Carbon
ECCON is here to support you on your decarbonization journey. We offer a complete range of services, from GHG emissions inventory and decarbonization plans to the development of carbon credit and PSA projects, and the delivery of customized and innovative solutions.
The Decarbonization Journey
ECCON recognizes that ensuring a better future for generations to come depends on both individual and collective action. We work with our team and clients to speed up the energy transition and promote conservation, restoration, and regenerative agriculture. We contribute to climate change mitigation by supporting our clients’ decarbonization journey.
We begin by diagnosing emissions by preparing a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Inventory. We continue by generating models to quantify emission reductions for insetting and the generation of carbon credits, which can be sold for offsetting.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory
Some companies are making internal or even public commitments to reduce their “carbon footprint.” While these commitments are currently voluntary, there is a growing global trend of regulations mandating measures to limit and reduce emissions.
The emissions inventory seeks to Monitor, Report and Verify (MRV) emissions from operations. At ECCON, the emissions inventory preparation service adopts a scope-based approach, in accordance with the GHG Protocol Methodology. This approach categorizes emissions into three scopes, as illustrated in the figure below.
The inventory typically follows an annual cycle and can help identify the largest sources of emissions from the operations assessed. This data is often used to prepare sustainability reports, inform companies’ strategic planning, or can even be presented to shareholders.
With the approval of Law 15.042/2024, which establishes the Brazilian Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading System (SBCE), requires companies from most sectors to annually report their emissions above a certain threshold and following the cap and trade market guidelines which are forthcoming.
Scope 1: Direct GHG emissions
Scope 2: Indirect GHG emissions from power generation
Scope 3: Other indirect GHG emissions
Decarbonization planning and strategies
Once the inventory has been completed and the largest sources of emissions have been mapped, it is time to understand where processes can be optimized and GHG emissions reduced. ECCON supports its clients in developing a plan and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Decarbonization Plan may suggest process improvements, equipment replacement, development of new products and replacement of energy sources, equipment and structure maintenance routines, definition of selection criteria and contracting of suppliers, among others.
Beyond operational considerations, the utilization of carbon credits to offset emissions is a strategic approach that can be incorporated within the framework of the Decarbonization Plan. Decarbonization planning will align projects with best market practices and support regulatory compliance with the SBCE by customers, when applicable. It is also the basis for defining goals, schedules and making business decisions, in addition to being an important item for communicating to the market how the company is planning for the future and demonstrating its commitment to mitigating climate change.
Technical advisory services
With an excellent, multidisciplinary and diverse team, ECCON is prepared to support the preparation, review, improvement and monitoring of validation and verification processes for carbon credit generation projects from various sources (forestry, agriculture, energy, industry and waste). Our team is composed of professionals from various fields with experience in developing the different components of carbon projects. We focus on three primary areas: climate, communities, and biodiversity. We provide clients with customized solutions that meet their needs, regardless of their current position on the Carbon Journey. In addition, our team uses in-depth knowledge of our clients’ businesses to assess potential value-added opportunities based on decarbonization and present the technical foundations to support them.
Eligibility and feasibility analysis for generating carbon credits
We serve clients from all sectors of the economy, with active listening to understand the business in question and to identify the demand for carbon credit generation. Rural landowners, private entrepreneurs and other stakeholders who wish to consider carbon projects in their businesses bring their ideas to our team, which analyzes the feasibility of developing carbon projects based on extensive knowledge of national and international standards and methodologies. Once eligibility for credit generation has been confirmed, we conduct a financial feasibility analysis of the project, considering economic aspects of the type and value of credits, in addition to the complexity and time required for their issuance. Both analyses are essential for business decision-making and for optimizing the project development and credit generation process, based on prior planning that minimizes the risk of unexpected setbacks.
Development of Payment for Environmental Services (PES) projects
The climate challenge we face cannot be solved solely by carbon projects such as REDD and Restoration (ARR), which take place in a field of natural vocation in Brazil: forests and the countryside. It is necessary to measure, quantify and remunerate environmental services, that is, the environmental benefit of conservation and production in terms of ecosystem services – which are provided by some and enjoyed by the whole society.
