Version: 1.0 / Publication date: [[TBD – first production release date]] Public URL: /co2-attribution-policy Language: English (in case of translated versions, the Italian text shall prevail)
This policy explains, in a transparent way, how AdoptItaly attributes the environmental benefits generated by the trees adopted on the Platform — in particular CO₂ absorption claims, reputational attribution and ESG communication uses.
It is a public policy document, distinct from the contracts addressed to Farmers and customers. It is referenced by art. 6.6 of the Farmer Collaboration Agreement (DOCS/Terms_Conditions_Farmer_AdoptItaly.md) and by the Terms & Conditions addressed to the adopting customer.
1) Guiding principle — one tree, one claim
Every tree adopted on the AdoptItaly Platform generates one single environmental claim, attributed to the adopting customer for the entire duration of their adoption.
This principle is the cornerstone of our attribution policy and is consistent with international standards in climate reporting (GHG Protocol, no double counting principle).
In practical terms:
- whoever adopts a tree on AdoptItaly is the only party authorized to communicate, personally or in a corporate capacity, that they have contributed to the estimated CO₂ absorption of that tree during the period of their adoption;
- neither AdoptItaly nor the Farmer claim that absorption for themselves.
2) The meaning of "virtual ownership"
The adopter does not become the physical owner of the tree (which remains the Farmer's, or sits on land lawfully available to the Farmer) nor the holder of certified carbon credits. Instead, they acquire a virtual ownership of the environmental benefit: the exclusive right, for the duration of the adoption, to communicate and attribute that benefit to themselves in a transparent way.
This is a digital and contractual attribution, tracked by the Platform and anchored to a specific tree identified by a unique public code.
3) Methodology for estimating absorbed CO₂
The CO₂ values communicated by the Platform are conservative estimates based on:
- scientific literature on the tree's species and cultivar;
- estimated age of the plant;
- typical agronomic conditions of the Italian territory;
- average life-cycle of the species.
Limits and intellectual honesty:
- estimates do not replace direct, point-by-point measurements;
- estimates do not constitute certified carbon credits under standards such as Verra VCS, Gold Standard or ISO 14064-2;
- AdoptItaly does not market carbon credits: it offers a tree adoption service with virtual attribution of the estimated environmental benefit.
The formulas and coefficients adopted are described, for internal use and transparency, in the document DOCS/stats-formulas.md. Any methodological update is communicated on the policy's public page and reflected in subsequent versions of this document.
4) No double counting
For every adopted tree and for every adoption period, the environmental benefit is attributed only once and to a single party (the adopter).
Practical consequences:
- the Company does not sell, certify or assign separately to third parties (corporate ESG, carbon credit brokers, carbon registries) any claims already attributed to the adopters;
- the Farmer does not sell, certify or assign separately to third parties any claims for trees uploaded on the Platform, for the duration of the relationship with AdoptItaly and until the actual termination of the relationship itself;
- the adopter cannot in turn resell or assign the claim to third parties (they may only communicate that they have benefited from it for personal or corporate reputation purposes);
- trees of the Farmer not uploaded on the Platform remain at the Farmer's full availability for any independent environmental valorisation.
5) What AdoptItaly does — and does not do
What it does
- manages the Adoption Platform, the attribution of the claim to the adopter and the traceability on the uploaded tree;
- communicates, in aggregate and institutional form, the impact of the AdoptItaly network (for example: total number of trees adopted, total estimated CO₂ absorbed by the network, biodiversity preserved, area put under cultivation), for editorial, marketing and transparency purposes;
- publishes and keeps this policy up to date.
What it does not do
- it does not claim for itself the individual CO₂ claims already attributed to the adopters;
- it does not sell separate carbon credits to corporates or brokers;
- it does not use the network's aggregate estimates for purposes that could lead to double counting of the same absorption with other parties;
- it does not promise certified offsets or carbon-neutrality statements based on Platform claims.
6) What the Farmer does — and does not do
What they do
- they agronomically care for the uploaded trees, enabling actual CO₂ absorption;
- they are publicly recognised as the professional agricultural reference party for the tree;
- they may communicate that they are a "Partner of AdoptItaly" in accordance with the brand guidelines provided by the Company.
