We are pleased to announce the release of the Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) Model Guidelines under the Gold Standard methodology, co-authored by Seqana and Sustainable AG in coordination with Gold Standard.

Following a successful public consultation, we have incorporated your feedback to build a tool that complements Gold Standard’s SOC Framework Methodology and supports the wider adoption of SOC projects. These updated Guidelines are designed to provide clarity on the existing methodology and offer practical recommendations that help project developers implement SOC projects more effectively.

“These guidelines mark an important step forward in ensuring consistency, transparency, and scientific rigor in soil organic carbon modelling. By providing clear direction, we aim to build confidence among practitioners, policymakers, and investors, enabling soil carbon projects to deliver credible climate and environmental benefits at scale.” said Giancarlo Raschio, Senior Specialist for Nature at Gold Standard.

Enabling SOC Stock claims with high scientific integrity through validated and verified SOC stock model estimates, these guidelines empower farmers and project developers by enhancing SOC sequestration economics: Significantly reducing the required number of ground truth samples and uncertainty deductions over time will make more projects viable and all projects more cost-effective and scalable.

“The guidelines provide a robust scientific foundation while ensuring ease of use and universal applicability for cost-effective, scalable soil carbon modeling solutions. They enable both model-assisted and digital-soil-model-based estimates, supporting Gold Standard soil carbon projects and the evolving Nature-based Responsibility Framework.” - Julian Kremers, Co-Founder and CTO at Seqana 

These Guidelines were created to bring rigor and consistency to SOC modeling practices, while encouraging the adoption of best practices across the diverse range of SOC sequestration projects. Instead of prescribing specific models to use, the Guidelines focus on outcomes that are common across all modeling approaches.

Projects registered under the Gold Standard SOC Framework are eligible to implement these new standards immediately, and all newly registered projects will automatically fall under the updated requirements.

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What’s New in the SOC Model Guidelines

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1. Model-Assisted Estimations to Quantify SOC Stock

Projects can now combine sampling with model-assisted estimations to increase the precision of design-based estimates.

What this means in practice:

• Fewer ground truth samples are required to make claims
• Project claims are more precise
• Reduced uncertainty deductions result in greater revenue

For full details on model-assisted estimates and how to apply them in your projects, see the updated Guidelines here.

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2. Improved Validation of Model-Based Estimates

Teams can also leverage Model-Based Estimates, where the ground truth data collected during the project’s initial phase is used to validate the model after a certain amount of time of the project duration (typically 5 to 10 years). Once validated, the model itself can generate SOC stock predictions, with only a small number of additional samples required.

What this means in practice:

• Fewer ground truth samples are required over time
• Lower uncertainty deductions enhance project outcomes and revenue stability

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Updated Project Timeline for SOC Projects

The Guidelines showcase a possible project timeline (listed below) that integrates both model-assisted estimations and model-based estimations. This timeline demonstrates how projects can gradually reduce the amount of sampling required, while increasing precision and maintaining full scientific integrity.

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Adopting these new approaches enables companies to leverage tried and tested statistical approaches to reap the benefits of through fewer ground truth samples over time, reducing the logistical complexity of sampling over time, and allowing for more accurate revenue projections. 

Because of the wide range of applicable SOC models these guidelines are as flexible as possible to be an asset to project developers, rather than a hurdle. Projects are able to adopt one, both, or neither approaches depending on their project specifications. 

By following a structured timeline, developers can confidently scale their SOC projects with stronger scientific backing and improved financial outcomes.

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Upcoming Webinar

We are hosting a webinar co-hosted by Gold Standard, Seqana, and Sustainable AG to discuss the SOC Model Guidelines in detail, and answer questions that our key stakeholders may have about the new tool.

Date: October 14, 2025
Time: 14:00 CEST
Registration Link

This webinar will provide:

• A detailed overview of the updated SOC Model Guidelines
• Practical insights into implementation
• A Q&A session with experts from Gold Standard, Seqana, and Sustainable AG

We invite all project developers, verifiers, and interested stakeholders to join us to learn how these updates can strengthen your projects and accelerate SOC adoption worldwide.

These updated SOC Model Guidelines mark a significant milestone in the advancement of soil carbon sequestration. Together, we can ensure that SOC projects are underpinned by scientific rigor, transparency, and credibility, driving greater adoption of SOC projects for years to come.

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Want to learn how to these changes could postively impact your Gold Standard Project? Reach out to us, and we'd be happy to consult you on your project needs.