# EcoTrust — Complete Platform Documentation > The first consumer platform for plant-based carbon credit issuance, personal emission mitigation, and peer-to-peer credit trading. Website: https://ecotrust.in Company: Carbonetica (founded 2025, India) Status: Pre-launch with 4,500+ waitlist members Contact: hello@ecotrust.in | investors@ecotrust.in --- ## Platform Overview EcoTrust enables individuals to: 1. Measure their carbon footprint using IPCC/DEFRA emission factors 2. Plant real trees and register them with GPS coordinates and photo evidence 3. Pass AI-powered multi-layer verification 4. Earn verified Plant Credits (micro-scale carbon credits) 5. Offset personal emissions by retiring credits 6. Trade surplus credits with other users on a P2P marketplace --- ## How It Works — Step by Step ### Step 1: Track Emissions Users log daily activities across 23 categories in 4 sectors: - Transport (car, bus, flight, train, motorbike, etc.) - Food (meat, dairy, plant-based meals) - Energy (electricity, natural gas, heating) - Shopping (clothing, electronics, general goods) Emission factors sourced from DEFRA 2024 and IPCC 2019 Guidelines. Each log records: kg CO₂e, GHG breakdown (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O), Scope (1/2/3), uncertainty range. ### Step 2: Plant & Register Trees Users plant a real tree outdoors in soil, then register it in the app: - Take a photo of the planted tree - GPS coordinates captured automatically (high accuracy) - Select species and growth rate class - Add optional notes ### Step 3: AI Verification (6-Layer Fraud Detection) Each registration passes through automated checks: | Check | Points | Method | |-------|--------|--------| | Rate limiting | Gate | Max 3 trees/user/day | | GPS proximity | 15 | No tree within 2m globally | | Image hashing (aHash) | 20 | Perceptual hash detects duplicate photos | | AI image classification | 25 | Computer vision confirms: real tree + outdoors + in soil | | EXIF metadata validation | 20 | Camera model, timestamp recency, GPS consistency | | Device fingerprinting | 20 | Prevents bot registrations | Pass threshold: ≥50/100 points. Critical failure: If AI determines "not a tree" → automatic rejection regardless of score. ### Step 4: Earn Plant Credits Credits calculated using UNFCCC CDM AR-AMS0007 methodology: Formula: `creditable_kg = annual_co2_kg × 0.80 × age_multiplier` Where: - `annual_co2_kg` = IPCC 2006 default sequestration rate for species/growth class - `0.80` = 20% non-permanence risk buffer (CDM EB Decision 22) - `age_multiplier` = time-based stewardship incentive Age-based multipliers: - At registration: 0.50 (50%) - After 1 month: 0.75 (75%) - After 3 months: 1.00 (100%) - After 6 months: 1.10 (110%) - After 12 months: 1.20 (120%) Serial number format (UNFCCC Article 6.4 aligned): `ET-AR-{userId}-{treeId}-{blockNumber}-{vintageYear}` ### Step 5: Offset or Trade - **Retire**: Mark credits as retired against specific emission periods. Reduces net emissions on climate dashboard. - **Trade P2P**: List surplus credits on marketplace. Set price per kg CO₂e. Other users purchase to offset their own emissions. --- ## Sequestration Rates by Growth Class | Growth Class | Examples | kg CO₂/tree/year | Creditable (after 20% buffer) | |-------------|----------|-------------------|-------------------------------| | tropical_fast | Eucalyptus, Acacia mangium | 22.0 | 17.6 | | tropical_medium | Teak, Mahogany, Mango | 15.0 | 12.0 | | tropical_slow | Neem, Coconut, Banyan | 10.0 | 8.0 | | subtropical_fast | Pine, Poplar | 18.0 | 14.4 | | subtropical_medium | Bamboo, Sal | 13.0 | 10.4 | | subtropical_slow | Sandalwood, Olive | 8.0 | 6.4 | | temperate_fast | Willow, Hybrid Poplar | 14.0 | 11.2 | | temperate_medium | Maple, Ash, Beech | 10.0 | 8.0 | | temperate_slow | Oak, Cedar, Walnut | 6.0 | 4.8 | | generic | Unspecified species | 10.0 | 8.0 | Source: IPCC 2006 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Volume 4, Chapter 4, Table 4.12 --- ## P2P Credit Trading How trading works: 1. Seller lists an active Plant Credit at their chosen price (USD per kg CO₂e) 2. Listing appears on the marketplace with species, vintage, location, price 3. Buyer purchases using wallet balance 4. On purchase: - Seller's credit status → "transferred" - New credit created for buyer with transfer-suffix serial number - Wallet balances adjusted (0% platform fee currently) - SHA-256 hash-chain ledger updated for both parties - MRV audit trail records the transfer 5. Buyer can then retire the purchased credit against their own emissions --- ## Immutable Credit Ledger Every credit event is recorded in an append-only ledger: - Event types: CREDIT_SUPPORT, CREDIT_ISSUED, CREDIT_RETIREMENT, CREDIT_TRANSFER, CREDIT_CANCELLATION, CREDIT_ACQUIRED - Each entry contains: event data, previous entry's SHA-256 hash, computed hash for current entry - Creates a cryptographically-linked chain (any tampering breaks the sequence) - Integrity verifiable at any time by recomputing the full hash chain --- ## Emission Tracking Methodology 23 activities across 4 categories with: - Emission factors from DEFRA 2024 and IPCC 2019 - GHG breakdown: CO₂, CH₄ (GWP=27.9), N₂O (GWP=273) per IPCC AR6 - Scope classification: Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (energy), Scope 3 (indirect) - Country-specific factors for 10+ countries - Uncertainty percentages (5-50% depending on activity) - Monthly and yearly reports aligned with GHG Protocol --- ## Platform Features - **Climate Dashboard**: Net emissions, offset %, carbon neutrality tracker, monthly trends - **Plant Credit Issuance**: Full UNFCCC CDM AR-AMS0007 pipeline - **AI Verification**: 6-layer fraud detection with computer vision - **P2P Marketplace**: List, buy, trade carbon credits - **Virtual Wallet**: Deposits, trade payments/receipts, transaction history - **Eco Habits**: 10 daily sustainability habits with streaks and points - **Challenges**: Time-bound challenges (weekly, monthly, seasonal) - **Badges**: 17 achievement badges for milestones - **Community**: Leaderboard, impact stories, peer tree verification - **Reports**: Monthly/yearly emission reports with GHG Protocol alignment - **AI Green Coach**: Personalized sustainability advice - **Offline-First**: Sync system for areas with poor connectivity --- ## Technology - Mobile: React Native (Expo), TypeScript, iOS + Android - Backend: PHP 8.1+ REST API, MySQL/MariaDB - AI: OpenAI Vision (tree verification), GPT-4o-mini (assistant) - GIS: OpenStreetMap Nominatim (location verification) - Security: JWT auth, prepared statements, rate limiting, CORS, HSTS - Integrity: SHA-256 hash-chain ledger, UNFCCC-aligned serial numbers --- ## Important Disclaimer Plant Credits are incentive-grade micro-credits for personal offsetting and P2P trading within the EcoTrust ecosystem. They are NOT compliance-grade carbon credits. They are NOT suitable for regulatory offset obligations, corporate net-zero claims, or listing on external carbon registries (Verra, Gold Standard, etc.) without additional independent third-party verification and certification. --- ## About Carbonetica Carbonetica is a climate technology company founded in 2025, headquartered in India. The company builds consumer-facing climate infrastructure — starting with EcoTrust, which democratizes carbon credit issuance for individuals through tree planting. The platform serves a global audience with initial focus on India and Southeast Asia. Mission: Make climate action accessible, measurable, and rewarding for every individual.