As of August 2026, voluntary carbon credit prices range from €5-10 per tonne for avoidance credits to over €500 for direct air capture, according to Regreener. Nature-based removal credits, such as afforestation and reforestation, trade between €7 and €24 per tonne, with premium projects reaching up to €60. Biochar credits are priced at €100-200 per tonne. The market is experiencing historical growth driven by regulatory pressures and corporate net-zero commitments, with high-integrity offsets in increasing demand. Compliance market prices for EU carbon permits are trading around €84 per tonne.
The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), and Merago Inc. signed an MoU to establish regenerative agriculture carbon credit projects for Indian cotton farmers. The initiative aims to generate carbon credits from sustainable cotton farming, including biochar production and compost application, to provide farmers with additional revenue. CITI-Cotton Development Research Association (CITI CDRA) will manage farmer outreach, ICAC will provide technical expertise, and Merago will handle the carbon asset platform. Credits will be processed and verified under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and Indian regulatory standards for commercialisation in domestic and international markets.
The German government is finalising a national strategy on negative emissions to establish a legal and operational framework for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies, including biochar. Mandated by the national Climate Action Law, the strategy outlines target trajectories for technological carbon sinks through 2045 to compensate for hard-to-abate residual emissions. The environment ministry plans to introduce binding targets for technological carbon sinks for 2035, 2040, and 2045. A dedicated public subsidy programme will launch in 2027 to finance pilot and demonstration facilities, alongside market incentive mechanisms. This initiative aims to bridge the financial gap for CDR developers and integrate technological removals into Germany’s broader climate strategy.
Türkiye, Ghana, and Luxembourg have joined The Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets, increasing its membership to 14 governments. The Coalition, co-chaired by the UK, Singapore, and Kenya, aims to scale high-integrity carbon credit markets. This expansion signals growing political support for unlocking capital to drive climate-positive growth and sustainable development.
Isometric has issued 6,065 biochar certificates to Bioenergie Frauenfeld AG, marking its first certified carbon removal project in Switzerland. Bioenergie Frauenfeld, a joint venture of Energie 360° and Schweizer Zucker AG, operates a wood cogeneration plant processing 25,000 tonnes of forestry residuals annually. The facility produces 3,500 tonnes of biochar per year, intended for long-term carbon storage in agricultural soils and building materials. This certification validates carbon removal credits and supports Frauenfeld's municipal climate strategy, demonstrating a model for co-generating renewable energy and carbon sink materials from regional waste.
Brazilian developer Mombak completed the first delivery of Amazon reforestation credits to the Symbiosis buyer group, including Google and McKinsey, two years ahead of schedule. The delivery totals over 21,000 tonnes of removed CO2, generated from restoring degraded pastureland across 12 farms in the Brazilian Amazon. These are the first nature-based credits certified by Isometric, carrying Core Carbon Principles (CCP) labelling and dynamic baselines. Mombak attributed the early issuance to optimised land selection and strategic species composition, having planted nearly 15 million native trees. A second, larger issuance of 55,000 credits is expected in late 2026.
Microsoft has entered a long-term carbon removal offtake agreement with CREW Carbon for up to 23,602 metric tonnes of durable carbon removal. CREW Carbon's technology enhances wastewater treatment systems to capture and permanently store atmospheric CO2. This deal expands Microsoft's carbon removal portfolio as it aims for carbon negative status by 2030. The agreement follows previous advance purchase commitments for CREW Carbon, including a $32 million offtake facilitated by Frontier in December 2024.
The Capital Regional District (CRD) in Canada received $7 million in federal funding to develop a facility converting municipal biosolids into biochar. This investment, from a national infrastructure fund, will support engineering and regulatory planning for a dedicated conversion plant in Greater Victoria, British Columbia. The project aims to manage wastewater residual solids, which currently pose environmental risks, by converting them into stable biochar for long-term carbon sequestration. This initiative establishes a scalable precedent for Canadian municipalities integrating wastewater treatment with carbon mitigation.
The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) approved BioCarbon Standard, Cercarbono, and Plan Vivo (PV Climate) programmes on 4 August, bringing the total number of ICVCM-approved programmes to 13. This decision raises the estimated coverage of cumulative voluntary carbon market issuances by CCP-Eligible programmes to over 95%. The approvals are conditional on specific versions of each programme's rules and protocols, and for Plan Vivo, on the use of accredited validation and verification bodies. BioCarbon Standard and Cercarbono, both Global South-led initiatives, collectively account for over 215 million issued credits. All three programmes implemented governance, transparency, and safeguard improvements during the assessment process.
