> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.rainbowstandard.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.rainbowstandard.io/rainbow-standard-documents/procedures-manual/crcf-requirements.md).

# CRCF Requirements

The present section describes additional eligibility requirements and procedures for Project Developers that seek to issue credits that comply with the EU [Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202403012) (EU/2024/3012).

All other requirements in the Rainbow Standard Documents not mentioned here apply. 

{% hint style="info" %}
For clarity, these cases shall be referred to as **CRCF compliant credits**.
{% endhint %}

Project Developers seeking to issue credits that are not CRCF compliant do not need to meet the following requirements.

## CRCF and non-CRCF crediting tracks

Applicable Rainbow methodologies set out crediting requirements for two tracks:

* Non-CRCF RCCs, under the base, default VCM track.
* CRCF-compliant RCCs, under tracks with additional requirements.

CRCF compliance is assessed at each monitoring period, verification audit, and credit issuance, and is indicated at the credit-block level using [credit block labels](/rainbow-standard-documents/procedures-manual/rainbow-carbon-credits.md#credit-blocks). A project may therefore issue CRCF-compliant RCCs in one monitoring period and non-CRCF RCCs in another monitoring period under the same methodology. This is treated as a single project applying a single methodology and does not pose a double counting or double registration risk.

## Inter-scheme information exchange

Rainbow's Double counting and No scheme hopping requirements are intended to render all project information publicly available for other standards to conduct due diligence with publicly available and easily accessible information.

In addition to these publications, Rainbow will, upon request by another CRCF-recognized certification scheme, provide any other relevant certification history (including validation outcomes, non-conformity decisions, suspensions and withdrawals) for any Project Developer that has applied to or been certified by Rainbow, for the purpose of complying with their equivalent Double counting and No scheme hopping requirements. 

Rainbow will similarly request such information from other CRCF-recognized schemes when an operator discloses prior participation, and this information is not already made publicly available.

## Monitoring frequency

Project Developers shall submit a **Monitoring Report** **at least once per 12 months**. See the Rainbow [Monitoring](/rainbow-standard-documents/procedures-manual/project-certification-procedure.md#monitoring) requirements for further requirements. 

## Site audits

Projects shall undergo an **in-person validation site audit**. Remote site audits are not allowed. See the Rainbow [Site audit](/rainbow-standard-documents/procedures-manual/project-certification-procedure.md#site-audit) requirements for further requirements. 

## VVB accreditation

In addition to meeting the Rainbow VVB requirements, VVBs must demonstrate accreditation to operate under this standard through one of the following two pathways:

<table><thead><tr><th width="174.90911865234375">Pathway</th><th>Requirements</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Pathway 1: Recognition by a National Competent Authority</strong></td><td><p>VVBs may be recognized by a national competent authority as being competent to cover the scope of Regulation (EU) 2024/3012 or the specific scope of this certification scheme.</p><p>VVBs operating under this pathway are <strong>not subject</strong> to the specific ISO standards set out in Pathway 2 below. They remain subject to the general eligibility requirements set out in the Rainbow <a href="/pages/UFYVGUgzCEQVXiNMjvUg">VVB requirements</a>.</p></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Pathway 2: Accreditation by a National Accreditation Body</strong></td><td><p>VVBs may be accredited by a national accreditation body operating in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 (e.g. COFRAC in France, UKAS in the UK, DAkkS in Germany).</p><p>The accreditation shall cover the specific scope of certification under Regulation (EU) 2024/3012 (the CRCF). When assessing a VVB's qualifications, the national accreditation body shall take into account any prior accreditation obtained under:</p><ul><li>Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/996 (carbon farming), or</li><li>Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2067 (permanent carbon removals and carbon storage in products)</li></ul><p>VVBs accredited under this pathway shall demonstrate compliance with the following ISO standards:</p><ul><li>EN ISO/IEC 17065 — Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services. This is the baseline accreditation standard that all VVBs under this pathway must meet.</li><li>EN ISO/IEC 17029 and EN ISO 14065 — Additionally required where the VVB conducts verification activities, whether using internal resources or other resources under its direct control.</li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table>

Upon satisfactorily completing the steps outlined in the Rainbow general [VVB requirements](/rainbow-standard-documents/procedures-manual/vvb-requirements.md), and demonstrating compliance with one of the pathways listed above, the Rainbow Secretariat delivers a CRCF accreditation to the VVB, allowing them to audit CRCF projects.

The VVB organization is labeled as a **CRCF approved VVB** under the Rainbow Standard, and is publicly disclosed on Rainbow’s website.

VVB organizations auditing CRCF projects shall&#x20;

* be headquartered in the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA), and
* cooperate with and provide information to the Commission and the national competent authorities of the Member States if requested.

## Certificates of compliance

A **certificate of compliance** shall be issued by the VVB for each successful verification audit, along with the Audit Report. This serves as a conformity statement, certifying that the carbon removal activities comply with the regulation.

The Rainbow Certification team reviews the certificate of compliance as part of the [Project Verification Review](/rainbow-standard-documents/procedures-manual/project-certification-procedure.md#verification-review-and-issuance), and shall make the certificate publicly available on the Rainbow Registry. For [deregistered](/rainbow-standard-documents/procedures-manual/project-certification-procedure.md#deregistration) projects, certificates of compliance shall remain on the registry for at least 5 years after the date of deregistration.&#x20;

Certificates of compliance shall contain at least the following information.

<details>

<summary>Minimum requirements for a certificate of compliance (for <a data-footnote-ref href="#user-content-fn-1">CRCF </a>projects only)</summary>

**Project information:**

* Name of the project and Unique registry ID;
* Description of the project mitigation activity;
* Type of RCCs issued (removal and/or avoidance);
* Name and contact details of the Project Developer;
* Location of the activity, including the geographically explicit location of the activity boundaries;
* Duration of the crediting period, including the start date and end date.

