Credit Ecosystem Roles
Who does what in the Carrot crediting system: standards, methodologies, dMRV, registry, VVBs, buyers, and supply chain participants.
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Environmental credits depend on several distinct roles. Some define the rules, some perform the physical work, some turn operational data into auditable evidence, some provide independent assurance, and some issue, purchase, or retire credits.
This page maps those roles in the Carrot crediting system. It is an orientation guide: each role links to the page where that topic is explained in depth.
One organization can hold more than one role. For example, Carrot can act as a standard, operate registry infrastructure, and provide digital MRV (dMRV) infrastructure depending on the methodology context. Independent assurance must remain separate: validation and verification bodies (VVBs) and independent auditors are not replaced by Carrot's infrastructure.
The main roles
| Role | What it does | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Governs the rules, methodology lifecycle, and integrity requirements that credits must follow. | The Standard |
| Methodology | Defines the scientific basis for measuring a specific environmental claim. | Methodologies |
| Program Owner | Leads the development of a credit program and coordinates its methodology, MvF, MvA, and proposed rewards policy. | Program Owner |
| Methodology Verification Framework (MvF) | Turns a methodology into operational rules, evidence requirements, formulas, and testable verification criteria. | MvF |
| Methodology Verification Application (MvA) | Implements MvF rules as deterministic software that can evaluate submitted data. | MvA |
| dMRV | Runs methodology rules against real-world supply chain data and produces auditable digital evidence. | dMRV |
| Carrot infrastructure | Orchestrates dMRV execution, records evidence, manages credit lifecycle infrastructure, and exposes public views. | Platform Architecture |
| VVB or independent auditor | Provides external assurance and review for methodology fidelity, facility accreditation, or evidence packages. | Third-Party Verification |
| Registry | Issues, tracks, and retires credits with public records that prevent double counting. | Registry |
| Network Developer | Fosters credit and traceability projects by onboarding participants and coordinating accreditation. | Network Developer |
| Network Integrator | Connects operational systems to Carrot by submitting supply chain data through the API. | Network Integrators |
| Waste Manager | Coordinates waste destination for a Waste Generator without taking physical custody of the material. | Supply Chain |
| Supply chain participants | Perform the physical work: generating, collecting, transporting, processing, or recycling material. | Supply Chain |
| Credit buyer | Purchases and retires credits to claim verified environmental impact. | Credit Purchase |
How the roles connect
The roles connect in a sequence from rule-setting to credit retirement:
- A standard governs the requirements for credit integrity.
- A methodology defines how a specific environmental benefit is measured.
- A Program Owner coordinates the construction of a credit program; governance retains approval authority.
- The methodology is translated into an MvF and implemented as an MvA.
- A Network Developer can bring participants into the program and coordinate their accreditation process.
- Waste Managers coordinate destination decisions, while physical participants handle the material.
- Network Integrators submit supply chain data from physical operations.
- dMRV executes methodology rules against that data and produces auditable evidence.
- VVBs and independent auditors provide external assurance where required.
- Verified outcomes become certificates and credits.
- The registry issues, tracks, and retires credits.
- Credit buyers purchase and retire credits.
- Proceeds flow back to verified contributors through rewards distribution.
Program Owner
A Program Owner leads the development of a credit program with Carrot. It assesses the target market, coordinates the methodology, Methodology Verification Framework (MvF), and Methodology Verification Application (MvA), and proposes a program-specific rewards policy within the requirements of the Carrot dMRV Standard.
The role coordinates construction; it does not approve its own program. Methodology, framework, and application approval remains with the Community of Experts and Carrot's governance processes. A Program Owner does not hold the program's credits and never receives protocol rewards. Any separate commercial services are governed by contract, outside the protocol distribution.
Network Developer
A Network Developer fosters credit and traceability projects by recruiting participants into the Carrot Network and specific credit programs. It coordinates the accreditation process defined by the applicable methodology framework and submits supporting data and documents to Carrot.
The Network Developer does not approve participants. Where third-party assurance is required, participants must still contract an independent auditor; the Network Developer coordinates the process but cannot replace that assurance. Because it submits third-party data, it is accountable for the quality and accuracy of the information submitted and is subject to the network's self-policing rules.
A Network Developer can hold other ecosystem roles when no conflict of interest exists. It never receives protocol rewards; any remuneration for its services is contractual and outside the rewards distribution.
Where Carrot fits
Carrot can hold different roles depending on the methodology context.
For BOLD Recycling, Carrot acts as the standard because no established global recycling credit standard covers the use case. Carrot governs the methodology lifecycle and the integrity requirements for credits issued under that methodology.
For carbon methodologies such as AMS-III.F and BOLD Carbon (CH₄), the scientific basis references an external standard. In that context, Carrot provides dMRV infrastructure and registry functions while the methodology framework references the external standard.
Across the network, Carrot provides infrastructure that records evidence, executes methodology rules, and makes outcomes publicly verifiable.
What stays independent
Carrot infrastructure does not replace independent assurance. VVBs and independent auditors provide external review according to the applicable governance scope.
Independent assurance can cover methodology fidelity, facility audits, participant accreditation, and evidence packages. Carrot's dMRV infrastructure produces the digital evidence that makes that review more continuous, scalable, and auditable.
Everyday analogies
These analogies are imperfect, but they help separate the roles:
| Role | Analogy |
|---|---|
| Methodology | A recipe for measuring environmental impact |
| dMRV | A digital evidence workflow that checks whether the recipe was followed |
| VVB or independent auditor | Independent assurance that reviews the method, evidence, or operational conditions |
| Registry | The public record that prevents the same credit from being claimed twice |
Where to go next
- How It Works — End-to-end flow from physical work to credits
- Platform Architecture — System architecture for verification and credit issuance
- The Standard — How Carrot governs methodology quality
- Registry — How credits are issued, tracked, and retired
- Third-Party Verification — What VVBs and auditors do
- Methodology Ecosystem — How methodologies become executable verification
- Credit Purchase — How credit buyers purchase credits
- Credit Retirement — How buyers claim verified impact
How It Works
End-to-end walkthrough of how the Carrot Network executes environmental methodologies to turn physical waste into verifiable credits and market-driven incentives.
Platform Architecture
A high-level operational view of how the Carrot Network turns verified circular economy work into traceable credits: purchases, rewards distribution and retirement records.