Validation and verification body processes

Woodland Carbon Code projects are evaluated by a validation/verification body according to the code’s validation and verification processes. 

Validation/verification bodies must be accredited by the UK Accreditation Service to validate and verify projects to: 

• ISO 17029:2019 Conformity assessment - General principles and requirements for validation and verification bodies
• ISO14065:2020 General principles and requirements for bodies validating and verifying environmental information
• ISO 14064-3:2019 Specification with guidance for the verification and validation of greenhouse gas statements

Accreditation by the UK Accreditation Service involves an initial assessment of the validation/verification body’s performance with ongoing annual reviews.

Validation and verification bodies also need to demonstrate experience of sustainable forest management, geographic information systems and project management.

Validation/verification bodies check statements about predicted or actual carbon sequestration are materially correct. Projects are verified to a reasonable level of assurance, except at year five, where it’s a limited level of assurance. 

The validation/verification body will issue a validation or verification statement confirming the outcome of their assessment of each project.

Our validation/verification bodies also hold a position on the code’s Advisory Board.

If you’d like to become a validation/verification body for the Woodland Carbon Code, you need to:

• Check you have the relevant experience and can work towards accreditation to the ISO standards above
• Get in touch with the UK Accreditation Service to discuss accreditation
• Contact info@woodlandcarboncode.org.uk to let us know you’d like to become a validation/verification body 

We will: 

• Review your experience
• Discuss with the code’s Executive Board to get its approval to work with a new validation/verification body
• If approved, ask you to sign an agreement with Scottish Forestry
• Confirm with the UK Accreditation Service that our Executive Board has approved a new validation/verification body subject to accreditation
• Invite you to join the code’s Advisory Board

Once the agreement is in place:

• You will have two years to work towards accreditation to the standards above with the UK Accreditation Service
• We will advertise your company on the Woodland Carbon Code website as ‘working towards accreditation’
• Once you have become accredited, we will update your status to ‘accredited’

It’s important that validation/verification bodies are independent and impartial. This is a key requirement of the ISO standards. Our validation/verification bodies keep records of any potential conflicts of interest and how they are avoided or mitigated. 

Impartiality is monitored in two ways: 

• Our validation/verification bodies are audited annually by the UK Accreditation Service
• Each year, the code team also reviews conflicts of interest between validation/verification bodies, the code and our projects to understand how they were resolved

Any complaints or disputes about the standard of service from validation/verification bodies or disputes about the decision made by a validation/verification body should be directed to the complaint process of the relevant validation/verification body in the first instance. 

If we become aware of poor performance by a validation/verification body, we will discuss with the body in the first instance. We may:

• Ask the validation/verification body to pause offering validation/verification services
• Inform the UK Accreditation Service
• Update the status of the validation/verification body on the validation and verification pages

If a validation/verification body loses its accreditation or is suspended by the UK Accreditation Service, it will no longer be able to validate and verify Woodland Carbon Code projects.