Ecosystem Contribution
2% of Total Issued CRUs
For every issuance, 2% of the Total Issued CRUs is deducted directly from the project proponent’s account as an Ecosystem Contribution. There are no listing fees, no registration fees, no per-CRU monetary levies, and no retirement charges.
Fee schedule
| Item | Basis | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Registry account | Per project developer / buyer / VVB | Free |
| Project listing | Per project | Free |
| Project registration | Per project | Free |
| Methodology assessment | Per new methodology | Free |
| CRU retirement | Per retirement | Free |
| Ecosystem Contribution | Per issuance — deducted from proponent’s account | 2% of Total Issued CRUs |
How the Ecosystem Contribution works
- For every batch of CRUs issued to a project, 2% of the Total Issued CRUs is automatically retained by CERT at the moment of issuance.
- The remaining 98% is minted to the project proponent’s registry account.
- Retained CRUs fund the operation of the registry, independent oversight, safeguards monitoring, and stakeholder engagement.
- Where nature-based projects also carry Buffer Pool contributions for permanence risk, those are additional to the Ecosystem Contribution and are separately accounted for.
Timelines
- Listing completeness screen: 10 working days.
- Registration decision (post-validation): 30 days.
- Issuance decision (post-verification): 30 days.
No monetary fees. No hidden charges.
CERT does not accept payment for registry access, listing, registration, verification coordination, methodology assessment, or retirement. The Ecosystem Contribution is the single mechanism by which the registry sustains its work — in the same currency that everyone on the ledger is measured in: verified emission reductions.