Carbon certification body Gold Standard, together with ClimatePartner and Pinwheel, has published a report calling on companies to financially link their ongoing greenhouse gas emissions to climate action while they pursue longer-term decarbonization, arguing the approach could mobilize up to $17 billion annually for climate finance.
Released Wednesday during London Climate Action Week, the report introduces a framework called Ongoing Emissions Responsibility, or OER—an evolution of the Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM) concept that has been gaining traction in corporate climate strategy.
The Science Based Targets initiative incorporated OER into its Corporate Net-Zero Standard 2.0, launched earlier this month, which recognizes companies at three tiers: recognized, advanced, and leadership, based on how much of their ongoing emissions they take financial responsibility for.
Relevant: SBTi Launches Corporate Net-Zero Standard 2.0, Sets Target For Carbon Removals
The $17 billion figure reflects Gold Standard’s indicative analysis of what EU and US companies could collectively mobilize if they applied the SBTi’s advanced OER benchmark, which is a $20 per tonne contribution budget applied to 10% of economy-wide emissions.
The report distinguishes OER sharply from traditional carbon offsetting. Rather than purchasing credits to neutralize or compensate for a company’s own emissions, OER treats financial contributions as support for global climate goals, with carbon credits framed as one tool among many, alongside research and development, policy advocacy, and ecosystem restoration.
“Reaching net-zero will take time, but companies do not need to wait to make a meaningful contribution to climate action,” said Margaret Kim, Gold Standard’s chief executive, adding that OER “provides a practical framework for connecting ongoing climate impact to meaningful finance.”
The report outlines four implementation steps: accounting for ongoing emissions, setting a financial commitment through an internal carbon fee, funding a diversified portfolio of climate activities, and making transparent, contribution-based public claims.
Moritz Lehmkuhl, founder and chief executive of ClimatePartner, said carbon credits used as contributions rather than compensation are “one important tool in a well-designed OER portfolio,” and that transparency about what a company emits, what it funds, and why is the essential test of credibility.
Read more: Gold Standard Rebuilds Carbon Credit Registry With Trovio To Boost Market Connectivity
