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Through the Carbon Coalition, universities and colleges can purchase carbon credits to offset residual carbon emissions which can not be further reduced or as part of a net-zero plan to achieve a more ambitious target year.
The EAUC Carbon Coalition is a consortium of UK and Ireland higher and further education institutions that have joined together to offset their emissions by leveraging their combined buying power and knowledge.
The offsetting process will be achieved using a portfolio of credits provided by Appointed Verification Manager. There is an Advisory Board which is made up of experts, practitioners and scientists from the education sector. The Advisory Board agree the scoring criteria and methodology that offsetting projects are assessed against in order to become part of the Carbon Coalition Portfolio. The Offsetting Briefing, by the UK Universities Climate Network and EAUC, provides the principles for the scoring. We will evaluate the most sustainable, robust and cost-effective projects available which will become the Carbon Coalition Portfolio.
The goal is to provide the Carbon Coalition partners with a simple, robust offsetting menu of products that provides maximum value for money as well as providing confidence in the projects they are investing in. By utilising the expertise we have within our sector as the Advisory Board we can provide confidence to institutions in what is a very complex area. We have run a successful pilot with a small number of institutions.
We are aware of the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) created by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), which was launched in 2024, and is receiving increasing endorsements including from UK Government. We have reviewed their framework and it very much aligns with our due diligence and scoring. As and when projects are assessed and approved we will review using our own scoring criteria and if they meet our standards we will include them within our portfolio in the future.
Following the successful pilot this is now a national framework, delivered jointly by LUPC and TEC, for UKUPC members, that EAUC members and TEC members can benefit from. By utilising expertise through this framework, we can provide confidence to our members in what is a very complex area. The framework has confirmed Carbon Green Ltd as the awarded supplier for the Carbon Coalition.
This ensures that institutions can have confidence when purchasing through the Carbon Coalition that it meets all procurement regulations. When you wish to purchase through the framework please quote Framework reference (PFB5078 LU).
Benefits for participating institutions are:
Projects with additionality linked to the sector – research/community/local schemes
Institutions do not have the resources or expertise to review projects
Institutions can choose preferred projects from a menu
Sector showing leadership and pushing the offsetting sector
Confidence in a robust scheme – transparency for staff and students
Sharing good practice – strategies/policies, engagement techniques
Cheaper offset/carbon prices
Sector-wide initiative – recommendation from offsetting briefing
Collective purchasing power
Provide support to universities and colleges
Provide robust and credible projects to invest with confidence
Use experts and knowledge from the sector for the sector
Drive demand for permanent carbon capture & storage
Not reinventing wheels!
Projects with additionality linked to the sector – research/community/local schemes
Institutions do not have the resources or expertise to review projects
Institutions can choose preferred projects from a menu
Sector showing leadership and pushing the offsetting sector
Confidence in a robust scheme – transparency for staff and students
Sharing good practice – strategies/policies, engagement techniques
Cheaper offset/carbon prices
The Coalition’s Advisory Board is to use their expertise to provide a rigorous scoring methodology which will be used by the Appointed Verification Manager to review available carbon credits. The Appointed Verification Manager will build a dynamic portfolio of credits to offset providing a diverse selection with the best cost to scoring ratio for the Carbon Coalition institutions to purchase.
Current members of the Advisory Board
Chair: Professor Zoe Robinson, EAUC Co-Chair
Secretary: Fiona Goodwin, EAUC Deputy CEO
Dr Cat Scott - Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science (ICAS), University of Leeds
Dr Rachael Rothman, Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Sheffield
Professor Piers Foster, Priestley International Centre for Climate, University of Leeds
Professor Myles Allen, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford
Emily Budgen, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge
Tilly Jarvis, SOS-UK
Dr Injy Johnstone, Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford
Ola Bankole, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Dr Eleanor Toye Scott, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Cambridge
Invited Guest: Toby Green, MyCarbon
Download the full terms of reference.
