The projects supported by ClimatePartner are audited and certified according to strict criteria by independent third parties such as TÜV or SGS and must be clearly measurable, i.e. demonstrably save greenhouse gases. These include projects for reforestation, forest protection, the expansion of renewable energies or the general promotion of sustainable development by improving drinking water supply, infrastructure and education.

The guidelines for climate protection projects for emissions offsetting at ClimatePartner are:

Additionality: Projects must rely on the additional financial resources from emissions trading in order to be able to demonstrate a verifiable equivalent value for the CO2 savings achieved.

Exclusion of double counting: The achieved CO2 offsets may only be counted in one place. This excludes state-funded projects whose savings are already counted towards greenhouse gas balances for the achievement of national or EU climate targets.

Durability: All projects should be planned and implemented for at least 30 years in order to make a demonstrable long-term contribution to environmental protection. This criterion is particularly important for afforestation and forest conservation projects.

Regular auditing by independent third parties: All projects are regularly audited by independent third parties and the actual amount of CO2 saved is recorded in a progress report.

The evaluation is based on the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of which each project directly supports several.