South Pole Obtains KPMG Reasonable Assurance for Carbon Quality Management Framework

South Pole has obtained reasonable assurance from KPMG under the ISAE 3000 international standard for its Quality Management Framework, the internal system governing how the company screens, assesses and monitors its carbon projects. The company achieved this level of assurance, described as the highest under the standard, with zero exceptions in its first audit cycle. The framework has been refined across more than 350 projects globally and is overseen by South Pole's independent, in-house Risk Team.

 

Reasonable assurance under ISAE 3000 represents a higher level of independent verification than the limited assurance more commonly applied across sustainability and carbon market disclosures, requiring more extensive audit evidence, testing and documentation before an assurance provider can confirm that a company's controls are fairly presented, suitably designed and properly implemented. KPMG's review specifically covered the core controls within South Pole's framework governing how the company vets project partners, quality-checks projects for carbon integrity and environmental and social impacts, maintains ongoing oversight over time, and translates quality findings into client disclosures and sales practices, confirming these controls as accurate as of 15 June 2026.

 

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The company frames this assurance as extending beyond standard carbon registry compliance requirements, since the Quality Management Framework builds on top of, rather than replaces, the existing reviews conducted by third-party validation and verification bodies under recognised carbon certification standards. Leila Kamdem, Chief Risk Officer at South Pole, said "corporate buyers require confidence that the quality, integrity and risks of their carbon portfolio are identified and actively managed over time," adding that the KPMG assurance "confirms the strength of our internal controls and provides a higher-quality screening than standards alone." She said the result for clients would be "stronger confidence in procurement decisions, lower due-diligence burden and more resilient carbon portfolios that can withstand scrutiny."

 

Source: South Pole