What is Insetting?

People working in a lush green farm or garden surrounded by tall trees in the background.

Insetting empowers companies to harmonise their operations with the ecosystems they rely on, fostering a transition to more sustainable business models. By integrating nature-based solutions into their value chains, organisations can reduce emissions, enhance biodiversity, and deliver meaningful social impact—benefiting both the planet and their suppliers.

Diagram illustrating different practices in value chain mitigation. The left section, titled 'Within Value Chain Mitigation,' lists activities like agroforestry, sustainable agriculture, and reforestation, which contribute to scope 3 emissions reduction. The right section, 'Beyond Value Chain Mitigation,' includes management and conservation activities that do not directly contribute to scope 3. The central box, labeled 'Insetting,' explains land management and conservation efforts within the organization’s value chain that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and removals.

What are Insetting projects?

Insetting projects are interventions along a company’s value chain that are designed to generate GHG emissions reductions and/or removals, and at the same time create positive impacts for communities, landscapes and ecosystems (IPI 2023).

What is the SOCIALCARBON Insetting Framework?

The SOCIALCARBON Insetting Framework offers a structured process for quantifying emission reductions and removals associated with interventions within a value chain. It provides flexible requirements to accommodate situations where data can be linked directly to a company’s specific supply chain, as well as instances where the affected supply may not align perfectly with the supply received by the company.

View Framework

 Key features

  • The Framework integrates with the SOCIALCARBON Standard GHG methodologies to deliver robust quantification of insetting interventions and their emission reductions and/or removals.

  • The Framework offers precise guidance on supply sheds and sourcing regions to foster collaboration among value chain actors.

  • The Framework embeds holistic design and implementation into projects, ensuring they go beyond carbon and deliver sustainable livelihoods.

  • Establishes clarity for value chain claims, which includes the development of a transparent claim allocation system (under development)

  • The Framework defines requirements to ensure seamless integration between Inset and Offset projects and therefore lowering project sustainability risks.

  • The Framework builds on the SOCIALCARBON Standard safeguard requirements, ensuring projects align with best practice and do not harm.