Once an institution has confirmed it wishes to partake in the Carbon Coalition, EAUC will ask for some information from you. This will confirm you comply with the conditions of entry along with your plans for offsetting.
It is for the institution to decide how much they wish to offset and set their own budget. It is the institution’s decision on what aspect of their activities they wish to offset. For example, an institution could decide they wish to offset travel emissions, or they wish to offset at an institutional level to achieve their net-zero targets. It is for the institution to measure and calculate their emissions and decide what scopes are included within their net-zero plans (e.g. whether Scope 3 is included).
If an institution needs advice on their carbon emissions and net-zero plans is we can provide this via our Sustainability Consultancy outside of the Carbon Coalition.
We will then share the Portfolio with you and it is for you to decide which offsetting projects you choose. You inform us of your choice and we then hand you over to the Appointed Verification Manager who undertakes the transaction for you. The Appointed Verification Manager will provide you with the necessary certificates and paperwork to confirm your offset. The financial transaction will be between you and the Appointed Verification Manager.
The Advisory Board is chaired by the Deputy Chair of EAUC to assure institutions that all decisions are in line with EAUC principles and governance.
For institutions to be part of the Carbon Coalition we require the following:
Institutions must have a clear target to be net-zero. With the recommendation of 2030 for scopes 1 & 2, and include scope 3 by 2050 at the latest
Institutions must have a clear plan on how to reduce carbon emissions in line with their net-zero targets
Institutions must publicly report progress against their carbon plans and targets, with a recommendation to use a recognised standard
Offsetting should only be used for emissions that cannot be reduced any further or as part of a net-zero plan to achieve a more ambitious target year.
The Portfolio will comprise of offsetting projects that meet the Advisory Board scoring criteria and methodology, providing the most sustainable, robust and cost-effective projects. These will include a variety of nature-based and permanent carbon storage/capture, along with additionality aspects such as research opportunities and provide both UK and Ireland and global options.
Institutions will have 2 options to choose from:
A ‘set menu’ which will comprise a mixture of offsetting projects, this will include a small % initially of permanent carbon storage (due to high cost) and combine with nature-based projects which are lower in cost. This will provide an average price overall allowing an affordable option for institutions.
An ‘a la carte’ option where institutions can choose either one or a selection of offsetting projects from the Portfolio. This allows institutions to match their aims of offsetting with projects that relate to priorities – for example it may be a UK project or a project that has particularly research opportunities linked to it.
All the projects included in the Portfolio will be made available to institutions in due course. Please note the current Portfolio is for the current window and is subject to change and availability for future cohorts.
As it is for the institution to set their own offsetting target and budgets it therefore depends on your decisions.
Part of the aims of the Carbon Coalition is that by combining institutions offsetting we have a much more powerful purchasing power and we will be able to negotiate bulk discounts. Therefore, we aim that the service charge will be less than what you would achieve without the bulk discounts (e.g. even with the service charges it will still be cheaper for the institution to go through the Carbon Coalition rather than approaching the projects direct).
As EAUC is a registered charity we do have to ensure our costs are covered. There will be a 10% charge for EAUC to cover our costs of administrating the scheme. These costs will be included within your financial transaction with the Appointed Verification Manager. The Appointed Verification Manager has a sliding scale on costs:
Up to £125,000 - a 10% fee will be applied
For purchases over £125,000 - a 6.75% fee will be applied
For purchases over £250,00 - a 4.5% fee will be applied
Therefore the overall fee will be £27,687.50.
For example, if you purchase £400,000 of carbon credits - the fee will be 10% of the first £125,000, a 6.75% fee for the second £125,000 and 4.5% on the remainder.
The Appointed Verification Manager will also add the EAUC fee and then transfer the charge to EAUC. As the Carbon Coalition grows the service charge may be able to be reduced in the future.
As part of the national framework LUPC, TEC and EAUC have jointly appointed Carbon Carbon Ltd as the Appointed Verification Manager for the pilot (trading as MyCarbon). This will be reviewed in April 2025 and as the Carbon Coalition grows the framework will seek further Appointed Verification Managers as required.
