Appeals and Complaints Procedure

This procedure covers two categories of submission:

Appeals relate to verification decisions. An appeal is a formal request by a client to reconsider a verification decision — including the decision to issue or not issue a verification statement, or the content of a verification statement — on the grounds that the decision was not properly supported by the evidence, or that the verification process was not conducted in accordance with the applicable programme and standard requirements.

Complaints relate to the conduct of Carbon Verification Limited or its personnel. A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction by any person or organisation regarding the activities of Carbon Verification Limited, the behaviour of its personnel, or any aspect of its verification process, other than a request for reconsideration of a verification decision (which constitutes an appeal).

Any interested party may submit an appeal or complaint. This includes clients, prospective clients, regulators, accreditation bodies, competitors, programme owners, users of verified claims, and members of the public.

Upon receipt, we will acknowledge the appeal in writing within five working days and provide the appellant with an expected timeline for investigation and resolution.

The appeal will be investigated by personnel who were not involved in the verification decision being challenged. The investigation will consider whether the verification process was conducted in accordance with the programme and standard requirements, whether the evidence gathered was sufficient and appropriate to support the decision, and whether the decision was reasonable in light of that evidence.

The appellant may be asked to provide additional information or documentation. We may also re-examine the original evidence and, where appropriate, gather additional evidence.

Upon completion of the investigation, the appellant will be informed of the outcome in writing, including the reasons for the decision and any corrective actions to be taken. If the appeal is upheld, the original verification decision will be reconsidered and, if appropriate, a revised or new verification statement will be issued.

Investigation and decision on appeals shall not result in any discriminatory actions against the appellant.

All appeals are recorded and reported to the directors as part of the annual management review.

Upon receipt, we will acknowledge the complaint in writing within five working days. We will confirm whether the complaint relates to our verification activities and, if so, assign responsibility for its investigation to personnel who were not involved in the matter being complained about.

The complainant will be kept informed of progress and will be provided with the outcome in writing, including the actions taken or proposed. Where the complaint identifies a nonconformity in our processes, we will implement corrective action to address the root cause and prevent recurrence.

Where the complaint relates to the impartiality of a verification engagement, the investigation will be escalated to the directors and reported as part of the management review process.

Investigation and resolution of complaints shall not result in any discriminatory actions against the complainant.

All complaints are recorded, tracked and reported to the directors.

If the appellant or complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the process described above, they may escalate the matter to an independent party agreed between Carbon Verification Limited and the appellant or complainant, or to any relevant accreditation body, regulatory authority or programme owner with jurisdiction.