The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) announced that BioCarbon Standard, Cercarbono, and Plan Vivo (PV Climate) are now 'CCP-Eligible' programmes. This decision applies to projects registered under specific versions of each standard: BioCarbon Standard v4.1+, Cercarbono v4.5.2+, and Plan Vivo Project Requirements v5.7+. With these additions, CCP-Eligible programmes are estimated to cover over 95% of cumulative voluntary carbon market issuances. The ICVCM noted that BioCarbon Cert and Cercarbono, both Global South-led initiatives, strengthened their governance and safeguards during the assessment process. BioCarbon Standard has issued over 85 million credits from 54 registered projects, representing approximately 3.5% of VCM issuances.
The World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) made a first payment of US$8.8 million in December 2023 for carbon credits from Madagascar's Atiala Atsinanana Emissions Reductions Programme, part of a US$50 million agreement. However, an investigation by Malina network journalist Lynda Andriatsitonta found that local communities, designated to receive 5% of carbon credit revenues, have not received their payments. The report highlights payment delays, lack of consultation, and opaque decision-making processes, with some communities unaware of the promised benefits. The programme covers 15 REDD projects across 10% of Madagascar, with 119 communes expected to benefit.
PayPal has partnered with climate solutions provider 3Degrees to establish a carbon removal investment portfolio, directing corporate capital towards high-durability projects. This initiative supports PayPal's net-zero target by 2040 and includes investments in the Heartyculture Biochar project in India and a BECCS project by Gevo in North Dakota. 3Degrees structured a risk-mitigated procurement strategy, aggregating demand and conducting technical reviews to enable PayPal to purchase smaller, cost-competitive volumes of durable carbon removal credits. This approach aims to address market barriers for corporate buyers seeking high-durability removals from early-stage projects. The partnership provides actionable capital to developers and offers a template for corporate credit procurement through diversified technology investments.
NoviqTech subsidiary Coralia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with A Healthier Earth to evaluate a long-term carbon credit offtake agreement. The MOU covers a minimum of 70% of the biochar carbon removal credits generated by Coralia's Great Barrier Reef Biochar Project in Queensland, Australia. The project aims to process two million tonnes of agricultural biomass waste and generate 550,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide removal credits over its lifespan. This collaboration seeks to provide high-integrity carbon removal solutions for hyperscale data centres while addressing invasive woody weed species in Queensland.
Carbon registry Isometric issued 2,821 carbon removal certificates to Biochar Solutions Ltd. for carbon dioxide removal from the Burney Forest Power biochar facility in Shasta County, California. This issuance utilises Isometric’s Biochar Production and Storage Protocol alongside Cula Technologies' digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (dMRV) infrastructure. The certificates validate the physical generation, chemical stability, and agricultural disposition of biochar, providing transparent provenance for credits from California’s forestry sector. This initial issuance validates a scalable biochar supply chain that sequesters carbon and addresses regional wildfire risks by utilising woody biomass and forest residues.
Sylvera, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation and Meta, launched an open carbon data initiative for Brazil's Atlantic Forest. This project aims to standardise and make accessible high-quality carbon market data to improve transparency and decision-making in nature-based climate solutions. The initiative seeks to address data gaps and opaque monitoring frameworks that have limited investment in forest protection and restoration. By providing verifiable insights into forest carbon dynamics, the project intends to enhance market trust and accelerate capital deployment into conservation projects. This effort combines advanced analytics and remote sensing with standardised climate intelligence to support biodiversity preservation and sustainable economic development.
US Representatives Paul D. Tonko and Scott Peters, alongside Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Chris Coons, reintroduced the Carbon Dioxide Leadership Act. This bicameral bill mandates the US Department of Energy (DOE) to procure verified carbon dioxide removal (CDR) services, including direct air capture and other durable, technology-based solutions. The legislation aims to establish a federal procurement market for CDR, addressing the lack of predictable demand and market frameworks for nascent technologies. It requires competitive procurement contracts with escalating annual volumes and declining per-ton price ceilings, incentivising cost reductions and supporting commercialisation. The Act also mandates rigorous measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV) standards and includes set-asides for newer CDR technologies.
Representatives Tonko and Peters and Senators Whitehouse and Coons reintroduced the Carbon Dioxide Removal Leadership Act (CDRLA) this week. The bill proposes a federal carbon removal purchasing programme with specific evaluation criteria and volume targets for the next decade. This initiative aims to provide market certainty for the nascent carbon removal industry, which has relied heavily on a small pool of voluntary purchasers. The reintroduction follows the EU's plans to integrate certain carbon removal solutions into its Emissions Trading System, highlighting the need for US investment in carbon removal policy support.
