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Csquare
The Carbon Credit RFP Template: 27 Questions to Ask Before You Buy in 2026
Most corporate carbon credit purchases happen via casual email exchanges or broker spreadsheets, and that is exactly why so many of them end in regret. This post is a complete carbon credit RFP template: 27 questions across project integrity, vintage, additionality, permanence, co-benefits, pricing, and contract terms. Use it before you sign the next purchase order.
C² Team
May 253 min read
Voluntary Carbon Market H2 2026 Outlook: Prices, Supply, and What Buyers Should Do Now
The voluntary carbon market has spent eighteen months bifurcating between premium high-integrity supply and discounted legacy supply. Heading into H2 2026, three forces (Article 6.4 issuances, EU CBAM definitive-regime pricing, and India CCTS launch) are about to reshape pricing again. Here is the outlook and what corporate buyers should do this quarter.
C² Team
May 253 min read
How to Build a Net Zero Baseline in 90 Days: A Practical Plan for Indian Companies
Most Net Zero commitments fail at the same place: an unreliable baseline. This 90-day plan walks Indian sustainability and finance teams through scoping, data collection, calculation, and assurance-ready documentation, so the baseline you publish in your Net Zero statement holds up when SBTi, auditors, and your largest customers come asking.
C² Team
May 253 min read
Article 6.4 Explained: How the Paris Agreement’s New Carbon Mechanism Works for Indian Companies
Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement creates a centrally-supervised global carbon market, the successor to the Clean Development Mechanism, and it is moving from rule-making to first issuances in 2026. This explainer breaks down how Article 6.4 works, what corresponding adjustments mean for Indian project developers and buyers, and how to position your company ahead of COP30 in Belem.
C² Team
May 253 min read
May 2026 Climate Brief: India CCTS, EU CBAM, and the Road to COP30
Csquare’s May 2026 monthly brief: India’s Carbon Credit Trading Scheme moves into compliance prep with targets notified for nine sectors, the EU CBAM definitive regime begins biting at €75 a tonne, and corporate climate teams start their COP30 readiness work. Here is what changed this month and what Indian sustainability and finance leaders should do about it.
C² Team
May 114 min read
How Carbon Credit Prices Are Set: A Buyer’s Guide to 2026 Market Mechanisms
Why does one carbon credit cost $3 and another $300? This buyer’s guide breaks down the eight forces that drive carbon credit pricing in 2026 — from project type and vintage to standard, co-benefits, CBAM linkage, and India CCTS spillovers — so finance and sustainability teams can budget, benchmark, and avoid overpaying for low-integrity supply.
C² Team
May 113 min read
BRSR Reporting for First-Time Filers: A Practical 90-Day Roadmap
Filing your first BRSR can feel like staring at a 1,000-cell spreadsheet with no instructions. This 90-day roadmap walks first-time Indian filers through scoping, data collection, governance, and assurance — with weekly milestones, common traps, and the exact teams you need in the room each week.
C² Team
May 114 min read
Carbon Removals vs Avoidance Credits: What Buyers Need to Know
Understand the critical difference between carbon removal credits and avoidance credits. Learn which type is right for your business, how quality differs, and what buyers should prioritise.
C² Team
Apr 143 min read
What Is India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS)? A Plain-Language Guide
A plain-language guide to India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS). Learn how CCTS works, which sectors are affected, and how businesses can prepare for compliance and voluntary participation.
C² Team
Apr 144 min read
Carbon Credits vs ESG vs Net Zero: What Companies Get Wrong
Understand the difference between carbon credits, ESG, and net zero. Learn common misconceptions businesses have and how to build an integrated climate strategy that connects all three.
C² Team
Apr 133 min read
A Business Guide to Participating in the Carbon Credit Market
Step-by-step guide for businesses entering the carbon credit market. Learn when to buy credits, how to choose between voluntary and compliance options, and how to avoid common mistakes.
C² Team
Apr 133 min read
How to Evaluate High-Integrity Carbon Credits Before You Buy
Learn how to assess carbon credit quality before you buy. This guide covers the five pillars of integrity — additionality, permanence, verification, no double counting, and co-benefits.
C² Team
Apr 133 min read
India's Carbon Credit Market Explained: What Every Business Needs to Know in 2026
Understand how India's carbon credit market works under the CCTS framework. Learn about compliance vs voluntary markets, credit trading, and what Indian businesses must prepare for in 2026.
C² Team
Apr 133 min read
The Hidden Emissions in Chemical Manufacturing That Most Companies Aren't Reporting
Most chemical manufacturers report Scope 1 and 2 emissions accurately but completely miss the Scope 3 footprint hiding in their value chain. This guide unpacks the categories most commonly under-reported by Indian chemical companies — feedstocks, transportation, end-of-life, and capital goods — and what to do about them before BRSR and CBAM auditors come knocking.
C² Team
Apr 34 min read
Miyawaki Afforestation for Corporate CSR: ROI, Carbon Credits, and Implementation Guide
The Miyawaki method delivers dense, native-species forests up to ten times faster than conventional afforestation — making it one of the most cost-effective CSR options available to Indian corporates today. This guide walks through ROI math, carbon credit eligibility, land selection, and a practical implementation roadmap for sustainability and CSR teams.
C² Team
Mar 193 min read
India Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) 2026: What Every Industrial Company Must Know
India’s Carbon Credit Trading Scheme is moving from policy to compliance in 2026, with emission intensity targets notified for nine industrial sectors and the first Carbon Credit Certificates expected by Q4. Industrial companies need to act now — register, baseline, and decide whether they will be net buyers or net sellers in the first compliance year.
C² Team
Mar 192 min read
BRSR vs CSRD: Key Differences Indian Companies Must Understand in 2026
Indian companies operating in or selling to the EU now face two parallel sustainability disclosure regimes — BRSR at home and CSRD abroad. The two frameworks overlap on materiality and double-counting, but diverge sharply on assurance, value-chain coverage, and digital tagging. This guide breaks down the key differences and a practical mapping approach for FY 2026–27.
C² Team
Mar 192 min read
Double Materiality: Financial vs Impact Materiality
For decades, the dominant question in corporate sustainability reporting has been a simple one: how does ESG affect our business? How do climate risks threaten our supply chain? How might tightening environmental regulations raise our operating costs? How could social unrest in a key market disrupt our revenues?
C² Team
Feb 247 min read
Supplier ESG Assessment Questionnaire Template: A Complete Guide for Businesses
Introduction The world of business is changing fast. Investors are demanding transparency. Regulators are tightening compliance requirements. Customers are making purchasing decisions based on values. And at the center of it all is one word that has gone from boardroom buzzword to business imperative: ESG. But here is what many companies are still missing — your ESG performance is only as strong as your weakest supplier. Studies consistently show that up to 70% of a company's
C² Team
Feb 238 min read
Beyond the Server Room: Uncovering the Hidden Carbon Footprint in IT
Most IT companies believe that greening their data centers is enough. It is not. The real carbon story in tech runs far deeper, and the companies that will lead on ESG are those willing to look beyond the server room.
C² Team
Feb 225 min read
Bye Buy Carbon
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