Carbon Guide
March 2025
AUGUST 2026
Welcome to the August edition of our Carbon Guide. This month our theme is Understanding Super Pollutant Projects in the Voluntary Carbon Market.
At Anthesis, we are seeing continued change across the Voluntary Carbon Market, alongside growing interest in high-integrity climate solutions. As a trusted partner in the market, we develop, own and support a diverse portfolio of projects across the world.
This month, we explore super pollutant projects in the voluntary carbon market, examining what they are and the role they can play in a diversified carbon credit portfolio.
This month’s Carbon Guide rounds up our latest insights, along with a spotlight on some of our latest projects.
In the News: Key Recent Developments
ICVCM expands the pool of CCP-eligible carbon crediting programmes
The ICVCM has approved BioCarbon Standard, Cercarbono and Plan Vivo as CCP-eligible programmes, expanding the number of standards able to submit methodologies for assessment against the Core Carbon Principles.
New coalition puts super pollutants in the market spotlight
The newly launched Super Pollutant Elimination Alliance (SPECTRA) aims to strengthen market intelligence and collaboration around methane, refrigerants, nitrous oxide and other non-CO₂ gases, with a dedicated state-of-the-market report planned.
New research explores combining super pollutant abatement with carbon removals
A paper co-authored by representatives from Google and Stripe examines how reducing super pollutant emissions and carbon dioxide removal could complement one another in addressing near-term and long-term warming, while highlighting the need for appropriate accounting across different time horizons.
Isometric develops new protocol for HFC and ozone-depleting substance destruction
Isometric has opened a public consultation on a new protocol for projects that recover and permanently destroy high-GWP refrigerants, expanding its methodology coverage of super pollutant mitigation activities.
Beyond CO₂: Understanding Super Pollutant Projects in the Voluntary Carbon Market
When discussing climate change, carbon dioxide (CO₂) is usually the first greenhouse gas that comes to mind. It is the most abundant greenhouse gas generated by human activity and the primary driver of long-term global warming.
However, CO₂ is not the only greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. A number of other gases, often referred to as super pollutants, have a far greater warming effect per tonne emitted. Although they are released in much smaller quantities, preventing their emission can have a significant climate impact.
Within the voluntary carbon market, a range of carbon projects has been developed specifically to reduce or prevent the release of these gases. While they receive less public attention than nature-based solutions or carbon removal projects, they represent an important category of climate mitigation activity.
What are super pollutants?
Super pollutants are greenhouse gases with a much higher Global Warming Potential (GWP) than carbon dioxide. Global Warming Potential measures how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere compared with CO₂ over a defined period of time.
Some of the most common super pollutants addressed by carbon projects include:
| Greenhouse Gas | Typical Global Warming Potential (100 years) |
|---|---|
| Methane (CH₄) | ~28 times CO₂ |
| Nitrous oxide (N₂O) | ~273 times CO₂ |
| Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) | Hundreds to several thousand times CO₂ |
| Sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) | ~25,000 times CO₂ |
Rather than removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, projects in this category focus on preventing these highly potent gases from being released in the first place.
Super pollutant project types in the VCM
Although often grouped together as “super pollutant projects”, this category covers a wide variety of activities across different sectors.
Ozone-depleting substance destruction
Many older refrigeration and air conditioning systems contain substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). These gases not only damage the ozone layer but also have very high global warming potentials. Projects collect these substances from retired equipment and permanently destroy them using specialised treatment facilities.
Refrigerant recovery and replacement
As cooling technologies evolve, high-GWP refrigerants are increasingly being replaced with alternatives that have a lower climate impact. Carbon projects may involve recovering refrigerants from existing equipment, safely destroying them, or replacing them with lower-GWP alternatives.
Nitrous oxide (N₂O) abatement
Nitrous oxide is produced during certain industrial processes, including nitric acid production. Projects install technology that converts N₂O into harmless nitrogen and oxygen before it can be released into the atmosphere.
Sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) emission reduction
SF₆ is used primarily as an insulating gas in electrical equipment and has one of the highest Global Warming Potentials of any known greenhouse gas. Projects focus on reducing leaks, improving gas management, or replacing SF₆ with alternative technologies where possible.
An evolving project category
As the voluntary carbon market continues to evolve, super pollutant projects remain an important part of the broader portfolio of climate mitigation solutions available to organisations. Some methodologies covering these project types have already been approved for the ICVCM’s Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label, while others are currently undergoing assessment.
Alongside nature-based solutions, engineered removals and renewable energy projects, they illustrate the diversity of approaches that can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By targeting gases with particularly high warming effects, these projects offer another pathway for delivering measurable climate benefits within the voluntary carbon market.
How Can Anthesis Support You?
Selecting the right carbon projects requires more than an understanding of the different project categories. Organisations also need to consider how carbon credits align with their climate strategy, sustainability objectives and stakeholder expectations.
At Anthesis, we help organisations navigate the voluntary carbon market by:
- Identifying carbon project types that best align with your climate and sustainability goals
- Explaining the differences between project categories, standards and methodologies
- Assessing project quality, integrity and potential risk through robust due diligence
- Building diversified carbon credit portfolios tailored to your objectives and budget
- Supporting the development of high-quality carbon procurement strategies as part of a broader decarbonisation journey
- Whether you are exploring super pollutant projects, nature-based solutions or engineered removals, our experts can help you understand the market and make informed decisions.
Webinars on demand
Did you miss one of our recent webinars?
- Navigating Renewable Energy Procurement: PPAs in a Shifting Regulatory Landscape. View here: Navigating Renewable Energy Procurement | Anthesis Global
- Evolving Scope 2 Regulation – The Changing Role of RECs and EACs. View here: Evolving Scope 2 Regulation | Anthesis Global
- The Updated SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0 – SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0 – What’s Changed And What It Means For Your Business | Anthesis Global
Portfolio
Explore our projects
Our carbon projects are created to avoid, reduce or remove CO2. They align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and support your organisation on its pathway to Net Zero. Please visit our carbon project page to explore the full range of opportunities available.
