Frequently asked questions

Keep scrolling for answers to more than 50 commonly asked questions. Topics covered include eligibility, additionally, contracts, mitigation practices, validation, and data collection.

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  • Yes. Unlike most of the carbon platforms, we are 100% independent of any group within the agriculture & food ecosystem, using uninfluenced and objective protocols and standards. Trinity AgTech and Trinity NCM have no corporate backers, affiliations or shareholder interests that could distort their values nor their mission.

  • We have a policy of not leaving anyone behind: we cater for all farm sizes, all levels of technological sophistication, all forms of farming (e.g. organic farming, crop rotation, etc.), and all enterprises (e.g. arable, horticulture, perennials, glasshouses, beef, dairy, sheep, broilers, eggs, goats, pigs, etc.). Most of the platforms only cater for certain enterprises, such as large arable farms, or provide misleading results that stem from flawed methodologies (e.g. using arable models to calculate perennial emissions).

  • No. Sandy is purchased as an annual licence fee to develop projects and perform monitoring, reporting and verification. NCM charges a commission per transaction for trading and registry purposes. Also, you can choose to sell credits generated in Sandy through other platforms (besides NCM).

  • No. But those looking to sell carbon credits that haven't been assessed by Sandy may face additional costs and additional steps to verify its validity.

  • It depends on your agricultural enterprise (arable, livestock, etc.) as well as current land management. For instance, newly planted hedgerows can sequester 1-2 tCO2e per ha per year whereas agroforestry can sequester up to 5 tCO2e per ha per year. Arable land and perennial crops potential varies due to the specific practices and systems on the land, but tend to sequester 2-5 tonnes of CO2e per ha per year. Remember that 1 carbon credit is equivalent to 1 tCO2e reduction or removal.

  • Trinity NCM offers contracts that can last between 1 and 10 years. If a farmer wants to exercise caution, then they can enter into a 1-year contract. Furthermore, farmers who want to engage in a forward contract are allowed to revisit the price and the baseline after 3 years if the market has materially evolved in their favour. We understand and are sympathetic to the inevitable anxieties that the industry may have about carbon trading as it is a new, emerging concept; but doing nothing is not exercising caution, but exercising paralysis!

  • The enrolment period for establishing a new baseline and creating a new mitigation plan is open all year long. This allows farmers and land managers to input data at any point during the harvest year. The earliest that the enrolled information will be made available for validation and verification is on the 15th of September of every year (this date may change for livestock, perennial and other enterprises), in order to allow applicants to include all the data from the harvest year, so that the baseline has the most up-to-date information and there are no gaps in years.

  • Sandy, Trinity AgTech’s award winning platform, offers seamless integration with farm management systems, machinery and Trinity NCM’s marketplace, ensuring the following: compliance with NCM's standards; implementation of IPCC 2019 tier 2 and 3 methodologies; applicability of our models to different geographies, climates and farming practices; pre-verification of evidence through geolocated and timestamped pictures and videos; aggregation of projects into bundles to minimise verification fees; operational risk mitigation due to digital controls and key input data inferences; and time savings.

  • When farmers and land managers go through the onboarding process in Sandy, they fill out a digital form that demonstrates:

    • The ownership of the potential for greenhouse gas reduction and/or carbon capture potential.

    • The commitment to the delivery of that reduction and/or carbon capture for the duration of a project.

    The form is different depending on whether we are dealing with freehold or leasehold land. This is important because both property rights and tenancy agreements are typically subject to reservations (e.g. mineral rights, sporting rights, timber, peat, renewables, etc.) and covenants (e.g. building on the land, farming practices, alterations, consent on environmental schemes, etc.).

    As a final step, the applicant will sign a list of general warranties and warranties specific to their situation based on the information provided in the form. This legal document offers protection for buyers and sellers of Trinity carbon credits .

  • In the case of leasehold land, the cumulative nature of the tenancy agreement provisions may constrain the agricultural tenant’s ability to enter into carbon mitigation projects without the landlord’s consent, particularly as it relates to carbon removal and carbon stock maintenance.

    It is also relevant to consider potential termination provisions in tenancy agreements that may affect the length of a carbon mitigation plan.

