What do you do beyond what the standards require?

Standards certify methodologies and volumes on the project side. Our selection criteria also integrate buyer-specific questions: ESRS E1-7 fit, MRV quality, developer solidity, narrative coherence. It is a complementary buyer-oriented reading.

How does an Arka credit appear in my CSRD report?

Under E1-7, you document: tCO₂e volume, typology (removal for soil carbon), geography (France or Europe), certification standard, vintage, status (purchased or retired), articulation with your reduction trajectory. Our methodological memo provides the narrative and figures ready to integrate.

Why no visible score at project level?

A score would create the illusion that a '60 %' project is acceptable. Our logic is binary: our five dimensions impose a minimum integrity threshold, so a project is either listed or not. Transparency on the methodology itself is however complete: the detail of the five dimensions is public on the About page.

What volumes are available through Arka?

The current catalogue covers more than 450 farms in France and Europe with annual volumes ranging from a few dozen to several thousand tCO₂e depending on the farm. Total aggregate volume is in the hundreds of thousands of tCO₂e. For a buyer looking for 100 to 50,000 tCO₂e per year, we can generally propose a mix tailored to budget and preferences (geography, standard, crop type).

What is the timeline between decision and delivery of the file?

From signing to full file delivery: typically 2 to 4 weeks. The extended phase is the registry retirement operation on the standard's registry, which requires an open account and a formal procedure. Our team handles everything. For recurring buyers, we can prepare documentation in parallel to shorten this timeline.

Our model is simple: we buy credits from developer partners (Gaïago today) and resell them to corporate buyers with a margin aligned with the selection, structuring and documentation work. The economics of each transaction are laid out in the attestation letter handed to the buyer.

🌱4 min read

Why contribute through Arka

Rigorous selection and CSRD-ready documentation

30-second takeaway

Independent marketplace: we select against five criteria, deliver a CSRD-ready package, and work on the buyer side, not the project side.

Arka selects high-integrity projects based on demanding criteria and provides buyers with the documentation needed to contribute with confidence. We rely on recognised standards and their methodological rigour.

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Independent selection against five criteria (programme, developer, MRV, safeguards, regulatory fit).

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CSRD-ready deliverable with every transaction (certificate, PDD, project sheet, attestation, ESRS E1-7 memo).

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Nature-based scope today (soils, regenerative agriculture), agnostic tomorrow.

Our role: independent marketplace

Arka is an independent marketplace for high-integrity carbon credits. We are neither a project developer nor a certification standard: we work on the buyer side. Our role: select high-integrity projects and provide the documentation buyers need to contribute with confidence. This structural independence is essential. It lets us recommend the combination best suited to your context (Gold Standard for rigour, Verra for volume, ISO for flexibility, Label Bas-Carbone for territorial narrative) without any interest in pushing one programme over another.

Our five selection criteria

Our selection relies on five criteria, verified for each project before listing. (1) Recognised programme and registry: is the project certified under a credible standard (Gold Standard, Verra, Puro, ISO 14064-2, Label Bas-Carbone) with a verifiable public entry? (2) Developer quality: operational track record, team expertise, financial transparency, quality of relationships with farmers or operators. (3) MRV robustness: satellite quality, field sampling frequency, VVB independence and accreditation, traceability down to the parcel. (4) Environmental and social safeguards: documented co-benefits (biodiversity, water, rural support), no-harm principle, SDG alignment. (5) Regulatory compatibility: buyer's ability to use the credit in their CSRD reporting, VCMI claim, SBTi trajectory, in Europe as in the US.

What a listed project on Arka means

If a project is listed on Arka, it meets our five selection criteria. No visible score: a project is either listed or not. This binary logic is intentional: our criteria set an integrity threshold below which a project is not retained. Transparency on these criteria is however complete: the detail of the five axes is public on the About page. This upfront rigour saves CSR teams the time of redoing the review project by project.

The CSRD-ready deliverable in five pieces

For each transaction, the file provided contains five pieces structured around ESRS E1-7 requirements. (1) The registry retirement certificate (Gold Standard, Verra, Label Bas-Carbone) with its publicly verifiable unique identifier, proving the credit is retired and can no longer circulate. (2) The Project Design Document (PDD) and annual monitoring/verification reports, audited by an accredited VVB. (3) A contextualised bilingual project sheet (French and English) covering location, operator, methodology, vintage, documented co-benefits. (4) An Arka attestation letter specifying volume, standard, intended use (BVCM contribution) and absence of double counting. (5) An ESRS E1-7 methodological memo explaining how to integrate the credits into the trajectory and communication, ready to insert into your CSRD report.

Current scope: French soil carbon

Our current scope: soil carbon from regenerative agriculture, in partnership with Gaïago, the leading French operator. This is our historical starting point, anchored in France and Europe. The narrative is powerful: we support French farmers through a demanding agronomic transition (cover crops, reduced tillage, rotations, biostimulants), with €30 to €120 per hectare per year of additional income, and documented co-benefits on biodiversity, water and resilience. For a buyer whose communication speaks to consumers or employees sensitive to agriculture and rural territories, this is a narrative that resonates.

A technology-agnostic methodology for the future

Our selection methodology is technology-agnostic. The five dimensions apply regardless of technology: a biochar, agroforestry or DAC project will be assessed against the same criteria as a soil project. This means our catalogue will widen progressively to other verified typologies without methodological rupture. For a buyer starting on soil carbon and wanting to diversify into biochar in 2-3 years, the consistency of the selection process is guaranteed. This agnosticism also lets us stay a neutral partner, able to recommend the right mix for each purchase context.

How to work together

Typical buyer journey. (1) First conversation: we understand your climate strategy (SBTi trajectory, target VCMI tier, CSRD scope, planned annual budget). (2) Portfolio selection: we propose a tailored mix from listed projects, with recommendations on removal/avoidance share and standards. (3) Validation and signing: we provide all pre-purchase documentation (PDD, methodology, CCP status, buffer pool). (4) Purchase and retirement: we handle the operation on the standard's registry and provide evidence within the usual timeframe (typically 2 to 4 weeks). (5) CSRD-ready deliverable: we hand over the five-piece file, ready for your report. The entire journey is documented transparently, step by step.

Key takeaway

If a project is listed on Arka, it passed our review. No visible score at the project level, because a project is either listed or it is not.

In practice

Supporting farmers in a demanding profession: we accompany them through a transition that increases their yields and builds more resilient agriculture.