Climate solutions provider Patch is rolling out a new platform that seeks to centralize data, software and expert analysis so companies can move more quickly and with more confidence in the fragmented and fast‐growing voluntary carbon market (VCM).
Currently, buyers often find themselves at a disadvantage, as many lack the specialized teams needed to scrutinize project science, economic viability, supplier relationships and procurement logistics.
Meanwhile, suppliers typically control most of the data; buyers must rely on third parties or face inconsistent disclosure.
These realities produce long and opaque procurement cycles, especially for those required to maintain rigorous audit trails.
Relevant: Hidden Shake-Up In The Voluntary Carbon Market Unveiled In Patch Report
At the core of Patch’s new solution is a database of more than 25,000 projects, including all projects from ICROA‑endorsed registries.
The platform standardizes key variables—methodologies and their versions, project types, location data, issuance history, vintage, permanence and buffer arrangements—into a queryable model.
It also aggregates core project documents such as monitoring reports, project design documents (PDDs), risk assessments, and other essential materials that used to be scattered.
Yet the tool is more than just data collection, as its goal is to “combine the scale and speed of technology with the judgment and guidance of experts,” Patch explained.
By using algorithms and an integrity heuristic, it weeds out projects unlikely to meet the firm’s project acceptance criteria, combined with real‑world issuance and listing status to spot projects moving from pipeline to realization.
This process helps condense thousands of projects into a manageable shortlist tailored to buyer risk profiles, timelines and budget constraints.
Patch’s leaders contend that pairing human judgment with AI‑enabled automation yields better decisions.
While AI sifts through unstructured documents and surfaces patterns, critical high‑stakes judgments remain in human hands—evaluating trade‑offs, adjusting for risk, and aligning impact with values.
Buyers benefit not just from speed, but from auditability. The platform delivers transparency into procurement paths, enabling users to trace every decision from the sourcing of credits to the final transaction.
As climate finance grows more prominent, Patch aims to level the information playing field—so that corporations large and small can engage in emissions‑reduction efforts with both efficiency and credibility.