General

  • When farmers and land managers go through the onboarding process in Sandy, they fill out a digital form that demonstrates the ownership of the potential for greenhouse gas reduction and/or carbon capture; and the commitment to the delivery of that reduction and/or carbon capture for the duration of a project. The applicant will also sign a list of general warranties and warranties specific to their situation (e.g. depending on whether it is freehold or leasehold land). In the case of leasehold land, there is an optional step to get the landlord’s consent to unlock the full value from the natural capital.

  • This would be a decision for each individual business, but you don’t need to be at net zero before you sell carbon credits. NCM allows rewards for both carbon-positive and carbon-negative farms, backdating early action contracts for those who have already achieved net zero, and providing optimal plans for those aiming to achieve net zero within certain financial and production constraints. This provides a sound economic rationale for you to take the steps to reach and stay at net zero. Once you do sell credits, you will not be able to use them yourself to offset farm emissions (e.g. in order to sell low-carbon produce or trade credit insets).

  • Carbon insetting occurs when an organisation uses carbon credits generated from within its own supply chain. If a farmer decides not to sell carbon credits in order to sell net zero produce, this would be carbon insetting. Carbon offsetting is when an organisation purchases carbon credits generated outside of its own supply chain to negate its emissions.

  • The following enterprises are eligible in Sandy: arable (either single or rotational crops); horticulture; livestock; perennials; glasshouses and control environmental with no soil; grassland; peatland; woodland; and waste management (e.g. biochar and anaerobic digestion plants).

Eligibility

  • The baseline is calculated from the average net carbon balance of the selected enterprise / farm over the last 3 to 5 years. While we allow users to choose to input data for 3 years, we recommend 5 years to get the most accurate baseline calculation. This is because with more years included in the calculation, Sandy can produce results with high accuracy (e.g. encapturing rotational crops in arable systems, having more data in the soil carbon model to consider fluxes of carbon pools within the soil, having more data for GWP* measurements in livestock systems, etc.). In addition, the baseline will be less affected by outlier years (e.g. if a particular year had unusually high or low emissions).

  • “Gross” credits are calculated in a conservative fashion because we use the upper/lower bound of the uncertainty range for positive/negative net carbon balance (comparing against the average baseline). This means that during each annual reporting period, when a carbon footprint is calculated to confirm the actual amount of credits generated, more credits will typically be generated than originally forecasted. In other words, because of our conservative approach, projects are more likely to true-up rather than true-down. The more mitigation practices committed to and the more input data provided, the smaller the uncertainty range and, thus, the larger the amount of projected credits that can be sold in a forward contract.

Baselining

  • Yes, as long as the specific mitigation strategies you choose in a plan are not required by law. If a voluntary subsidy pays for part of a management activity, you may be eligible to generate credits from that activity if you can prove it is not profitable without the sale of credits.

  • We are keeping up to date with ELMS in the UK and the eco-schemes from the CAP in the EU. For example, DEFRA has stated that ELMs and other AFOLU-related policies will work alongside private sector funding from voluntary carbon markets. However, if something is required by law, the practice cannot be used to generate credits because it does not conform with NCM's policy on additionality.

  • Our terms of use and trading terms will be adjusted accordingly as the law changes. But regulatory changes cannot be applied retroactively to existing contracts.

Additionality standards

  • Carbon credit buyers want to ensure the longest permanence possible. But not all methodologies can guarantee the same level of permanence. For instance, soil carbon sequestration depends on a variety of factors including soil type, soil mineral composition, soil hydrology, microbial activity, carbon and nitrogen cycles, climate, plant species composition, and land management over time. Biomass carbon sequestration also depends on a variety of factors. Therefore, we prefer to use the term “durability” as nature-based solutions for carbon have a limited guarantee on carbon removal permanence. At a minimum, we offer a 10-year durability, which can go up to 20 (or even 30) years. We stop at 30 years because it is the upper bound on the length of typical private contracts in financial markets across the world. Buyers who want to achieve a longer permanence can simply re-enrol, budgeting costs appropriately to make temporary carbon removal strategies permanent over time

  • In traditional carbon credit markets, rules typically oblige farmers and land managers to register covenants to restrict land use for anywhere from 40 to 100 years after they are first approved to offer credits for sale. These covenants result in a reduction in the market value of the land that is greater than the net present value of the credit revenue stream. However, they do not necessarily ensure that removed carbon will actually be retained because of a lack of continued funding. Therefore, these rules create the expectation of permanence, but it remains to be seen whether the so-called permanence will turn into a reality. At Trinity NCM we think that the term "permanence" is misleading and, hence, we prefer to refer to durability.