The UN Article 6.4 Supervisory Body approved a new methodology on 30 July, enabling grid-connected renewable power projects to generate UN-backed carbon credits. This marks the first time such projects can issue credits under the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism, expanding its scope beyond landfill gas methane and nitric acid N2O. The methodology establishes qualification criteria, measurement protocols, and verification checks for emission reductions. This decision aims to support renewable energy deployment in countries facing financing barriers, aligning with global goals to triple renewable capacity by 2030. The Supervisory Body also updated registry procedures but deferred a decision on household cooking energy efficiency.
Sylvera has launched the Open Carbon Data Project, an initiative to generate open-access forest carbon data for the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The Rockefeller Foundation and Meta provided a combined $900,000 in funding for the project. Sylvera partnered with the State University of Santa Cruz, World Resources Institute, and the Symbiosis Coalition to create a benchmark-grade forest carbon dataset. This data aims to improve measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) for forest carbon, lowering market participation barriers for smallholders and increasing investor confidence. The data will be released later this year under a CC BY 4.0 open license.
Puro.earth has issued the world's first permanent carbon dioxide removal certificate for a project integrating biochar production with high-efficiency biogas utilisation. Developed by Novocarbo and Reverion in Linden, Germany, the facility combines high-temperature pyrolysis with advanced fuel cell systems. This operational model captures and permanently stores biogenic carbon from both thermal pyrolysis of organic waste and electrochemical conversion of biogas. The combined system achieves a net-negative carbon footprint, demonstrating a scalable framework for bioenergy facilities to become multi-revenue carbon removal hubs.
Dr Ma Jun, Chairman of the China Green Finance Committee, urged the Malaysian state of Sabah to convert agricultural and forestry waste into industrial biochar for export. Speaking at the Sabah Asia-Pacific Impact Investing for Sustainable Development Summit 2026, Dr Ma highlighted Sabah's unmonetised natural resources and overreliance on volatile carbon credit markets. He recommended adopting Chinese biochar processing technologies and leveraging China's green finance ecosystem, including Green Panda Bonds, to fund capital expenditure. This initiative aims to establish a high-revenue export industry, generating billions of ringgit by producing high-value substitutes for coking coal and chemical fertilisers.
Avio Smart Market Stack Limited and ProClime Services Private Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding to commercialise biochar-based soil enhancement solutions across India. The partnership combines Avio's rural distribution network, spanning over 5,000 villages, with ProClime's expertise in biochar production and carbon project development. This initiative aims to address soil degradation and improve agricultural productivity while generating verified carbon credits for farmers. The collaboration will develop biochar-integrated fertiliser formulations and utilise sustainable feedstocks like bamboo and agricultural residues. Farmers are expected to benefit from increased yields and secondary income through global carbon markets.
Be Zero suggests that regulation from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) could enhance the voluntary carbon market's integrity and functionality. The organisation argues that ESMA's oversight, typically applied to financial markets, could bring much-needed standardisation and transparency to carbon credit trading. This regulatory framework could address current market fragmentation and foster greater investor confidence. Such a move would align the VCM more closely with established financial instruments, potentially increasing its scale and effectiveness in climate action.
Sylvera has launched the Open Carbon Data Project, an initiative to generate high-resolution, open-access forest carbon data across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, Meta, and others, the project aims to provide scientifically rigorous data for measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) in carbon markets. This dataset will improve the accuracy of forest carbon stock measurements and validate satellite-based monitoring models. The data will be released later this year under an open licence, accessible to developers, registries, policymakers, and researchers globally, aiming to lower barriers for smallholder projects and increase investor confidence.
Indian firm ProClime and Japan's Cadira Capital Management formed a partnership to mobilise an initial $10 million for biochar carbon removal projects in India. This investment will fund seven plants across six Indian states, converting waste biomass into biochar. The facilities are projected to generate approximately 35,000 carbon dioxide removal credits annually, certified under Puro.earth and Isometric. Cadira will manage capital formation, while ProClime will handle development, operations, and carbon credit origination. Raicho Capital advised on the partnership, aiming to scale permanent carbon removal and create local economic opportunities.
Verra has launched its rebuilt carbon credit registry, powered by S&P Global Energy, migrating over 5,900 projects, 10,500 account holders, and 1.4 billion credits. The new platform integrates with Verra's Project Hub, allowing users to track a project's full lifecycle from listing to retirement within a single interface. This upgrade aims to provide infrastructure for carbon markets at scale, with future phases planned to include API connectivity and enhanced Article 6 functionality. Verra stated there are no changes to core fees or account requirements for existing account holders.
