Retiring Carbon Offsets
Retirement is the act of permanently cancelling a carbon credit so it cannot be sold or claimed again. Only retired credits can be used in net-zero or carbon-neutral claims that comply with GHG Protocol and ISO 14064.
Credits wallet
Go to Offset Marketplace → Credits Wallet to see all purchased but not-yet-retired credits.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Project | Name, standard and vintage year |
| Available | Credits ready to retire (tCO₂e) |
| Reserved | Credits reserved for a pending retirement |
| Retired | Credits already retired (readonly) |
Initiating a retirement
- Click Retire Credits (top-right of Credits Wallet), or click Retire on a specific project row
- Fill in the retirement form:
Form fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Credits to retire | Quantity (tCO₂e) — cannot exceed wallet balance |
| Retirement purpose | Net-zero claim / Carbon neutral product / Voluntary reduction / CDR |
| Beneficiary name | Legal entity name that will appear on the retirement certificate |
| Retirement period | The reporting period the credits are offsetting |
| Associated entries | Optional: link specific emission entries |
| Notes | Free text (appears on certificate) |
- Click Review to see a preview of the retirement record
- Click Confirm Retirement
What happens after confirmation
- AlchemOS Positive sends a retirement instruction to the relevant registry (Verra, Gold Standard, etc.) via the registry API
- The registry permanently marks the credits as retired under your organisation's name
- A Serial number range is recorded and locked to the retirement record (immutable)
- The retirement appears in your emissions accounting with a matching tCO₂e offset line
- A Retirement Certificate is generated and available under Certificates
Registry processing takes 1–5 business days. Until confirmed by the registry, the retirement shows status Pending.
Partial retirements
You do not have to retire all credits in one transaction. Retire in multiple batches — for example, one retirement per reporting period.
Linking retirements to emission entries
When you link a retirement to specific emission entries, the entries are marked Offset and no longer appear in your uncompensated footprint in reports and dashboards.
Entries cannot be double-offset — AlchemOS Positive prevents the same entry being linked to two separate retirements.
Viewing retirement records
Go to Offset Marketplace → Retirements to see a full history:
- Retirement ID
- Project and vintage
- Credits retired
- Registry serial numbers
- Registry confirmation status
- Associated period and entries
- Certificate download link
Regulatory notes
Important: Do not confuse "purchasing" with "retiring". A credit in your wallet is an asset you own but have not yet cancelled. Only retirement creates the accounting recognition needed for net-zero disclosures.
Some jurisdictions and frameworks (TCFD, CSRD) require you to disclose:
- Total credits purchased vs total retired
- Vintage year distribution
- Project type mix (avoidance vs removal)
AlchemOS Positive's Offset Summary report provides all of these metrics.