

Established in South Africa in 2008, Credible Carbon is a voluntary carbon registry built around a clear guiding principle: credible carbon for people and planet. Over more than 15 years, it has demonstrated how well-designed carbon markets can deliver measurable emission reductions alongside meaningful social and environmental outcomes.

As a locally rooted registry, Credible Carbon offers several advantages over many international standards. These include faster project development timelines, stronger engagement with local communities, and alignment with South Africa’s regulatory and policy landscape. This local focus has supported consistent market growth, with traded volumes increasing from approximately 9,000 tCO₂ in 2011 to an average of around 90,000 tCO₂ per year by 2023.

Integrity, verification, and regulatory alignment

Credible Carbon’s standards are underpinned by independent third-party auditing, ensuring that emission reductions are measurable, verifiable, and transparently reported. This approach provides confidence to buyers that credits represent real and additional climate impact.

The registry has also contributed to the development of South Africa’s Carbon Offset Administration System (COAS), positioning it as a credible local actor should domestic carbon standards be formally recognised in future. This involvement reflects Credible Carbon’s long-standing engagement with national carbon market infrastructure and policy development.

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Ensuring value flows to project beneficiaries

A defining feature of Credible Carbon’s model is its emphasis on fair value distribution. By prioritising integrity over intermediaries, at least 60%—and on average closer to 80%—of carbon revenues flow directly to project beneficiaries. This ensures that climate finance supports the communities and organisations delivering on-the-ground emission reductions and social benefits.

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What this partnership means for GAE clients

Through this partnership, Green Asset Exchange clients gain access to a broader range of high-quality, locally developed voluntary carbon credits. Buyers are able to source credits that are robustly verified, transparently governed, and closely aligned with South African environmental and social priorities.

For project developers, the partnership provides a clear route to market and improved visibility, while maintaining high standards of integrity and accountability. Together, GAE and Credible Carbon aim to support voluntary offsetting that is credible, practical, and impact-driven.

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Featured project: Reliance Compost (Soil & More)

One example of the type of high-integrity project available through Credible Carbon is the Soil & More Reliance Composting project in the Western Cape.

Reliance Compost is a Credible Carbon-certified project that diverts green waste from landfill and processes it through controlled aerobic composting. Green waste sourced from the City of Cape Town’s Green Waste Transfer Stations—including garden refuse and plant residues—is treated using a Controlled Microbial Composting process that prevents the formation of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Environmental impact

By avoiding landfill disposal, the project prevents methane emissions that would otherwise arise from anaerobic decomposition. Composting is conducted in windrows that are mechanically turned multiple times per week, particularly during the early stages when methane risk is highest. These operational controls align with approved carbon methodologies and ensure the integrity of the resulting emission reductions.

In addition to climate benefits, the project produces high-quality, organically certified compost that improves soil health, enhances water retention, and reduces reliance on chemical fertilisers. These outcomes support sustainable land management and contribute to broader environmental resilience.

Scale, operations, and social impact

Reliance Compost has scaled significantly since its establishment in 1998 and now processes more than 100,000 tonnes of green waste annually, with total processed volumes of approximately 400,000 cubic metres per year. This scale reflects both operational maturity and strong alignment with municipal waste management needs.

The project delivers substantial socio-economic benefits, particularly for previously disadvantaged communities. Its workforce has grown from around 20 employees to nearly 200 direct jobs, with additional livelihoods supported through associated small businesses operating at municipal waste facilities. The project also invests in employee welfare through medical aid, life insurance, and pension contributions, and supports community initiatives such as compost donations, tree planting, and school food gardens.

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Visit app.greenassetexchange.com to buy Reliance Composting Credits, or credits from 5 Credible Carbon Projects.

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Building credible voluntary carbon markets

Projects such as Reliance Compost demonstrate how voluntary carbon markets can deliver real climate mitigation alongside tangible social and environmental benefits. Through its partnership with Credible Carbon, Green Asset Exchange aims to scale access to projects of this nature and support voluntary offsetting that is transparent, locally relevant, and grounded in integrity.

Together, GAE and Credible Carbon are working to strengthen voluntary carbon markets that deliver lasting value for buyers, projects, and communities alike.

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