  • We make adjustments based on predicted yield loss to account for leakage at the enterprise level for each farm. We also assess farms in a holistic fashion, considering all fields and enterprises to minimise leakage.

  • Third-party verifiers check that project sites participating in Trinity NCM are not registered in any other carbon credit generating project (carbon scheme). Double issuance and double claiming are also mitigated by the procedures behind Trinity NCM’s registry, which records both buyers and sellers of carbon credits.

  • Trinity NCM requires that projects align with at least one of the following SDGs: SDG 6 (Clean Water): through Sandy’s water protection module, and the associated co-benefits attached to carbon credits; SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): through the possible installation of AD plants; SDG 13 (Climate Action): through the reduction of emissions, increase in sequestration, and putting a price on carbon leading industries to value natural capital and incentivising reducing emissions; SDG 15 (Life on Land): through implementing regenerative farming practices, enhancing biodiversity on the Project Site and reducing pollution.

Other integrity standards

  • Our carbon calculation methodology is a compilation of IPCC tier 2 and 3 models coupled with peer-reviewed emission factor databases. Each of these is independently validated by its authors, reviewers, and (in the case of IPCC methods) the IPCC scientific team. Our scientific methodologies are compiled and harmonised by our scientific board with reference to their experience of modelling agricultural emissions. Specifically, Sandy's calculations are based on the IPCC 2019 guidelines, which are the most up to date sector-specific guidelines to carbon footprinting agricultural land and systems. You can find these guidelines here: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/2019-refinement-to-the-2006-ipcc-guidelines-for-national-greenhouse-gas-inventories/

  • Tiers represent the level of methodological complexity: tier 1 is the basic method, tier 2 is intermediate and tier 3 is the most demanding in terms of complexity and data requirements; tiers 2 and 3 are sometimes referred to as higher tier methods and are generally considered to be more accurate on condition that adequate data are available to develop, evaluate and apply a higher tier method. For instance, our soil carbon stock change tier 2 process-based model provides a realistic model of the timeseries of soil carbon stocks and then looks at the annual delta. The effect of this (particularly for fast-acting measures like reduced or no tillage) is that in the early years, sequestration is very high (and the net carbon balance correspondingly low); a tier 1 model would only look at a fixed point in the future and linearise the change over that time period. Therefore, by using a tier 2 model, not only we provide more accurate results, but we also allow farmers and land managers to benefit from larger payoffs earlier, which is necessary to bear upfront costs and to have additional time to come up with additional mitigation practices. For further detail, please check https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2019/05/01_2019rf_OverviewChapter.pdf

  • As well as tiers, there are three scopes of emissions which correlate with who ‘owns’ the emissions and the level of control you have to change them. Sandy looks at a whole life cycle assessment, so not just scope 1 direct emissions – enteric fermentation and how you apply fertiliser on your own farm, for example – but also scope 2 (e.g. heating, electricity use) and scope 3. Scope 3 covers all the emissions that occur in the value chain, both upstream (embedded in the production of fertiliser, feed, pesticides, or infrastructure, for example), and beyond the farm gate (e.g. associated with transportation or packaging).

  • We focus on both. A change in practices (e.g. from full till to no till) on fields can increase the carbon stock in the soil. An increase in carbon stock in the soil represents carbon sequestration (removal of carbon from the atmosphere) and, therefore, generates carbon removal credits. For such practices, we also require a retention period of the new practice for ten years. Every year more carbon will be sequestered in the soil, generating carbon removal credits, and the carbon stored from previous years requires that practices are held, generating carbon retention credits. We allow contracts to be extended for up to 30 years, which ensures carbon in the soil is maintained for this duration of time.

  • Sandy scores a farm for biodiversity across five key categories: Farmland Wildlife, Conservation Species, Natural Enemies, Pollinators, and Soil Biodiversity. This methodology takes into account the full range of land uses and management practices on the farm, and has been developed specifically for Sandy by 17 of the foremost experts in biodiversity following a Delphi process. The Delphi practitioners recorded, where appropriate, the peer-reviewed studies which informed their judgements. Alongside this, we use a generalised function to compute interactions between measures which has been through peer-review within the scientific board, and we follow a baseline/uplift approach with an upper limit for each land use type which has also been designed by the same process.

