Terms of Reference: Study on the End-to-End Digital Value Chain of an eCooking Carbon Credit

Background to the Assignment

The clean and modern cooking sector is undergoing rapid digitisation as stakeholders respond to growing scrutiny around carbon credit integrity, transparency, and risks of over-crediting. In the context of electric cooking (eCooking), the emergence of end-to-end digital monitoring, reporting and verification (dMRV) systems enables real-time capture of device usage data through metered technologies and secure data transmission channels. These systems are increasingly linked to digital registries and market infrastructure platforms, creating the potential for a fully traceable carbon credit lifecycle – from generation and verification through issuance, transfer, trade, and retirement. However, multiple initiatives are advancing in parallel – including national registry development, Article 6 infrastructure, standards-based systems, and private digital MRV platforms – without yet forming a fully integrated and interoperable ecosystem.

Given the increasing digitisation and the growing reliance on connected devices and metered technologies, internationally recognised electrotechnical standards will play a critical role in ensuring interoperability, measurement integrity, and system security. Engagement with international standards bodies such as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) will therefore be important to assess how existing standards can support digital MRV systems for electric cooking and where further standardisation may be required.

MECS and IEC are working collaboratively on this issue and through these ToRs are seeking a consultant/s or an organisation to complete the activities as described in the scope of work. The study will assess how a digitised electric cooking carbon credit is created through metering and then travels across this emerging digital value chain, identifying strengths, gaps, and alignment needs across project-level systems, standards, registries, and international infrastructure. The overall aim of the study is to develop a clear, practical, and technically robust blueprint for an end-to-end digital carbon credit ecosystem for electric cooking – ensuring environmental integrity, interoperability across registries (including Article 6 pathways), and operational reliability from device-level data capture to final credit retirement.

How to Apply 

• Email your proposals (max 12 pages, plus CVs) to mecs@lboro.ac.uk  with the subject ‘Study on the End-to-End Digital Value Chain of an eCooking Carbon Credit‘.
• Proposals should be submitted in Word (do not submit PowerPoint/Prezi or PDF)

Important Information

The total budget is a maximum of £46,000 (This must include all VAT/tax liabilities and all third-party fees/charges associated with the assignment).  

Loughborough University will accept the quotation which is the best value for money i.e. a balance between cost and quality. Shortlisted organisations may be invited to an interview (online) to finalise selection. 

Deadline 

All proposals must be received by 21 May 2026 23:55 PM BST.  The time will be determined using the time of arrival in the MECS inbox ( mecs@lboro.ac.uk ). Any offers received after 23:55 will be rejected.