What are Plant Credits and how do they work?

Plant Credits are incentive-grade micro-carbon credits issued by EcoTrust when a user plants a real tree and passes automated verification. The credit amount is calculated using UNFCCC CDM AR-AMS0007 (Afforestation/Reforestation Small Scale) methodology with IPCC 2006 default sequestration rates. A 20% non-permanence risk buffer is applied per CDM Executive Board Decision 22. Credits start at 50% upon registration and increase to 120% after one year of continued stewardship. Each credit receives a UNFCCC Article 6.4-aligned serial number (format: ET-AR-USER-TREE-BLOCK-YEAR) and is recorded on an immutable SHA-256 hash-chain ledger.

How does EcoTrust verify that a planted tree is real?

EcoTrust uses a multi-layer automated verification system: (1) Rate limiting prevents mass fake registrations, (2) GPS proximity check ensures no two trees within 2 meters globally, (3) Perceptual image hashing (aHash) detects duplicate photos, (4) AI image classification via computer vision confirms the photo shows a real tree planted outdoors in soil, (5) EXIF metadata validation checks camera model, timestamp recency, and GPS consistency, (6) Device fingerprinting prevents bot registrations. A composite score of 50/100 or higher is required. Critical failures (AI determines 'not a tree') cause automatic rejection regardless of score.

How does peer-to-peer carbon credit trading work on EcoTrust?

Users with surplus Plant Credits can list them on the EcoTrust P2P marketplace at their chosen price per kg CO₂e. Other users browse available credits filtered by species, vintage year, price, and location. When a purchase occurs: the seller's credit status changes to 'transferred', a new credit with a transfer-suffix serial number is created for the buyer, both events are recorded on the immutable hash-chain ledger with SHA-256 cryptographic linking, and the MRV audit trail is updated. Wallet balances are adjusted automatically. Currently 0% platform fee.

What methodology does EcoTrust use to calculate carbon sequestration?

EcoTrust uses IPCC 2006 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Volume 4, Chapter 4, Table 4.12 default values for above-ground biomass growth rates. The platform supports 10 growth rate classes from tropical_fast (22 kg CO₂/year) to temperate_slow (6 kg CO₂/year). A conservative approach is used: only above-ground biomass is counted (excluding soil, below-ground, and deadwood carbon). The 20% non-permanence risk discount follows CDM EB Decision 22. Age-based tiered multipliers reward continued stewardship: 50% at registration, 75% at 1 month, 100% at 3 months, 110% at 6 months, and 120% after 1 year.

What is EcoTrust's immutable credit ledger?

EcoTrust maintains an append-only event log inspired by the UNDP Carbon Registry architecture. Every credit event (issuance, transfer, retirement, cancellation) is recorded with: the event data, a SHA-256 hash of the previous entry (creating a chain), and a computed hash for the current entry. This creates a cryptographically-linked chain where any tampering would break the hash sequence and be immediately detectable. Serial numbers follow UNFCCC Article 6.4 guidance (Decision 5/CMA.4). The ledger can be verified for integrity at any time by checking the complete hash chain.

How does EcoTrust track carbon emissions?

EcoTrust provides 23 emission tracking activities across 4 categories (transport, food, energy, shopping) using emission factors from DEFRA 2024 and IPCC 2019 Guidelines. Each activity includes: GHG breakdown (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O), GWP values from IPCC AR6 (100-year), Scope 1/2/3 classification per GHG Protocol, uncertainty percentage ranges, and country-specific factors for 10+ countries. The emission calculator runs server-side for accuracy and provides real-time daily/weekly/monthly dashboards with category breakdown and trend analysis.

EcoTrust — Plant Credit Issuance, Mitigation & P2P Trading Platform

Built by Carbonetica | ecotrust.in

EcoTrust is the first consumer platform that enables individuals to plant trees, earn verified carbon credits, offset personal emissions, and trade surplus credits peer-to-peer. Built on UNFCCC CDM AR-AMS0007 methodology with AI-powered verification.