  • Much of the data sourcing and number crunching is handled by Sandy’s advanced algorithms that work away in the background – the software has been designed so that you can get an accurate picture of your emissions with the minimum amount of input and time needed to gather the data.

  • Sandy uniquely accounts for soil organic carbon saturation, which is a phenomenon that occurs when soils reach their maximum carbon stabilisation capacity (in plain English: when there is no more "room" for carbon to be stored).

    This is relevant to carbon trading because the amount of carbon sequestered by a certain practice will tail off over time and eventually become close to zero (though often this timespan is as long as 50–100 years). Sandy uniquely accounts for this by using a process-based model which calculates this tail-off depending on the combination of practices, soil structure and management.

    Furthermore, Trinity NCM rewards farmers not only for sequestering carbon, but also for maintaining high(er) soil carbon stocks through the continuation of good practice even after this tail-off occurs.

    Finally, farmers and land managers can always generate any type of reduction credits and any type of biomass removal credits.

    Note that other tools use highly simplistic factor-based methods to calculate soil carbon credits that cannot account for soil organic carbon saturation, and concerns around this phenomenon and its impact on climate change are among the foremost concerns of potential buyers for carbon credits. In other words, other tools may use the standard 20-year cut-off, which can result in an accounting convenience more than a biological reality.

  • We use as a starting point the tier 2 model methodology in from the 2019 IPCC guidelines: details and even a spreadsheet example can be found here (Chapter 5). This is essentially a refinement and global parameterisation of the Century process-based soil carbon model. We then go above and beyond this tier 2 model because we have developed a number of orbiting methodologies which help link up the core process model to the input data that a farmer can provide. Our tier 2-3 methodology takes unambiguous, quantitative management practice data (tillage, cover crop type, biomass yield, organic amendments, crop yield, residue management, etc.), and factors this into a combined input dataset for the model, which itself accounts for soil texture and climate alongside management data.

The latest science

  • No. For the first time, farmers and land managers are able to explore a wide range of non-prescriptive mitigation practices tailored to their site, depending on their agricultural system, practices already in place, and materiality impact. They can also come as a result of an optimised plan based on goals, preferences and limits chosen by the farmer (the optimisation algorithm is unique in its kind as it relates to the level of accuracy and practical outcomes that it provides).

  • Yes, Sandy provides the estimated financial results, effect on the net carbon balance and yield impact derived from the different practices that you select. You can continue to explore different practices until you are happy with the estimated results that Sandy provides you.

  • Sandy provides information about the practices you can uptake on your farm, and makes conservative projections of the effect these practices will have on your net carbon balance through our leakage and realistic baseline adjustments. These adjustments minimise the risk that you’ll be penalised for any actions, whether or not they’re intended. However, NCM does not hold any responsibility for the success or failure of practices.

  • If you sign a contract for zero tillage you will have a ten-year contract to hold the zero tillage practice. You can plough once in the ten year period (e.g. if it must be done to overcome a weed infestation or if there is a ban on a herbicide, such as glyphosate).

  • Yes. Sandy offers a range of mitigation practices that you can implement on your farm to reduce your net carbon balance. You can provide your preferences to Sandy to deselect practices that you are not interested in doing, so Sandy will only show you practices that you might want to implement.

  • It's a term used to describe those who use a combination of cover crops, reduced tillage, and rotation to improve soil health and lower inputs. But Sandy looks at the actual practices followed when making assessments, rather than any labels used.

Mitigation practices

  • If you are already at net zero or net negative emissions, your baseline is set to zero. You can generate credits from the negative emissions on your farm regardless of whether your net carbon balance is decreasing even further. This effectively means that you get rewarded for retaining your carbon stock, compensating for the fact that you have taken early action towards tackling climate change and nature loss. Of course, if you manage to increase your stock, you will generate even more carbon credits. In addition to this, net zero or net negative farms are allowed to backdate their baseline for up to five years.

  • Setting a negative baseline to zero is a conservative approach because it could be a positive value representing the average amount of carbon that would be released from the soil per year if a regenerative farm reverted to current practices today. In other words, if its value were positive (and not zero) more credits would be generated (at the expense of not having a conservative approach).

