Plan Vivo Standard to become 'PV Climate' in line with PV Nature launch

Plan Vivo Foundation would like to announce that the ‘Plan Vivo Standard’ is to be rebranded as the 'Plan Vivo Carbon Standard' and will be referred to using the official name ‘PV Climate’. This is due to the launch of the Plan Vivo Biodiversity Standard (PV Nature) which is scheduled for December of 2023.

Moving forward ‘PV Climate’ will be the official name for the Plan Vivo Carbon Standard (formerly the Plan Vivo Standard). Projects certified beneath PV Climate will be referred to as ‘PV Climate projects’.

Changes and updates to PV Climate documentation will rollout throughout the latter stages of 2023 and into early 2024, and will reflect the PV Climate rebrand. ‘PV Nature’ will be the official name for the Plan Vivo Biodiversity Standard.

Why now?

Up until this point (2023) Plan Vivo Foundation (PVF) has operated only one Standard, known as the ‘Plan Vivo Standard’. This Standard has been used to certify projects and generate carbon credits or Plan Vivo Certificates (PVCs) in the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM).

The Plan Vivo Standard encapsulates all five versions of the Standard, which stretch back to Plan Vivo’s inception in the 1990s. With the launch of PV Nature planned for later this year (2023), PVF will henceforth be operating multiple Standards.

Consequently, Plan Vivo must be clear when rereferring to, and differentiating between Standards. To achieve clarity and differentiation between the two Standards, the following decision has been made (and formally approved by the Plan Vivo Board of Trustees in August 2023):

‘PV Climate’ will be the official name for the Plan Vivo Carbon Standard (formerly the Plan Vivo Standard).
All previous versions (V1.0 - 4.0) and the current version (V5.0) of the Plan Vivo Standard are to be known as ‘PV Climate’ (with additional reference to the appropriate version (V1.0 - 5.0) where necessary).
Projects certified beneath PV Climate will be referred to as ‘PV Climate projects’.
Changes and updates to PV Climate documentation will rollout throughout the latter stages of 2023, to reflect the PV Climate rebrand.
‘PV Nature’ will be the official name for the Plan Vivo Biodiversity Standard.

The operation of multiple standards under one certification body is not unusual within the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM). However, similar to other VCM certification bodies, steps must be taken to clearly brand and differentiate between these standards.

Why PV Climate/ PV Nature?

PV Climate and PV nature were decided upon for the following reasons:

The Plan Vivo Carbon Standard measures carbon removals / reductions and generates Plan Vivo Certificates (PVCs). It encompasses a holistic perspective of climate, and therefore we feel 'PV Climate' is the most appropriate name.
The Plan Vivo Biodiversity Standard measures biodiversity restoration / conservation and generates Plan Vivo Biodiversity Certificates (PVBCs). It encompasses a holistic perspective of nature therefore we feel 'PV Nature' is the most appropriate name.

What does this mean for PV Climate projects?

There are to be no changes to how projects operate. However, we ask PV Climate projects and partners to ensure they are clear which Standard a project is certified beneath within relevant resources (i.e. marketing materials, website information, documentation etc) going forward. It should be noted that PVCs will still be known as PVCs, and projects certified beneath PV Climate will still generate PVCs.

Should you have any questions surrounding this change, please contact the Plan Vivo Secretariat by emailing [email protected]

Banner photo: The farm of Horacio Suarez in San Juan de Limay, Nicaragua, part of the Communitree project. Credit: Taking Root/ Luid David Castellon.