Double-counting can really kill your carbon credit project, degrading the quality of your data and costing you hours of clean-up work. That is why “No double-counting” stands as one of the fundamental principles in the voluntary carbon market.
In cookstove projects within the context of carbon credits, it is imperative to ensure that each carbon credit is only counted and sold once. This necessitates tying one cookstove unit to one carbon credit and to one beneficiary.
For project developers distributing thousands of units, the risk of errors can result in significant inefficiencies and costs. This also translates into additional work for the VVBs (Validation and Verification Bodies) and ultimately contributes to an ecosystem that lacks transparency and integrity. Without the right tools, units typically distributed by field agents are chosen from lists (paper or digital) used by multiple agents simultaneously, but not mutually updated, or at least not efficiently. For example, lengthy dropdown lists or typing in serial numbers that are both error-prone and without immediate updates on stock availability. The latter can ultimately lead to unfortunate mistakes and double-counting, as one unit may end up with more than one carbon credit counted and sold.
With Upya’s Inventory Management, a feature designed to track carbon credits precisely by following each unit, preventing errors and double-counting, you can ensure that no unit is used or inputted twice. It is achieved by meticulously tracking, scanning and updating ownership of each unit individually; all the way from the factory to the warehouse, then to each field agent and eventually to the final beneficiary. The main rationale being that if a field agent scans a unit (and effectively claims it), no other agent can claim that same unit since the stock database is updated for everyone. This approach effectively filters out duplicated data.
Furthermore, to guarantee accurate carbon credit tracking and prevent duplicate entries of units, Upya’s tool leverages a set of distinctive features:
- Mass uploads to avoid manual entry and errors: Upya’s system allows project developers to upload serial numbers of their units through a one-click excel upload. The process eliminates errors from manual data entry and ensures there are no duplicates of serial numbers from the get-go.
- Advanced scanning options for real-time stock updates: the Upya mobile app enables users to scan barcodes, QR codes and NFC tags to assign units to themselves, whether they are a warehouse, a distribution centre, a repair centre or even to an agent and an end beneficiary. Moreover, each scan automatically updates units’ stock database with information about its location (warehouse or household) or current holder (warehouse, agent or end beneficiary). This will ensure that the physical and digital movement of the unit occurs simultaneously.
- Field agents pre-stock allocation to avoid duplication: Upya web app assigns specific units to dedicated field agents. As a result, agents can only distribute or sell units available on their Upya mobile app. If they attempt to scan or select a unit from the dropdown list that is not allocated to them, the mobile app will display an error message.
- Stock allocation to teams: Upya allows to create Teams that consist of multiple users (e.g agents, warehouse staff) and assign a specific batch of stock to these teams allowing for a first filter of stock allocation and streamlining stock pick-up at the warehouse level.
As explained, integrating Upya’s Inventory Management into the MRV process is an easy way to avoid double-counting. Of course, an inventory management system enhances operational efficiency at multiple levels of an organisation (e.g reduces loss, theft and controls stock levels).
With Upya, project developers can leverage a robust digital tool equipped with advanced functionalities to streamline inventory operations, optimise team independence, and drive efficiency at every stage of the carbon credits project lifecycle. Learn more