  • Trinity NCM allows backdating for sites with a positive baseline where there is a downward carbon trajectory. In this instance, carbon retention credits may also be generated for those who were applying mitigation practices that must now be held (with the retention period starting on the enrolment year, not in the earlier years).

Rewarding early action

  • You can choose to sell credits via spot trades, which relate to mitigation practices that have already taken place, or you can commit to a forward contract from as little as one year to up to ten years. Some mitigation practices, such as zero / reduced tillage have a mandatory retention period of ten years, in which case you will have to commit to a ten-year forward contract. Therefore, if you want to have a contract for just one or a few years, you will only be able to generate reduction credits (credits generated through reducing greenhouse gas emissions).

  • You will not be fined for walking away from a contract through clawback provisions. If the contract is cancelled, for instance because the farm is sold, then all non-vested payments are forfeited and the funds return to the buyers (pro-rata); any ex-ante credits – those based on forecasts – are cancelled from the registry, and any ex-post credits not sold are also cancelled; any ex-post credits not sold yet are cancelled in the general registry, so that they cannot be sold in the spot market; and removal credits held in the buffer pool are cancelled because we cannot guarantee that no reversal will occur (ex-post removal credits that have been sold are flagged to notify that these credits are no longer protected by a requirement to retain the practices).

  • If a natural event, such as drought or storm, precludes you from generating more than 80% of the forecasted credits, then your forward contract may be cancelled, but you will receive the accrued non-vested payments in the escrow account and any unsold credits are still marketable.

  • Reduction credits are guaranteed emissions reduction because when the reduction credit is sold, the emissions reduction is ex post and cannot be reversed (we cannot go back in time to emit the emissions the credit represents). In the case of removal credits, because they rely on biomass or soil sequestering carbon, if there is a change in management of the biomass or soil, the sequestered carbon could be released back into the atmosphere. This is called a "reversal" and means the associated removal credits are no longer valid. Ultimately, we aim to be fair to buyers and sellers in the market and so have set out our NCM policy to mitigate risks to both parties as much as possible. Our response to a reversal depends on the cause: intentional or unintentional (e.g. natural event).

  • If a natural event causes a reversal of removal credits already generated, we use the communal buffer pool, which contains non-tradable removal credits – around 20% of the removal credits you generate are held in this pool. If the credits have already been sold, the buyers' credits are replaced with credits from the buffer pool, at no expense to the buyer or seller. Also, the number of removal credits that the farm had generated and that are no longer valid due to reversal are retired in the registry.

  • No. At the end of the contract, the corresponding buffer pool credits associated with that site are cancelled, so they cannot be used as part of the shared pool anymore (unless monitoring remains in place after the end of the contract).

  • Yes. We recommend farmers and land managers to not deviate from the mitigation practices that they have committed to. However, Sandy also measures achievements that occur at the project site, even if they are related to mitigation practices that farmers and land managers did not commit to. In other words, Trinity NCM follows both a process-based and an outcomes-based methodology. New practices must be eligible (i.e. additionality, not required by law, etc.) and reported (in order to include them within the carbon calculation in Sandy to generate the correct amount of ex-post credits and to include them within the existing contract).

  • In a true-up scenario, more ex-post credits are generated than originally predicted. In this case, the additional credits will be included in the registry with a specific serial number that identifies them as ‘true-up’ credits, and they will be made available for sale in the spot market at Trinity NCM’s marketplace. The buyer of the originally estimated credits has the first right to post a bid before the credits are made available to other buyers.

  • In a true-down scenario, less ex-post credits are generated than originally predicted. If the true-down ex post credits are within a certain threshold of the projected (ex-ante) credits, buyers are still obliged to purchase the ex-post credits. If the ex-post credits are less than the threshold, the buyer does not have to purchase them and can terminate the contract. This does not apply to carbon negative sites, in which case the buyer will purchase whatever credits have been generated.

  • We do not make this guarantee, but what we do guarantee is that Trinity NCM provides a global range of buyers for carbon credits and choices for buyers to select credits with great traceability and granularity as well as choices for sellers on how they sell their credits and to what type of buyer (based on preferences, such as ESG ratings, net zero commitments, etc.).

