Sydney, 13 October (Argus) — Voluntary demand for Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) halved on the month in September to reach the lowest for that month since 2018, while bringing third quarter cancellations to a four-year low.
A total of 40,533 ACCUs were cancelled for voluntary purposes in the Australian National Registry of Emissions Units (ANREU) in September, down from 82,197 units in August, according to the latest voluntary cancellation register data from Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator (CER).
Cancellations last month were the lowest for September since 2018, while combined voluntary demand over January-September totalled 832,542 ACCUs, the lowest since 2021 (see table).
The September cancellations put voluntary demand in the third quarter of 2025 at 164,059 ACCUs, also the lowest for a third quarter since 2021 at 132,698 units, according to CER data. The volume is also the second lowest for any quarter, only above 154,731 ACCUs in the first quarter of 2025.
This is contrast with the second quarter of 2025, when voluntary demand reached 507,457 ACCUs, the second highest for any quarter, only below the fourth quarter of 2023 at 793,113 units, according to separate quarterly CER data.
The CER expects voluntary ACCU demand to reach 1.3mn-1.5mn units in 2025, which would compare with 1.33mn recorded in 2024.
Cancellations of certified emissions reductions (CERs) in September, meanwhile, reached only 6,854 units. The market for those carbon units has been “uncertain”, despite a large inventory of 10mn units in the local registry, the regulator said in September.
The weaker voluntary demand overall came as several companies exited the federal government-backed voluntary certification programme Climate Active in recent months on the back of negative academic and media coverage and increasing climate litigation risks.
The number of certified brands under Climate Active is currently at 489, down from almost 590 at the end of 2024. Meanwhile, the number of brands that stopped using the certification increased to 293 from around 180 over the same period.
By Juan Weik
