The Gold Standard is a certification scheme for voluntary and compliance carbon credits, accepting only renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that actively promote sustainable development. The Gold Standard Version 2 consists of the following documents:

The Requirements present the fundamental principles and the rules of Gold Standard certification in a concise way.

The Toolkit describes the project cycle and provides examples and detailed instructions on the use of the Gold Standard.

The Upgrade explains the differences between the Gold Standard Version 1 and 2.

Gold Standard version 2 is valid starting from 1 August 2008.