We answer to the evidence
Our opinion is determined by the data, the methodology and the requirements of ISO 14064-3. It is not influenced by the commercial relationship, your expectations or pressure to deliver a favourable result.
Independence and trust
Verification that cannot be bought, influenced or compromised.
An organisation that buys verification from a body that also sells it consultancy faces an obvious conflict of interest. Our clients, and their boards, auditors and procurement panels, need to know there is no commercial motive to say yes.
We answer only to the evidence
Why independence is the entire point.
Carbon Verification Limited is structurally and operationally independent. We do not advise clients on reducing their emissions, and we do not build the inventories we verify. We verify whether the numbers are right, and we answer only to the evidence.
“Independence is not incidental. It is the foundation of our entire service.”
When a verifier also sells consultancy, advisory services or carbon management software to the same client, the commercial incentive to keep that relationship creates a structural conflict of interest, even when the individuals involved act with integrity. The market has seen the consequences of that model before: in financial audit, in credit rating and, increasingly, in ESG assurance.
We are also the verification body behind a carbon certification scheme approved by the British Government and the Environment Agency following extensive consultation with businesses, the public sector and a wide range of environmental groups. Genuinely independent verification is part of what that approval rests on, and our audits are carried out to the standard it demands.
What this means for you
An opinion your stakeholders can rely on.
We work within strict professional boundaries, so that our opinion carries the weight your board, customers and other stakeholders expect.
Our findings are honest
If we find material misstatements, we report them. If your inventory has significant gaps, we tell you. Our value is that you can rely on us to say what we find, not what you hope to hear.
Fees do not buy an outcome
We agree a fixed fee for the work. The conclusion depends on the evidence and independent review. Where the evidence does not support confirmation, we explain why and report the appropriate outcome.
Threats to impartiality
How we identify and manage threats to impartiality.
We follow the impartiality requirements of ISO/IEC 17029 and monitor our activities and relationships for threats to impartiality. The standard recognises four kinds, and this is how we manage each one.
Self-interest
A financial or commercial interest in the outcome of a verification. We charge fixed fees with no performance-related or outcome-dependent element, so our income never depends on a favourable conclusion.
Self-review
Reviewing work we helped to create. We never provide both consultancy and verification for the same claim, and we do not build, advise on or contribute to the inventories we verify.
Familiarity
Trusting a long-standing client relationship instead of the evidence. We manage this through structured verification procedures, independent technical review and rotation of personnel where appropriate.
Intimidation
Pressure from a client, commercial considerations or management. Our opinions are determined only by the evidence and the requirements of the standard, and our people are supported in reporting findings honestly, without fear of adverse consequences.
Structural safeguards
Safeguards built into every engagement.
Checks before acceptance
Before accepting work, we assess potential conflicts, the proposed team’s competence and our ability to carry out the verification independently.
Separate review and decision
The review and decision on every verification are made by people who were not involved in carrying it out. Nobody who conducts the audit has authority over the verification opinion.
ISO/IEC 17029, clause 5.3.7
No consultancy for the same claim
We do not offer both consultancy and verification for the same claim, and we take no part in establishing, designing or preparing the inventories we verify. Your team or an independent adviser makes the calculations, methodology decisions and corrections. Our verification is never marketed as linked to any organisation that provides consultancy.
ISO/IEC 17029, clauses 5.3.9 and 5.3.11
No linked commercial interests
We do not recommend, endorse, receive commissions or referral fees from, or hold commercial relationships with carbon accounting software providers, carbon offset suppliers or emissions reduction consultancies.
Top management commitment
The directors of Carbon Verification Limited are personally committed to impartiality and accept responsibility for maintaining it across all our verification work.
Raise a concern
If you have concerns about the impartiality of any verification we carry out, please raise them through our formal procedure. Appeals and complaints
Constructive communication
Independent, and still on your side.
Independence does not prevent a useful working relationship. We explain what we found, the requirements involved and the evidence needed to show it has been resolved. Decisions on how to prepare or correct your inventory stay with you.
The same applies to the free readiness review: we point it out, you put it right, and the findings go only to you. Read about the free readiness review
Our commitment
Our formal commitment to impartiality.
ISO/IEC 17029 asks verification bodies to publish a commitment showing that they understand the importance of impartiality, manage conflicts of interest and ensure objectivity. This is ours.
Carbon Verification Limited recognises that impartiality is fundamental to the credibility of its verification opinions. The value of independent verification depends entirely on the confidence that interested parties, including clients, regulators, investors, procurement bodies and the public, can place in the objectivity of our conclusions.
We are committed to ensuring that all verification activities are conducted free from bias, undue influence and conflicts of interest.
Start with a 20-minute conversation.
You will talk to a verifier, not a salesperson. Tell us why you report, which scopes you need verified and when you need the statement, and ask whatever you need to. You do not need a finished inventory. If you go ahead, the person you speak to leads your verification.
No obligation, and no sales pitch