Carbon Direct has published its first Criteria for High-Quality Low Carbon Fuels (LCF), a comprehensive guide for voluntary market buyers navigating a complex and rapidly evolving landscape of certifications, regulatory schemes, and quality frameworks. The criteria address the full LCF value chain, from feedstock sourcing to end use, giving buyers a clear reference to assess what their procurement actually covers and where additional diligence is needed.

Key takeaways:

• Introduces six core principles for evaluating LCF quality, covering carbon accounting, additionality, feedstock sourcing, leakage, environmental impacts, and social equity.

• Helps buyers distinguish minimum requirements from best practices using a clear must/should framework applied across the full supply chain.

• Designed as a living resource, updated annually, with future editions expanding to cover synthetic fuel pathways, renewable natural gas, and sector-specific applications.