Validators and verifiers approved by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) conduct an independent appraisal of projects and programmes and the emission reductions resulting from them.
Projects and programmes to reduce emissions must be validated by a validator approved by the FOEN at the applicant's own expense (Art. 6 para. 1 CO2 Ordinance). Project monitoring reports must be verified by a verifier approved by the FOEN (Art. 9 para. 2 CO2 Ordinance).
Domestic projects and programmes
Liste der zugelassenen Prüfstellen im Inland – Stand 19.04.2024 (XLSX, 53 kB, 19.04.2024)Art. 6 para. 1 and Art. 9 para. 2 CO2 Ordinance (in German, French or Italian)
Companies interested in obtaining approval as validators and/or verifiers (including re-approval after withdrawal of approval) can apply by email to kop-ch@bafu.admin.ch using the application form below.
Anmeldeformular für Validierungs- und Verifizierungsstellen (DOCX, 228 kB, 20.06.2022)Art. 6 para. 1 and Art. 9 para. 2 CO2 Ordinance (in German, French or Italian)
The communication 'Offsetting CO2 emissions: validation and verification' sets out in detail how the Administrative Office for Compensation handles the practical implementation of validations and verifications, and serves as a best practice guide for validators and verifiers. It also contains the requirements for authorisation of validators and verifiers (also reauthorisation after authorisation has been withdrawn).
Projects and programmes abroad
List of approved validation and verification bodies for offsetting projects abroad – 30.01.2024 (XLSX, 49 kB, 30.01.2024)Art. 6 para. 1 and art. 9 para. 2 CO2 ordinance
Registration form for validation and verification bodies for projects and programmes abroad (DOCX, 84 kB, 01.02.2023)Art. 6 para. 1 and Art. 9 para. 2 CO2 ordinance
Offsetting CO2 emissions: validation and verification
A communication of the FOEN in its capacity as enforcement authority of the CO2 Ordinance. Status as of 2024
The Administrative Office for Compensation provides the validators and verifiers with a regularly updated extract from its database of decisions so that they can improve their practices.
Sammlung von Entscheiden zum Vollzug (XLSX, 287 kB, 25.07.2022)(available in German, French and Italian)
Feedback process for validators and verifiers
The FOEN assures the quality of validation and verification reports by the following process:
Feedback to validators and verifiers (PDF, 273 kB, 20.12.2023)Art. 6 para. 1 and Art. 9 para. 2 CO2 Ordinance
The communication UV-2001 (see link above) contains a detailed description of the feedback process.
The secretariat gives the validator or verifier feedback on each report, classifying it into one of the following categories: very good, good, unsatisfactory, or no comment.
Bewertung von Berichten der Validierungs- und Verifizierungsstellen durch die Geschäftsstelle Kompensation (PDF, 1 MB, 20.03.2024)(in German, French and Italian)
This document sets out to indicate to the validators and verifiers which findings in the reports automatically and in isolation lead to an overall unsatisfatctory classification, i.e. even in the absence of further findings. In this way, the Administrative Office for Compensation is supporting the validators and verifiers in setting priorities in the respective reports.
Last modification 19.04.2024
