# Does Gold Standard Design Certification mean our credits are real?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/gold-standard-design-certification-not-credits-yet

No. Design Certification means the design, monitoring plan and expected impact passed validation by an approved auditor and Gold Standard review. It does not mean any impact has been realised or verified. Credits such as VERs come only after Performance Certification.

## What Design Certification covers

- The design and planning meet the requirements, including safeguards, stakeholder consultation and the SDG requirements.
- The design, monitoring plan and expected impact were validated by an accredited, approved third-party auditor (VVB).
- Gold Standard reviewed it, with an independent technical advisory committee and NGO supporters.

## What it says nothing about

The standard is explicit: it does not mean or imply that any impacts have been realised, will be realised, or have been verified by a VVB or certified by Gold Standard.

## What turns a design into credits

1. Run the project on the monitoring plan approved at design.
2. Submit a monitoring report for verification by a VVB.
3. Pass Gold Standard's performance review.
4. Only then can Certified Impact Statements and products, such as Gold Standard Verified Emission Reductions, be issued.

## What this means for sales and claims

Do not offer, price or promise credits to a buyer at the design stage as if they existed. Listed and design-certified projects may promote the project only as Gold Standard's Claims Guidelines allow for that status.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible is not a registry or an auditor. Its credit signals only screen whether a project looks eligible; the registry decides.

- [Carbon credit signals](https://senseible.earth/carbon-credits)
- [Verra or Gold Standard: which to choose](https://senseible.earth/answers/verra-or-gold-standard-which-to-choose)
- [Preliminary review in 14 days](https://senseible.earth/answers/gold-standard-preliminary-review-14-days)

Sources: [Gold Standard for the Global Goals, Principles and Requirements v2.1 (January 2025), sections 2.1 and 2.2](https://globalgoals.goldstandard.org/standards/101_V2.1_PAR_Principles-Requirements.pdf)

Last reviewed 2026-11-03. Read from version 2.1 (31 January 2025), which listed an update for 5 December 2025. Check for a newer version before relying on it.