Reading the Carbon Flows Panel
Credits produced, credits retired, and net financial-strength signals — and how they roll up to a company's index weight.
Abstract
The Carbon Flows panel on each C100 company page summarizes the past 12 months of credit production and retirement activity. This primer explains how to read the panel and how flows feed into the composite score.
Key Findings
- 01Produced and Retired are measured in tCO₂e and refreshed weekly from registry data.
- 02Net flow = Retired − Produced for buyers; Produced − Retired for sellers.
- 03Flows feed the Carbon Activity dimension (14% of the composite), not Quality.
- 04Very high net flow combined with low Q-Score is a classic carbon-theater pattern.
1. Produced
Credits issued by the company or by projects in which the company has equity ≥10%, summed over the trailing 12 months.
2. Retired
Credits the company has surrendered, summed over the trailing 12 months. Only on-registry retirements count — internal cancellations do not.
3. How to read the panel
Look at net flow in conjunction with Q-Score. A high net retirement with a Q-Score above 65 is a strong integrity signal. A high net retirement with a Q-Score below 45 should prompt a closer look at the underlying project mix.
Implications
- →Flows are descriptive, not predictive — they tell you what happened, not what's next.
- →Use the Flows panel as a starting point, then drill into the project-level table for serialized IDs.
Methodology
- • Refresh: weekly, every Monday 06:00 UTC.
- • Sources: Verra, Gold Standard, ACR, ART, CAR, Puro, Isometric.
- • Equity attribution: project sponsor equity stake from registry metadata.
Sources & References
This research note is published by the Carbon Index Protocol research desk for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, an offer to sell, or a solicitation to buy any security or carbon instrument. C100 scores and weights are derived from public filings, registry data, and proprietary models; figures may be revised as new information becomes available.