  • Carbon prices are expected to increase, but prices are volatile due to changing regulation and global demand. Sandy demonstrates the potential financial gains from different mitigation practices, so you can choose whether to invest now in practices to start generating credits. Due to the current price volatility in carbon markets, NCM allows for the price of forward contracts to be revisited after 3 years, so that it can be reset if favourable for the farmer or land manager (mitigating the risk of being stuck with historical forward prices). If the price is reset, then the baseline will also reset (positioning farmers and land managers in the same conditions as new joiners coming into NCM) based on at least 5 years of historical data available. In this scenario, ex-post credits are not impacted, but ex-ante credits are cancelled and non-vested payments in the escrow account are forfeited (unless the buyer(s) subsequently choose(s) to re-engage in a new forward contract at a mutually agreed price).

Contractual terms

  • Transactions on Trinity NCM require validation and verification from third-party auditors accredited by the International Accreditation Forum to validate greenhouse gas reductions and carbon removals according to ISO 14065:2020 and ISO 14064-3:2019 standards. Our carbon credits are aligned with ISO 14064-2:2019 and the Carbon Credit Principles from the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets and the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market.

  • You will submit evidence annually to prove you are implementing the practices that you committed to. Evidence can be in the form of operational data (e.g. coming from farm management systems, such as Gatekeeper or Muddyboots), photos or videos that may be geolocated and timestamped, receipts (e.g. for the new fertiliser you planned to use), etc.

  • The evidence you provide goes into a site that we share with the third-party auditors who verify that the data is real and representative of your project. The auditors use various techniques to verify the activities occurring on the farm, including scrutinising the data that you upload into Sandy, conducting telephone interviews, and reviewing the evidence you provide, such as photos, videos or receipts. Not all farms will require all these techniques for verification purposes.

  • The baseline assessment in Sandy is currently made on farm/field management data, using sophisticated modelling, based on latest peer-reviewed science. We've found this often gives a far more accurate and standardised picture of actual biodiversity counts and carbon levels than spot surveys. The model can be refined by adding in actual data gathered. The difficulty lies in validating measurements, as poor quality data can skew the results. Furthermore, companies solely relying on soil sampling are capturing the soil carbon stock change, which is not the full picture of a full Life Cycle Assessment. Even if their sampling methodology is perfect, they will be missing many scope 1 elements and all the scope 2 and 3 elements. Finally, farmers willing to run what-if scenarios can only do so based on modelling, not sampling.

  • Farmers and land managers may provide on-site measurements of soil organic carbon stocks at least every 5 years to improve and back test the modelled soil carbon sequestration. We accept LOI or DUMAS methods for soil organic matter; for soil organic carbon, we accept most method results.

    We recommend leveraging mandatory sampling that may have taken place on the farm, with rigorous stratification, sampling randomization, adequate sampling density to encompass the within-site variation, and sampling depth beyond the top 30 cm to include the entire volume of soil impacted by agricultural activities.

    If soil samples are provided, Sandy offers a model-data fusion approach: we take soil sampling information and process it statistically to produce a combined model-data fusion. Typically, the results will be approximately halfway between the model and the sampled data, though the uncertainty in both is reduced. As and where the quantity/quality of the samples is not precise/statistically useful, the method will place more emphasis on the model, and where the sampling data is extensive and of high quality, its influence on the final result will be proportionally greater.

Validation and verification

  • Certain sectors and industries cannot reduce their emissions any further with current technology. Once companies have made every possible effort to reduce their carbon footprint, the voluntary carbon market enables them to offset their remaining residual emissions. Our aim is to make externalities from industry, such as pollution which is a cost put on society, become internalities whereby the cost is carried by the emitter, thus incentivising the emitter to reduce emissions and invest in future technology that will eliminate residual emissions. This is done by putting a price on carbon to offset emissions. The carbon market reflects a long overdue need for society to value its natural capital in business activities, so companies that buy are simply reflecting that need.

  • We support farmers and land managers to become carbon-negative and nature-positive by offering measurable, actionable and time-bound solutions, based on the most up to date science. We allow sellers of credits to determine whether they only want to sell credits to buyers who have science-based targets in place, demonstrating that they are offsetting their residual emissions and whether they are looking for "compensation" or "neutralisation" of emissions.

