We recommend looking for average pricing in the State of the Voluntary Carbon Market reports, completed by the third-party Ecosystem Marketplace. These provide an estimate for the average Price of a PVC, but this value can be influenced by many factors:

  • Project size – Smaller projects can be more selective of buyers and therefore demand a higher price.
  • Selling to end buyers ­– Selling at retail price to end buyers typically demands higher prices than selling in bulk at wholesale prices to resellers.
  • Intervention type – PVCs from some interventions (e.g. blue carbon) are typically in greater demand than others.
  • Buyer interests – Buyers are willing to pay more for projects that align with their values and/or interests. This may be related to the project’s location, intervention, co-benefits etc.
  • Up-front financing and exclusivity – Upfront financing can provide financial security for the project but is riskier for the investor and so often results in lower PVC pricing and requirements of exclusivity.
  • Marketing strategy – Projects can vary in the level of resourcing they allocate to their marketing strategy, which can influence the demand for their PVCs.