**Certification information**

* Name, address and logo of the third-party VVB;
* Unique number or code of the certificate of compliance;
* Place, date of issuance and validity period of the certificate of compliance;
* Duration of the monitoring period of the activity;
* Reference to the applicable methodology.

**Claim**

* Breakdown of the GHG quantification results including:
  * the net permanent or temporary carbon removal, or net soil emission reduction
  * baseline carbon removals or soil emissions
  * total gross project carbon removals or soil emissions
  * total project's induced GHG emissions
  * all of the above points broken down by gases, sources, carbon sinks and stocks;
* Quantity and serial numbers of issued RCCs;
* Quantification of uncertainties in the quantification of carbon removals and induced emissions, and the resulting discount factor applied;
* Buffer pool contribution;
* Other type of liability mechanism, the liable natural or legal person;
* Reference to any other international or national certification, including the unique number or code of the certificate of compliance.

**Sustainability**

* Amount of biomass used and proof of its compliance with the requirements;
* Any sustainability co-benefits claimed.

</details>

Upon [deregistration](/rainbow-standard-documents/procedures-manual/project-certification-procedure.md#deregistration), a project's certificate of compliance shall be&#x20;

* terminated and designated a **terminated certificate** if it has been voluntarily canceled, or&#x20;
* withdrawn and designated a **withdrawn certificate** if it is canceled by Rainbow or the VVB, for example as the result of a critical or unresolved major nonconformity.

Certificates of compliance expire once they have reached the end of their defined validity period, and are then designated **expired certificates.**

## Reporting requirements

In addition to the minimum requirements for project documentation, outlined in the Project certification section of the Procedures Manual, the following points shall be reported:&#x20;

PDD

* list of specific emission sources and sinks that are relevant to the project mitigation activity and included in the project scenario of the GHG quantification, according to the GHG sources and sinks outlined in the applicable CRCF methodology (Sections 2.1.1 and 2.2.1 of the [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/285](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202600285) on permanent carbon removals). All sources and sinks shall be listed, regardless of if they are already listed in the methodology.
* GHG quantification future projections shall be included in the PDD and broken down by gases, sources, carbon sinks and stocks.

Monitoring plan:

* For any primary measurements, quality assurance and calibration descriptions shall cover all elements in the standard for quality assurance from Article 60 of [Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2066](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2018/2066/oj).
* Description of the data storage system and plan, ensuring that all project raw data will be maintained and accessible for a minimum of 10 years. This shall cover at least all elements listed in Annex IX of the [Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2066](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2018/2066/oj).

Monitoring report:&#x20;

* All monitored parameters shall be measured, calculated and reported in the Monitoring Report. Furthermore, the Monitoring Report shall include all parameters defined in the applicable CRCF methodology (Section 1.3.3 of the [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/285](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202600285) on permanent carbon removals)
* GHG quantification results from the given monitoring period shall be reported in the Monitoring Report and broken down by gases, sources, carbon sinks and stocks. All sources and sinks shall be listed, regardless of if they are already listed in the methodology or the PDD.
* All assumptions, secondary data sources, project activity data and measurements and calculation factors, regardless of if they are already listed in the methodology or the PDD.
* The quantity and details of any carbon farming sequestration credits purchased for voluntary compensation as part of the project, according to Section 4.3.3 of the [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/285](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202600285) on permanent carbon removals.
* Any sources of public funding, including ongoing funding that was already reported, and new sources of funding.

## Credit retirement

Beneficiaries of retired CRCF-compliant RCCs shall be unambiguously identified by providing all information in the [RCC retirement](/rainbow-standard-documents/procedures-manual/rainbow-carbon-credits.md#retirements) section of the Procedures Manual, plus a unique identifier, such as company registration number or tax identification number.

## Materiality assessment

Materiality assessment as described in the Project Scope section of the [Rainbow Standard Rules](/rainbow-standard-documents/rainbow-standard-rules/ghg-quantification.md#materiality-assessment) may only be applied to&#x20;

1. any individual material input and
2. the sum of all infrastructure emissions, and
3. any emissions not explicitly required by the CRCF [Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/285](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202600285)

All other elements of the quantification shall be fully accounted for.

## Global Warming Potential

GHG emissions shall be calculated using the following IPCC Global Warming Potential values for a 100 year horizon (GWP100) according to [IPCC 2013 AR5, Chapter 8](#user-content-fn-2)[^2]. The GWPs for the greenhouse gasses from Table 8.7 are summarized below for informational purposes only.

<table><thead><tr><th width="381">Species</th><th>Global warming potential 100-year</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>CO<sub>2</sub></td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>CH<sub>4</sub></td><td>28</td></tr><tr><td>N<sub>2</sub>​O</td><td>265</td></tr><tr><td>HFC-134a</td><td>1300</td></tr><tr><td>CFC-11</td><td>4660</td></tr></tbody></table>

[^1]: Projects seeking eligibility under the European Union [Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202403012) (EU/2024/3012)

[^2]: Myhre, G., D. Shindell, F.-M. Bréon, W. Collins, J. Fuglestvedt, J. Huang, D. Koch, J.-F. Lamarque, D. Lee, B. Mendoza, T. Nakajima, A. Robock, G. Stephens, T. Takemura and H. Zhang, 2013: Anthropogenic and Natural Radiative Forcing. In: *Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change* \[Stocker, T.F. et al. (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press. [URL](https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/WG1AR5_Chapter08_FINAL.pdf)


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.rainbowstandard.io/rainbow-standard-documents/procedures-manual/crcf-requirements.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.