  • Payments are not made until the carbon the credit represents has been removed from the atmosphere (in the case for removal credits) or until the carbon has not been emitted (in the case for reduction credits). This is what we call "ex-post" (after the event has occurred).

  • Trinity’s carbon credits can be bought by companies seeking to neutralise or compensate their own residual emissions. They must show that they have an ESG strategy and an actionable plan to reduce as much as possible their scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

Buyers

  • Trinity AgTech and NCM are guided by a comprehensive data ethics framework that details the principles under which your data is held. The farm data belongs to the farmer or land manager – the account subscriber. It will always belong to you and can be removed, rectified or moved at any time by you.

  • We manage your data for Sandy to calculate your net carbon balance, provide optimisation results (scenarios to improve your net carbon balance, yield, and profitability), and to estimate credits generated from practices on your farm. We do not share your data with anyone except third party auditors who verify your data in order to certify the credits generated on your farm. The auditors have a strict data management policy and do not share your data with anyone. NCM presumes by default that all project information is not to be available for public scrutiny, unless requested otherwise by the farmer or land manager. If any verification reports are shared in the public domain, the following type of information will be redacted from any reports that become publicly-available: entity name and contact information, land tenure or land ownership type, address, etc.

Data collection

  • Measure your baseline, which is the average emissions from your farm or enterprises from the last 3 to 5 years → set targets to reduce your annual emissions compared with your baseline by exploring a selection of tailored, non-prescriptive mitigation practices → commit to a mitigation plan for your chosen practices → generate a carbon credit for every tonne of CO2e decrease (reduction or removal) in annual emissions compared with your baseline sell these credits through forward contracts or spot trades on Trinity NCM where you can choose the buyer type and criteria for selling your credits (alternatively, you may want to trade in a different venue).

  • Carbon reduction refers to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as carbon dioxide, methane or nitrous oxide. Technically, it should therefore be called carbon (equivalent) reduction, often abbreviated to CO₂e. For instance, substituting materials or resources that carry a high carbon footprint for those that carry a lower carbon footprint, such as switching from fossil fuels to renewable sources, would lead to carbon reduction (renewable energy projects do not in themselves sequester carbon).

  • Carbon is removed, or sequestered, in the form of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, by biomass such as trees or in soil. Once the CO₂ has been captured in this way, it no longer has a warming effect on the climate. Carbon in trees or soil can be released back into the atmosphere, so it is important that the carbon stock is retained over a long time. Trinity NCM offers rewards both for carbon removal and for carbon stock retention.

  • While you generate removal credits, you will also generate retention credits which is a way of being rewarded for retaining the carbon stock associated with removal credits that you generated in previous years during the contract period.

  • Ex-ante credits: credits generated after farmers and land managers have formalised a mitigation plan, but before mitigation practices (and the associated ecosystem services) have occurred. As time goes by and mitigation practices take place, mitigation plans offer a combination of ex-ante and ex-post credits. Ex-post credits: credits generated when mitigation practices have occurred.

  • Trinity NCM is an agnostic trading platform, rather than a promotional tool, and it is always up to the farmer what you do with the data generated by Sandy. You can provide details of your farm and additional benefits your farm operations have on society. If a market opens up for social impact, this is just the sort of co-benefit that can be traded on Trinity NCM.

  • Yes, but it is the seller's choice as to how much information they'd like to share with potential buyers.

  • Your carbon credits will be more valuable if they come with associated co-benefits, such as water protection, biodiversity improvement, agroforestry planning, or alignment with various SDGs. Furthermore, the earlier you pursue mitigation strategies, the higher the value because markets reward early action, given that every fraction of a degree of warming leads to more dangerous and costly impacts (and the sooner you can sell your credits). Markets also reward permanence: the longer your contract duration, the higher your credits value (you can commit to up to a 10-year contract, or even 20-30 years if you renew it).

  • The more strategies you commit to, the lower the uncertainty in the carbon calculation behind your credits: thus, you can increase your amount of credits by committing to more mitigation practices. Also, the more data provided in the carbon calculation, the lower the uncertainty: thus, you can increase your amount of credits by completing the optional data fields in the onboarding process.

  • We teamed up with Farmers Weekly and AHDB to provide some definitions in this article: https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/transition-farming-carbon-jargon-buster

Carbon credit basics

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