Preserved native vegetation plays a fundamental role in ensuring the sustainability of production in the long term. The Ecosystem Services contained in areas of native vegetation, as well as the best production practices in the field, form a virtuous cycle of interconnection, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals and to the food security of the population.
ECCON actively contributed to the drafting of the PSA Law (Law No. 14,119/2021), and launched, in 2023 and 2024, innovative PSA methodologies connected to the carbon market, namely PSA Carbonflor and PSA Carbon Agro Perene version. The journey of solidifying methodological concepts through discussions in specialized forums and public consultations made the methodologies suitable for guiding the development of projects, a service also provided by our team.
Development of carbon projects
ECCON develops its own carbon projects and for third parties. Our projects are aligned with established methodologies in the market. These projects can be classified into two categories: those that are initiated with a defined scope and are subsequently expanded, and those that are tailored to meet specific customer requirements. Our team has experience with the development of lines of work and projects for:
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)
The main action is conservation, avoiding deforestation of areas of native vegetation, preserving existing carbon stocks and related ecosystem services. We use the latest versions of Verra and other certification bodies’ methodologies, as well as third-party audits to validate and verify projects before certification bodies.
Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR)
ARR are projects that focus on sequestering carbon from the atmosphere through restoration, revegetation, or afforestation. These projects involve converting a degraded area into a native or exotic forest, thereby removing atmospheric carbon and converting it into forest biomass.
Agricultural Land Management (ALM)
ALM involves implementing changes in production practices. These changes include the use of technologies that reduce emissions or promote carbon sequestration in the soil. These practices are implemented in designated production areas. The resulting carbon sequestration or avoided emissions are then calculated. This information is used to support the generation of carbon credits.
Development of technical methodologies
ECCON has been actively involved in developing methodologies adapted to the local reality of Brazilian biomes. As an example, we developed the PSA Carbonflor, which focuses on conservation areas where conservation actions contribute to the maintenance and enrichment of carbon stocks, which are valued based on the measurement of the Ecosystem Services contained in these areas. The PSA Carbon Agro Perene version uses the precepts of the PSA Carbonflor for the conserved areas on the properties and includes a component of Best Management Practices (BMPs) that contribute to the conservation of protected areas on rural properties and to the sustainability of production in the long term.
The PSA methodologies developed at ECCON are aligned with Brazilian legislation and seek to overcome the challenge of including small and medium-sized rural producers in the carbon market, as a way of remunerating them for the ecosystem services provided by these areas, the maintenance burden of which is borne by the producers. Given its knowledge of various carbon project methodologies and its practical expertise in project design and development, ECCON works on the development of methodologies and projects that use these methodologies.
Development of innovative models for conservation
ECCON has worked for its clients in the design and development of innovative project models that guarantee the financial viability of conservation. Restoration using exotic and native species for economic use, associated with Agroforestry Systems (SAFs), restoration models focused on the Cerrado, methodologies that contribute to the reduction of emissions in other sectors, are some examples of recent work we have done. We help clients design, assess eligibility, feasibility, and implement these projects, covering several stages of the Carbon Journey.
Training and educational processes
ECCON understands that ensuring a better future for future generations depends on individual and collective actions. We work with our team and clients to accelerate the energy transition and foster conservation, restoration and regenerative agriculture. We contribute to climate change mitigation by supporting our customers’ decarbonization journey.
How Our Solutions Support Your Carbon Journey
Our multidisciplinary team is available to understand your company’s carbon journey and contribute to accelerating the transition to a low-emission economy. From analyzing the eligibility and feasibility of a preconceived idea, or developing innovative solutions, we are ready to support your business’ carbon journey. We also provide technical support for projects already underway that require a strategic and multidisciplinary vision to optimize activities. In addition, we can evaluate the inclusion of areas in our own carbon projects, allowing interested parties to participate in this market through these projects. We are partners with dedication and good customer service throughout their journeys.