PIN
Project Idea Note
Summarizes the project, participants, location, technology, expected reductions, financing, and implementation structure.
AI platform × expert support
Take your JCM project from concept to documents.
With the GX-ETS and CBAM now in motion, Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) projects have real deadlines. CarbCut pairs an AI platform that drafts JCM documents from your existing materials with specialists who work alongside your team from theme design through registration.
- JCM partner countries in the system
- 31JCM partner countries in the system
- Country rule sets available
- 28Country rule sets available
- JCM workflow phases mapped
- 9JCM workflow phases mapped
Why now
Three schemes start moving at the same time
CBAM, the GX-ETS, and the JCM now share a calendar. Together, their deadlines turn corporate decarbonization from a good intention into scheduled work.
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
CBAM
EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
Definitive phase begins
From January 2026, the definitive phase applies and exporters of covered goods must report embedded carbon.
First surrender
In September 2027, the first certificates are surrendered for goods imported during 2026.
GX-ETS
Japan’s emissions trading scheme
Accounting begins
From fiscal 2026, covered operators begin accounting for their emissions.
Trading market opens
The trading market opens in autumn 2027. Up to 10% of a compliance obligation may be met with JCM and similar credits.
JCM
Joint Crediting Mechanism
32 partner countries
With Oman joining in April 2026, the JCM reaches 32 partner countries.
Government target: 100 Mt
Japan targets cumulative reductions and removals of 100 million tonnes by fiscal 2030.
Sources: JETRO (CBAM simplification rules), METI (emissions trading scheme), Ministry of the Environment (JCM).
The supply gap
The demand side has dates. The supply side does not have the volume
Cumulative JCM issuance stands at less than one hundredth of the government’s fiscal 2030 target. Forming projects is itself the bottleneck.
100×
Between issuance to date and the 2030 target
- JCM issued to date
- ~780,000 t
- Government target for FY2030
- 100 Mt
As of February 2025
Cumulative reductions and removals
~600k t
Recent peak annual JCM issuance (2023)
~25 Mt
Annual pace required to reach the target
300–400
Companies covered by the GX-ETS (100kt+ direct emissions per year)
Sources: JCM registry (February 2025), Ministry of the Environment (JCM), METI (emissions trading scheme), Renewable Energy Institute.
The documentation challenge
JCM applications demand accuracy across every document
Teams must follow official templates, apply the correct methodology, account for country-specific rules, and keep every document consistent. Much of that work is still manual.
Detailed official templates
A PDD must document methodology application, emission-reduction calculations, and the monitoring plan in a prescribed structure.
Country-specific requirements
Credit allocation, crediting periods, and eligibility conditions are defined separately in each country’s Rules of Implementation.
Changes that affect multiple documents
A change to eligibility criteria or emission sources can require corresponding updates to the PDD and monitoring plan.
How it works
From source materials to a working draft in three steps
Start with the materials you already have. CarbCut supports documentation for three parts of the 9-phase JCM workflow: methodology, project design, and monitoring.
Upload your source materials
Upload feasibility study reports, specifications, presentation decks, and financial models. CarbCut extracts the project summary, participants, and estimated GHG reductions.Create the first draft
Using the selected methodology and the partner country’s official rules, CarbCut drafts the PIN, methodology, PDD, and monitoring plan.Review and export
Review changes in a diff, revise the content, and export Japanese or English versions in PDF, Word, or Excel format.
Documents
Four core documents for a JCM application
CarbCut drafts each document in the structure of its official template and manages shared information as a single structured record.
Methodology
JCM Methodology
Defines eligibility criteria, emission sources, emission formulas, monitoring parameters, and key terms.
PDD
Project Design Document
Documents the project, methodology application, emission calculations, environmental impact assessment, and local stakeholder consultation.
MPS
Monitoring Plan Sheet
Uses the methodology and PDD to prepare an Excel file in the official sheet format.
- Source materials
- PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel — up to 10 files at 20MB each
- Rule checks
- Rule checks based on official documents from 28 countries
- Bilingual output
- Japanese and English versions from the same content
- Change management
- Impact checks and a diff for each revision
Current coverage
Supported methodologies and partner countries
Supported methodologies
Indonesia
HFC destruction
JCM_ID_F_ver01.0
Covers the destruction of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
Viet Nam
Solar PV
JCM_VN_AM_001
Covers the installation of grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems.
Thailand
Energy efficiency
JCM_TH_EE_001
Covers energy-efficiency improvements in production facilities.
Registered partner countries
- Mongolia
- Bangladesh
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- Maldives
- Viet Nam
- Laos
- Indonesia
- Costa Rica
- Palau
- Cambodia
- Mexico
- Saudi Arabia
- Chile
- Myanmar
- Thailand
- Philippines
- Senegal
- Tunisia
- Azerbaijan
- Moldova
- Georgia
- Sri Lanka
- Uzbekistan
- Papua New Guinea
- United Arab Emirates
- Kyrgyzstan
- Kazakhstan
- Ukraine
- Tanzania
- India
Rule checks based on official documents from 28 countries — countries with an available rule set are marked ✓.
