1. EU ETS (European Emissions Trading System)

• Main participants in SKUR: The largest emitters and active traders of allowances in Slovakia include industrial plants such as U. S. Steel Košice (steel, metallurgy), the Slovnaft refinery, the Duslo Šaľa chemical plant, cement plants (e.g. Lafarge Holcim) and large heat/power plants. These companies must cover their emissions annually by buying or selling allowances.
• Industries: The ETS mainly involves energy (thermal power plants and heating plants) and heavy industry (metallurgy, refineries, chemical and cement industries). They account for the main share of CO₂ emissions under the EU ETS in Slovakia.
• System administrator: The National Emission Allowance Registry (SKUR) is managed as the national administrator by ICZ Slovakia a. s., while the competent authority is the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic. ICZ Slovakia ensures transfers, registration and control of allowances within the Slovak registry.

2. Voluntary carbon credit market

• Entities in Slovakia: Several Slovak companies offer services related to voluntary carbon credits. The most well-known include: Forest Carbon, Green, Climate Bank whether Slovak Institute for Energy EfficiencyThese organizations are engaged in the purchase and sale of credits, consulting, and certification of emission reduction projects (offset projects).
• Who buys offsets: Some large Slovak companies and organizations use voluntary offsets to compensate for their own emissions. For example SPP (Slovak Gas Industry) buys credits exclusively from verified projects with the Verra (VCS) or Gold Standard certificate. Supported projects include, for example, the Brazilian REDD project (prevention of deforestation), solar and wind farms in India, and methane capture in waste treatment plants in Bulgaria. The West Slovak company Leo Express offers customers the opportunity to compensate for travel – passenger contributions finance tree planting. In 2025, Leo Express supported the planting of 202 trees in Czech and Slovak municipalities (spent ~€19,300). (A similar program is also available from the carrier RegioJet.)
• Well-known Slovak offset projects: Direct commercial offset projects in Slovakia are still in their early stages. They are often local environmental initiatives (forest planting, wetland protection, biochar test projects or agricultural methods that bind carbon in the soil), financed by grants or corporate responsibility, rather than the sale of certified credits. According to the Circular Economy Institute Slovakia does not have developed verified voluntary compensation schemes – they only mention programs like Clean Advantage or SlovSEFF, whose methodology and effectiveness have not yet been verified. In other words, commercially valued projects (e.g. large-scale afforestation or extensive wetland restoration) are still lacking in our country – pilot and voluntary activities without issuing credits prevail.

Source: Information from news and official websites (Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic, ICZ Slovakia, Energie-Portal, SPP, Leo Express, INCIEN).