MyCarbon was co-founded by Dr Toby Green and Michael Greenhough and was established in 2018. Dr Toby Green was a co-author of the Offsetting Briefing and adheres to the principles within this. They are passionate about being part of the solution to the climate crisis we are currently facing. MyCarbon’s corporate mission is to enable organisations and individuals to become carbon neutral in a simple and cost-effective manner.
As a business, they are trained and certified in:
ISO 14064 – 1: Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals.
ISO 14064 – 2: Specification with guidance at the project level for quantification, monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emission reductions or removal enhancements.
ISO 14064 – 3: Specification with guidance for the verification and validation of greenhouse gas statements.
MyCarbon have an exceptional understanding of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) accounting, reporting and reduction and are very familiar with the carbon credit market, from creation to retirement, including both voluntary and compulsory markets.
We are aiming to have 2 windows during the year when institutions can offset. This is likely to be July and November to cross different financial years. We will confirm with you on your preferred timeline.
As we wish to obtain the best possible price we will require all institutions to make the transaction within the same time period.
However, institutions can also choose to offset outside of these periods but the costs of the offset may vary.
Support & Engagement
EAUC wish to support institutions and will be sharing examples of offsetting strategies and staff and student engagement ideas. If your institution needs support please get in touch!
All information regarding the Carbon Coalition, including the Advisory Board and the scoring methodology, is publicly available on the EAUC website. We will not be disclosing any list of names of institutions, carbon data, financial transactions or scopes of institutions – this will remain confidential between the institution, EAUC and the Appointed Verification Manager. It is the institution's choice if they wish to disclose some or all of this information. As EAUC is a registered charity and not a public body we are exempt from Freedom of Information requests.
If your institution receives funding from the Wellcome Trust you are now required to offset related travel linked to your funding. This covers ALL funding. You can register to be part of the Carbon Coalition here and you can confirm that the Carbon Coalition will be your provider. You do not need to confirm quantities or any further detail at this stage. We will get in touch with you when you are ready to offset. Click here for more details on the requirements from Wellcome Trust.
Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Carbon Code Restrictions
If your purchase Woodland Carbon Code or Peatland Carbon Code credits institutions can only use these to offset UK-based emissions. This means you cannot use these credits for international travel, non UK-based supply chain or any other non UK-based emissions. Go to theWoodland Carbon Codefor more information.
We are aware that many institutions use Key Travel who are including an offsetting option for travel and accommodation. The offsetting they offer does not follow the principles of the COP26 Universities Network Offsetting briefing. We would recommend that if institutions wish to offset their travel and accommodation that they do this via the Carbon Coalition to ensure high quality offsetting projects are used that follow the recommended principles.
Scottish Government Public Sector Offsetting Guidance
Further to the guidance from the Scottish Government, we have sought the following clarifications from the Scottish Government for educational institutions:
Where bodies estimate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with international students travelling from home to their place of study, the whole journey should, as far as reasonably practicable, be accounted for, e.g. as minimum between home nation capital city and the city of study. Bodies should clearly state the methodology used to estimate such journeys, and any assumptions used. Student travel surveys could be used to inform such estimates, for example the typical number of return flights taken by international students each year. It may, for example, be reasonable to assume that students from continental Europe return home more frequently over the course of the academic year than those from the rest of the world, given the relatively lower price of flights and shorter journey time.
Bodies may be asked, as part of funding conditions, to offset any business travel emissions associated with research programmes. As noted in the guidance, the preference is for emissions generated in Scotland to be offset within Scotland. Where it is not possible to source high integrity, verified credits directly attributable to Scottish projects, a reasonable approach would be to purchase UK-based credits. Any purchased credits should be from a government-backed code such as the Woodland Carbon Code or the Peatland Code - but note that these can only be used for UK-based travel emissions so for international travel emissions institutions will have to use non UK-based credit schemes. Bodies should refer to the guidance in relation to how purchased credits should be included in the annual Public Bodies Climate Change Duties report.