What they do not do
- they do not claim for themselves nor assign to third parties the environmental benefits of the trees uploaded on the Platform for the duration of the relationship;
- they do not sell carbon credits or ESG claims on the same trees to parties other than the adopter;
- they do not use CO₂ absorption statements of adopted trees in their own independent commercial communication in a way that could mislead about the ownership of the benefit.
7) What the adopting customer can do
The adopter is the virtual owner of the CO₂ claim for the duration of their adoption and may:
- declare, in personal or corporate communications (e.g. email signature, website, social media, internal non-certified sustainability report), that they have contributed to the estimated CO₂ absorption of that tree during the period of their adoption;
- include the figure in their own sustainability narrative, provided they also communicate its nature: conservative estimate, not a certified credit;
- receive a digital certificate issued by the Platform documenting the attributed benefit.
What the adopter cannot do
- they cannot resell the claim to third parties;
- they cannot present the claim as a certified carbon credit (Verra, Gold Standard, ISO) nor as an offset suitable to discharge regulated climate-reporting obligations (ETS, CSRD for in-scope entities, etc.);
- they cannot combine the same claim with other absorption attributions on the same tree for the same period.
8) Gift adoptions and adoptions shorter than 12 months
Gift adoptions
- upon redemption by the recipient, virtual ownership of the CO₂ claim transfers to the recipient for the duration of the adoption;
- before redemption, the claim is not attributed to anyone (the gift purchaser cannot claim it in place of the recipient);
- if redemption does not occur within the time limits set by the customer T&Cs, the adoption follows the ordinary rules set out there.
Adoptions shorter than 12 months
- for promotional or special adoptions with a duration of less than 12 months that do not provide for redemption by a recipient, the claim remains with the purchaser for the relevant period;
- the value of the claim is proportional to the actual duration of the adoption.
9) Network-level aggregate communication
AdoptItaly may communicate aggregate data of the entire network (e.g. "X trees adopted, Y estimated tonnes of CO₂ absorbed in total, Z hectares involved") in editorial materials, marketing, annual reports and content on official channels.
Such communication does not constitute double counting in that:
- it reports system data (the sum of claims already attributed to adopters);
- it is explicitly declared as a network impact metric, not as a CO₂ claim available to the Company or to third parties;
- it is not sold or assigned as a separately monetisable unit.
10) International references and standards
This policy is inspired by, and consistent with, the principles of the following standards. AdoptItaly does not issue certified credits under any of them:
- GHG Protocol (World Resources Institute / WBCSD) — no double counting principle;
- CSRD / ESRS E1 — Climate Change, transparency principle in the attribution of carbon removals;
- ISO 14064-2 — quantification, monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas removals (used as methodological reference only, not as an AdoptItaly certification);
- Italian AGCM guidelines on green claims — prohibition of unfair commercial practices on environmental claims;
- EU Green Claims Directive (in the process of adoption) — burden of proof and transparency obligations on environmental claims addressed to consumers.
Consistently with these standards, AdoptItaly avoids wording such as "certified offset", "carbon offset", "guaranteed neutrality" and the like, unless such terms are accompanied by clarifications that exclude their interpretation as regulatory certification.
11) Policy updates
This policy may be updated to reflect:
- evolution of international standards and EU/Italian regulation;
- refinement of estimation methodologies;
- introduction of new types of adoptions, trees or products.
Updates are communicated on the public page and, for the parts that affect contractual obligations of Farmers and customers, follow the amendment procedures set out in the Farmer Collaboration Agreement (art. 17) and in the customer T&Cs.
Versioning
- Major (1.0 → 2.0): substantial changes to the attribution principle, methodology or scope;
- Minor (1.0 → 1.1): clarifications, editorial corrections, non-substantial regulatory updates.
12) Contacts and reports
For reports of possible violations of the no-double-counting principle by third parties wrongly attributing to themselves CO₂ claims relating to trees on the Platform, or for any clarification on the attribution of your own claim, you can write to [[TBD – e.g. sustainability@adoptitaly.com]].
Version 1.0 — [[TBD: production release date]]