Project facilitator

(Only applies to the Fairtrade Climate Standard) An external entity that supports the producer organisation in developing Fairtrade Carbon Credit projects. This entity may be an independent consultant, NGO, company, technology provider, buyer, etc., as long as it provides a support role and transfers skills to the producer organisation.

Commonly known in the carbon sector as a “project developer”, Project Facilitators must comply with the applicable Fairtrade Standard requirements because they perform activities that fall under the producer organisation’s certification scope (e.g. handling the Fairtrade Carbon Credits – holding an account without legally owning the Fairtrade Carbon Credits or price and Premium on behalf of the certified entity). Project Facilitators are registered as an Additional Entity under the producer organisation’s certificate and are audited as part of the producer organisation.

Project Facilitators are often mandated to carry out activities related to Standard requirements for the producer organisation. These may be requirements for the producer organisation (e.g. ensuring the project complies with the country’s laws/requirement 2.2.2 of the Fairtrade Climate Standard) or they may hold the producer organisation’s Carbon Credits in their Gold Standard account without legally owning them.

It is possible for there to be 2 or more Project Facilitators involved with the same producer organisation. Those taking legal ownership of the Fairtrade Carbon Credits must be certified separately as a trader (see Climate Standard Trader). Those whose roles include both Project Facilitator and trader do not have to buy all Carbon Credits issued by the producer organisation as Fairtrade Carbon Credits. They may wait until a purchase contract for Fairtrade Carbon Credits is signed with the producer organisation once they know they have a buyer for Fairtrade Carbon Credits.