New information has been published about the price of voluntary carbon credits from Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code projects. 

The data, reported by Ecosystem Marketplace, shows the price of Woodland Carbon Code units rose from an average of £11 in 2020 to £23.30 in 2023. 

The price variation between woodland projects of different species types has also been reported for the first time. Units from broadleaf projects attracted an average price of £29.31 in 2023, while units from mixed conifer projects were sold for an average of £20.62.

The information has been published by Ecosystem Marketplace, which gathered data from project developers and resellers through their Global Carbon Markets Hub.

During the 2023 and 2024 data collection, they collected data about 668 transactions from Woodland Carbon Code project developers and retail aggregators, representing over 865,000 carbon credits. They also gathered data about 122 transactions by Peatland Code project developers and retail aggregators, corresponding to over 29,000 credits. 

As only a small number of respondents provided data for 2024, Ecosystem Marketplace was unable to share information on sales from this year for both Peatland Code and Woodland Carbon Code projects. However, some respondents reported data for earlier years, allowing Ecosystem Marketplace to provide a more accurate picture of historical pricing information. To maintain confidentiality, it was not possible to report further prices for Peatland Code sales for earlier years. 

Commenting on the findings, Dr Vicky West, Senior Development Manager for the Woodland Carbon Code, said: “The UK voluntary carbon market plays a vital role in empowering landowners, organisations and businesses to address climate change through woodland creation and peatland restoration projects. 

“Having robust data on the price of carbon units from these projects helps to provide transparency and confidence in the market. 

“We are pleased to be able to share information about the price of units from projects of different species for the first time, with broadleaf projects attracting a higher value from carbon buyers. However, it is important to note that this insight is based on a limited number of respondents. We are keen to continue to gather more data on this in coming years to build up a more comprehensive picture. 

“We are grateful to all of the project developers and retail aggregators who have reported their sales data so far and we encourage others to contribute to this important work as well.” 

The Woodland Carbon and Peatland Code teams will work with Ecosystem Marketplace and market participants to update this data in 2025.

You can find out more about Ecosystem Marketplace’s pricing report on the Woodland Carbon Code website.  

If you have sold Woodland Carbon Code or Peatland Code carbon credits, you can report your prices anonymously through the Global Carbon Markets Hub at any time.