Compared with general AI
Where a general AI assistant stops being useful for JCM documents
If you have tried drafting with ChatGPT or Gemini, you have probably hit these four walls. CarbCut is designed around them.
General AI assistant
Rules it works from
General AI assistant
Trained mainly on public web content, it does not systematically reference each partner country’s Rules of Implementation or methodology guidelines.
CarbCut
CarbCut ingests official partner-country documents and holds rule sets for 28 countries in machine-readable form, drafting against the rule set for the country you select.
When information is missing
General AI assistant
It tends to fill gaps with plausible prose, and the reader cannot tell which passages were invented.
CarbCut
When required information is not in your materials, CarbCut marks the field incomplete instead of guessing, and raises a follow-up question. Inputs that conflict with official requirements are flagged.
Projects and revisions
General AI assistant
Documents get buried in chat history, which does not suit parallel projects, revision control, or sharing across a team.
CarbCut
Documents are managed per project and saved as a revision on every change. CarbCut flags the PDD sections affected by a methodology change and shows each update as a diff.
Handling confidential materials
General AI assistant
How your input is handled depends on the provider’s terms, so feeding in pre-submission feasibility studies or financial models requires its own review.
CarbCut
Data is separated by organization with Owner, Admin, Editor, and Viewer roles controlling access. Material is sent to the AI provider over an encrypted API connection.
How we work with you
From choosing a theme to registration, as your JCM team
CarbCut is not a tool hand-off. The platform and our specialists work together so a project can move forward without a dedicated JCM function inside your company.
Theme design and research
Handled by our specialists
- We start from your decarbonization roadmap and current carbon accounting.
- We propose several combinations of sector, technology, and partner country that fit your situation.
This phase is handled by our specialists
What you end up withSeveral candidate themes
Candidate selection
Handled by our specialists
- We assess each candidate for additionality and scalability.
- We introduce local developers and implementation partners.
Handled by the platform
Candidates are registered as projects and checked against the rule set for the selected partner country.
What you end up withA candidate list with a risk assessment
Drafting the PIN, methodology, and PDD
Handled by our specialists
- Our specialists review and revise the drafts the platform produces.
- We check each document against the official templates and country requirements.
Handled by the platform
The platform reads your existing materials, drafts all four documents in their official structure, and exports Japanese and English versions from the same data.
What you end up withA reviewed set of PIN, methodology, and PDD documents
Registration and project management
Handled by our specialists
- We drive the registration process and coordinate with local partners.
- We manage progress through to the design of the monitoring setup.
Handled by the platform
Progress and document revisions across projects are managed in one place, with impact checks when something changes.
What you end up withA completed registration and an operating setup
Getting started
It starts with a 90-minute conversation
There is no need to start with a large commitment. Try one project first, then decide how to proceed.
Initial conversation
A 90-minute conversation about your decarbonization roadmap and where your thinking currently stands. No charge.Trial design
We propose which project to start with and how far to take it.Run the trial
We work through one real project, up to drafts of the PIN, methodology, and PDD.Move to full use
Based on how the trial went, we agree the projects to cover and the scope of our support.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) enables Japan and partner countries to cooperate on reducing or removing greenhouse gas emissions, quantify the results, and allocate the resulting credits. CarbCut supports the documentation required to develop and register JCM projects.
A Project Idea Note (PIN) presents an initial project outline to the partner country. A Project Design Document (PDD) provides the detailed information needed for registration, including methodology application, emission-reduction calculations, and the monitoring plan.
CarbCut produces working drafts, not submission-ready documents. Because JCM validation and verification are performed by third-party entities, a qualified professional must review and revise every document before submission. CarbCut makes the first draft faster; it does not replace professional judgment.
All 31 JCM partner countries are registered in the system. For 28 of them, CarbCut uses rule sets derived from official documents to check project inputs. Three methodologies are currently supported.
Quality rests on three layers. First, drafting works from official partner-country documents — Rules of Implementation, methodology guidelines, and PDD guidelines — which CarbCut holds as rule sets for 28 countries. Second, when a required detail is missing from your materials, CarbCut marks the field incomplete instead of filling it with plausible text, and saves every change as a revision you can review as a diff. Third, every output is a draft, written on the assumption that a qualified professional reviews and revises it before submission.
CarbCut is currently available on a limited basis. Use the contact form to discuss implementation, request a demo, or ask for additional materials.
See how CarbCut could fit your project
Tell us about a current project or past submission, and we will show you how CarbCut could support your workflow.
Discuss your project