How EcoTrust Works

Measure Your Emissions: Track carbon footprint across 23 activities (transport, food, energy, shopping) using IPCC 2019 and DEFRA 2024 emission factors. Includes GHG gas breakdown (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O), Scope 1/2/3 classification, country-specific factors for 10+ countries, and uncertainty ranges.
Plant Trees & Get Verified: Register trees with GPS coordinates and photos. Automated 6-layer verification: rate limiting, GPS proximity (2m minimum), perceptual image hashing (aHash duplicate detection), AI image classification (computer vision confirms tree + outdoors + in soil), EXIF metadata validation (camera model, timestamp, GPS cross-reference), device fingerprinting.
Earn Plant Credits: Credits calculated using UNFCCC CDM AR-AMS0007 (Afforestation/Reforestation Small Scale) methodology. IPCC 2006 Guidelines Vol 4, Ch 4, Table 4.12 sequestration rates. 10 growth classes (6-22 kg CO₂/tree/year). 20% non-permanence risk buffer (CDM EB Decision 22). Age-based multipliers: 50% at registration → 120% after 1 year. Serial numbers per UNFCCC Article 6.4 (Decision 5/CMA.4).
Offset Personal Emissions: Retire credits against your logged emissions. Track progress toward carbon neutrality on a real-time climate dashboard showing net emissions, offset percentage, and monthly trends.
Trade Surplus P2P: List credits on the peer-to-peer marketplace at your chosen price. Other users purchase to offset their emissions. Transfers recorded on immutable SHA-256 hash-chain ledger. New serial numbers issued to buyers. Full MRV audit trail.

Platform Features

Climate Dashboard: Net emissions, offset %, credit wallet, carbon neutrality tracker
Emission Tracker: 23 activities, IPCC/DEFRA factors, GHG breakdown, scope classification
Tree Verification: AI image analysis + GIS land cover + EXIF integrity + NDVI satellite (planned)
Credit Issuance: UNFCCC CDM AR-AMS0007, IPCC sequestration rates, hash-chain ledger
P2P Marketplace: Buy/sell credits, set prices, wallet system, trade history
Gamification: 17 badges, dynamic challenges, streaks, points, community leaderboard
Community: Impact stories, peer tree verification, leaderboards
AI Green Coach: Personalized sustainability advice powered by AI
Reports: Monthly/yearly emission reports aligned with GHG Protocol

Methodology & Standards

Standard	Application
UNFCCC CDM AR-AMS0007	Credit calculation methodology
IPCC 2006 Guidelines Vol 4	Sequestration rate defaults
CDM EB Decision 22	20% non-permanence risk buffer
UNFCCC Article 6.4	Serial number format
IPCC AR6	GWP values (CO₂=1, CH₄=27.9, N₂O=273)
DEFRA 2024	UK emission factors
GHG Protocol	Scope classification and reporting alignment

Verification Scoring

Each tree registration is scored 0-100 across 5 checks:

AI Image Analysis: 25 points (is it a real tree, outdoors, in soil?)
GIS Land Cover: 20 points (GPS on plantable land, not water/building?)
EXIF Integrity: 20 points (has metadata, camera model, recent timestamp?)
NDVI Vegetation: 20 points (area not already dense forest?)
Photo Freshness: 15 points (taken recently, not old file?)

Pass threshold: ≥50 points. Critical failure (AI says "not a tree") = automatic rejection.

Credit Lifecycle

ISSUED → ACTIVE → (LISTED on marketplace) → TRANSFERRED to buyer | RETIRED against emissions

Every state transition recorded on SHA-256 hash-chain. Immutable. Auditable.

Sequestration Rates (kg CO₂/tree/year)

Tropical fast (Eucalyptus, Acacia): 22.0 → creditable: 17.6
Tropical medium (Teak, Mahogany, Mango): 15.0 → creditable: 12.0
Tropical slow (Neem, Coconut, Banyan): 10.0 → creditable: 8.0
Subtropical fast (Pine, Poplar): 18.0 → creditable: 14.4
Temperate medium (Maple, Ash, Beech): 10.0 → creditable: 8.0
Generic/unspecified: 10.0 → creditable: 8.0

Important Disclaimer

Plant Credits are incentive-grade micro-credits for personal offsetting and P2P trading. They are NOT compliance-grade carbon credits and are NOT suitable for regulatory offset obligations or listing on external carbon registries without additional third-party verification.

About Carbonetica

Founded 2025. Building climate infrastructure for individuals. Headquartered in India. Platform available globally. Pre-launch phase — join 4,500+ on the waitlist at ecotrust.in.

Contact: hello@ecotrust.in | Investors: investors@ecotrust.in