What Is BVCM (and Why We Prefer to Call It Climate Contribution)
# What Is BVCM and Why We Prefer to Call It Climate Contribution
Beyond Value Chain Mitigation, or BVCM, is the sustainability term that few people love to say and fewer still understand.
It sounds technical, but its purpose is simple: to make space for credible climate action outside a business’s direct footprint.
BVCM sits between carbon reduction and offsetting.
It asks a question that accountants instinctively understand:
*If we can only control part of the system, how do we still take responsibility for the rest?*
At Thrive, we prefer to call this **climate contribution**.
It is a clearer, more human description of what BVCM means in practice.
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## The Origins of BVCM
The concept comes from the **Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)**, which sets the most widely recognised standards for corporate net-zero targets.
Under SBTi, companies are expected to reduce their own emissions by at least 90 percent before 2050.
The small remainder — the residual emissions that are hardest to eliminate — can then be addressed through verified carbon removals.
But SBTi also encourages companies to do more, sooner.
That additional, voluntary action beyond the value chain is what it calls **Beyond Value Chain Mitigation**.
In 2025, SBTi’s consultation on its *Net-Zero Standard V2* is still open.
The message remains consistent: reduce first, then contribute to removals, and disclose everything transparently.
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## Why BVCM Matters to Accountants
For accountants, BVCM is not just a climate concept.
It is a framework for decision-making.
It links cost, accountability, and impact — three things our profession understands better than most.
BVCM connects directly with three financial principles:
1. **Materiality** – Identify where action has meaningful impact, not just visibility.
2. **Proportionality** – Calibrate spending so that climate contribution reflects real performance, not publicity.
3. **Transparency** – Record and report every element clearly, so others can rely on the data.
By applying these principles, accountants can help clients build credible climate programmes that are measurable and defensible.
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## From Concept to Practice
For most SMEs, the idea of “beyond value chain” action can sound distant.
In practice, it means taking voluntary steps that reduce or remove carbon elsewhere while working to cut your own emissions.
This might include:
- Supporting verified carbon-removal projects through **[Ecologi](https://ecologi.com/)**
- Investing in nature-based restoration via **[Veritree](https://www.veritree.com/impact-hub/thrive)**
- Funding clean-energy access or regenerative agriculture in developing markets
- Collaborating with suppliers to accelerate shared decarbonisation goals
These are not offsets to cancel emissions.
They are contributions to accelerate solutions.
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## Setting a Framework for Climate Contribution
To embed BVCM in a business plan, apply the same structure you would to any investment:
1. **Measure** – Use a carbon-accounting platform such as **Sage Carbon Accounting**, **Sumday**, **NeoEco**, or **Trace** to establish a baseline.
2. **Set an Internal Price** – Define a voluntary carbon price per tonne of CO₂e (for example, £30–£50) to fund contributions.
3. **Allocate and Track** – Decide how that budget is distributed across removal and restoration projects.
4. **Report Transparently** – Publish how funds are used, without implying neutrality.
5. **Review Annually** – Adjust as your footprint and project quality evolve.
This brings the discipline of financial control to climate responsibility.
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## Quality and Integrity Still Matter
BVCM is not a licence to spend indiscriminately.
The same concerns that affect offsetting apply here too: additionality, permanence, and verification.
The **Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM)** now issues **Core Carbon Principles (CCPs)** to identify higher-quality credits, while the **Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI)** provides rules for public claims.
If a project or platform does not publish transparent data against these standards, approach it with professional scepticism.
This is where accountants add real value.
Our training in assurance and ethical judgement transfers directly to evaluating climate investments.
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## Communicating Contribution Without Overclaiming
Clients and investors are sensitive to exaggerated sustainability claims.
Regulators are watching too.
The **Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)** and **Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)** have acted against misleading neutrality statements, and the **EU Green Claims Directive** will restrict them further.
When communicating BVCM or climate contribution:
- Describe the action, not the outcome: *“We invest in verified carbon-removal projects.”*
- Avoid equivalence language: do not say *“We offset all our emissions.”*
- Link to published data and third-party verification.
This builds trust through transparency rather than perfection.
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## Why We Call It Climate Contribution
The label **BVCM** may satisfy technical frameworks, but it rarely inspires action.
Language matters.
When we talk about **climate contribution**, people understand it immediately.
It conveys responsibility and participation without the false comfort of neutrality.
At Thrive, this framing helps clients and peers move from hesitation to engagement.
It makes climate action sound like what it truly is — an investment in the shared economy we all depend on.
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## Final Thought
BVCM, or climate contribution, is not a new cost line on the P&L.
It is a reflection of purpose and accountability.
It allows businesses to act before perfection is possible and to do so with integrity.
For accountants, it represents a natural extension of our work: measuring, verifying, and advising with objectivity.
The numbers still matter, but now they tell a wider story.
📘 *Catalyst* explores how accountants can apply financial discipline to climate action.
👉 https://jameslizars.com/book
🔗 Follow me on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslizars/) for the next article in this series: **How Accountants Can Lead the Carbon Credit Conversation.**
