The World’s First Digitally dMRV-Originated Exchange Transaction
Challenge
Carbon markets are plagued by fragmentation, lack of transparency, and persistent concerns around greenwashing and double counting.
Traditional carbon credit processes are slow, opaque, and disconnected — from project origination and verification through to trading and settlement. This creates a credibility gap, limiting institutional participation and slowing capital flows into high-impact climate projects.
At the same time, renewable energy projects, particularly in high-emission regions, require scalable, trustworthy mechanisms to monetise verified carbon reductions efficiently.
Solution
The First of its Kind
ZERO13, in collaboration with Decarb.earth, enabled the world’s first fully digital, end-to-end dMRV-originated carbon credit transaction.
NFT-backed Asset
This resulted in the creation of an NFT-backed carbon credit asset, representing fully verified and audited credits generated by renewable energy projects from GoSolr (Pty) Ltd, accredited via Decarb.earth.
Distribution
The asset was then distributed and traded via connected markets, including the SECDEX Marketplace, ensuring seamless market access and liquidity.
Using a multi-blockchain, “network of networks” approach, ZERO13 integrates:
- Digital measurement, reporting and verification (dMRV)
- Registry issuance
- Tokenisation of carbon credits via smart contracts
- Marketplace trading
- Delivery-versus-payment settlement
The NFT embodies the official accreditation of underlying carbon credit assets, generated by the pioneering efforts of GoSolr (Pty) Ltd, as recognised on the Decarb.earth platform. This digital asset represents a collection of fully verified and audited carbon credits. The rigorous accreditation process these solar projects undergo is a guarantee of their integrity and impact, as detailed on Decarb.earth’s Carbon Accreditation Page. This ensures that each carbon credit linked to this NFT not only aligns with, but also surpasses international standards for environmental benefit, impact and immediacy; offering a meaningful contribution to combating climate change.
This NFT is a digital representation of direct carbon emissions reduction – supporting the proliferation of solar energy as a key solution in the global strategy for decarbonisation. Each underlying carbon credit tonne owned by this NFT is a pledge towards the advancement of renewable energy technologies that are crucial for a sustainable future, representing a new era of environmental responsibility through the ownership of accredited carbon credit assets.
Outcome
- First-of-its-kind transaction: Fully digitised carbon credit lifecycle — from origination to settlement
- Elimination of greenwashing risk through end-to-end data provenance
- Institutional-grade transparency across verification, issuance, and trading
- Improved liquidity and price discovery via exchange connectivity
- Scalable model for renewable energy-backed carbon credits globally
This establishes a new benchmark for trust, efficiency, and interoperability in carbon markets.
How It Works
1. Project Digitisation & dMRV
Decarb.earth digitises renewable energy projects (solar, wind, biomass) on blockchain (Polygon), enabling real-time measurement, reporting, and verification of emissions reduction data.
2. Verification & Registry Issuance
Carbon credits are verified and issued via integrated digital registry infrastructure (e.g. CarbonCX), ensuring integrity and auditability.
3. Tokenisation
Through ZERO13, credits are converted into digital assets backed by smart contracts, embedding provenance and traceability.
4. Market Distribution
Credits are made available across connected exchanges, including SECDEX Marketplace, maximising access to global buyers.
5. Trading & Settlement
ZERO13 facilitates delivery-versus-payment (DvP) settlement across its multi-network infrastructure, ensuring secure and efficient transactions.
6. Structured Product Enablement
Credits can be further distributed via other instruments, expanding access to institutional investors.
ZERO13’s 7Cs
Climate:
Direct support for renewable energy projects driving measurable emissions reduction.
Carbon:
High-integrity, digitally verified carbon credits with full lifecycle traceability and provenance.
Commodities:
Carbon positioned as a structured, tradable environmental commodity within regulated and scalable markets.
Capital:
Mobilises institutional capital through transparent, yield-generating carbon-linked digital assets.
Communities:
Drives socioeconomic uplift by prioritising projects that deliver local economic and social impact.
Countries:
Enables sovereign and cross-border carbon market participation through interoperable digital infrastructure.
Connectivity:
Integrates fragmented systems such as dMRV, registries, exchanges, and settlement into a unified “network of networks”.
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