As a Foundation Signatory to the Australian Carbon Industry Code of Conduct, Climate Friendly welcomes the release of the Code’s 2025–26 Annual Report, highlighting strong compliance and continued strengthening of governance and assurance across Australia’s carbon market.
The report found 92% of Signatories were fully compliant with the Code, with the remaining 8% assessed as materially compliant. The Code now has 40 Signatories, representing approximately 63% of land-based ACCU projects registered since 2018.
As a Foundation Signatory, Climate Friendly is committed to the highest standards of conduct, transparency and integrity, which we believe are fundamental to maintaining trust and confidence in Australia’s carbon market.
A significant development during 2025–26 was the establishment of the Australian Carbon Industry Code of Conduct Administrator Limited as a dedicated, independent not-for-profit organisation.
The Code Administrator also progressed Version 3.0 of the Code during the year, incorporating recommendations from the Independent Review and feedback from Signatories, land managers and other stakeholders.
The reforms strengthen expectations around compliance monitoring, stakeholder engagement and culturally appropriate engagement with First Nations communities.
The Code Administrator also continued to strengthen its risk-based approach to compliance and assurance, using compliance findings, complaints and stakeholder feedback to identify areas for improvement and support Signatories in meeting Code expectations.
The Annual Report identifies opportunities across the industry to further strengthen governance, project management, commercial interest disclosures, stakeholder consultation and consent practices, as well as the formalisation and evidence of existing processes.
Climate Friendly supports the Code’s focus on continuous improvement and the ongoing strengthening of standards across the carbon industry.
As expectations around integrity and assurance increase, strong and independently administered industry standards have an important role to play in building confidence among land managers, communities, carbon credit buyers and other market participants, helping to build a credible, transparent and trusted Australian carbon market.
Find out more about the Australian Carbon Industry Code of Conduct