Portugal Voluntary Carbon Market: Launch, Benefits and Transparency
Portugal's national Voluntary Carbon Market platform launched in October 2025, registering verified carbon credits through developers, verifiers and buyers.
The Voluntary Carbon Market (MVC) was established by Decree-Law No. 4/2024, of January 5, with technical implementation defined by Ordinance No. 241/2024/1, of October 2. The national platform, mvcarbono.pt, officially launched in October 2025, alongside the first technical methodology, "New Afforestation in Portugal".
How the market works
The platform records each Verified Carbon Credit (CCV), equivalent to one ton of CO₂, ensuring full traceability. The market rests on three agents: Developers register mitigation projects (such as new afforestation) and report results; Independent Verifiers validate the plans and confirm reported results; Buyers acquire CCVs to offset emissions, with the credit "cancelled" after use to prevent double counting.
The MVC's objectives include voluntary emission offsetting, valuing national mitigation projects, transparency in transactions, and strengthening the role of Portugal's forests as a carbon sink. Projects within Landscape Management Intervention Areas (AIGP) can also benefit from an incentive allowing partial recovery of credits allocated to the guarantee reserve.