The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) have launched a new research initiative to explore how carbon markets can finance climate adaptation in vulnerable countries. The programme aims to identify ways for these nations to use carbon credit markets to fund adaptation plans, addressing an estimated annual finance gap of USD 310–365 billion by 2035. Findings will inform GGGI's Carbon Transaction Facility Readiness programme and VCMI's Access Strategies Program, focusing on policy options and readiness gaps for host countries. The initiative seeks to unlock new capital streams, potentially generating up to USD 50 billion if carbon credits account for a fifth of nature-based resilience solutions.
Sylvera has released its first framework for 'superpollutant' carbon credits, specifically covering landfill methane (LFM) projects, in December 2025. This follows increased market attention on superpollutants, with registry Isometric expanding into these credits in October 2025 and the CCAC launching a Superpollutant Country Action Accelerator at COP30 in November 2025. Superpollutants, including methane, nitrous oxide, and F-gases, have a greater warming impact per tonne than carbon dioxide and are estimated to have driven around 45% of historic global warming. Methane, for example, is approximately 30 times more potent than CO₂ over 100 years, with its warming impact concentrated in the near term due to a shorter atmospheric lifespan. The framework aims to help buyers identify high-integrity superpollutant projects.
Sylvera has introduced a new ratings framework to assess the quality of Alternate Wetting & Drying (AWD) projects in the voluntary carbon market. The framework evaluates projects across four pillars: Carbon Accounting, Additionality, Permanence, and Safeguarding & Co-Benefits. Carbon Accounting, which assesses over-crediting risk, combines Project Reporting and Carbon Modelling, examining monitoring methods, baseline assumptions, and accounting boundaries. This initiative aims to help buyers confidently assess AWD projects, a fast-growing project type addressing methane emissions from rice cultivation.
Microsoft has finalised a 10-year offtake agreement with carbon removal developer Liferaft for one million biochar carbon removal units. Facilitated by Supercritical, this represents the largest US biochar transaction to date. The carbon credits will be generated from Liferaft's industrial production facilities in Iowa and Illinois. This agreement addresses historical challenges in scaling biochar deployment by establishing consistent, large-scale removal streams with robust monitoring, reporting, and verification standards.
Frontier Infrastructure Holdings partnered with Carbonfuture for a multi-year agreement covering 750,000 durable CO2 removal credits from Frontier's ethanol bioenergy carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) initiative, Project Sprint. This deal represents the largest ethanol BECCS carbon removal agreement announced to date. Carbonfuture will offer these credits, certified under Puro.earth's Geologically Stored Carbon Methodology, to corporate and institutional buyers. CO2 sequestration and initial credit deliveries are projected to begin in Q4 2027, utilising Frontier's CO2-by-rail platform to transport captured biogenic CO2 for permanent geological storage in Wyoming.
The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) published a report on 29 July 2026, detailing challenges in the oversight of Validation and Verification Bodies (VVBs). The report, from its Continuous Improvement Work Program, identifies issues such as inconsistent oversight approaches, VVB shortages, and competency requirements for assessing safeguards. It concludes that strengthening oversight requires a system-wide approach involving accreditation bodies, carbon-crediting programmes, and market participants. The ICVCM proposes ten recommendations to improve VVB oversight and enhance confidence in validation and verification systems.
Amy Merrill, CEO of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), stated that governments in the UK, New Zealand, and the African Union are incorporating Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) eligibility into national policy. The ICVCM's 'double-tick' system assesses carbon crediting programmes at the governance level and individual methodologies on scientific merit. Credits passing both checks receive the CCP label, which has become a reference standard for high-integrity credits. National carbon crediting programmes are now also eligible for ICVCM assessment.
Puro.earth issued the first CO2 Removal Certificates (CORCs) for permanent carbon sequestration from biogas production to Inherit Carbon Solutions. The project, at Norway's VEAS wastewater treatment plant, captures biogenic CO2 from anaerobic digestion. HoopCO2 operates the on-site capture unit, and Northern Lights JV transports and injects the liquefied CO2 into geological aquifers beneath the North Sea. The facility received over 700 CORCs for its initial four months of operation and expects to sequester up to 7,000 metric tons of biogenic CO2 annually. This establishes a commercial model for linking regional biogas facilities with geological storage for engineered carbon removals.
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) updated its Corporate Net-Zero Standard v2.0, introducing Ongoing Emissions Responsibility (OER) guidelines that recognise landscape interventions as valid Scope 3 decarbonisation measures. This update elevates insetting to a standardised carbon dioxide removal requirement for land-dependent industries. Corporations like Nestlé, Danone, and Mondelēz face challenges managing land-based Scope 3 emissions, as external carbon offsets do not fulfil near-term climate targets under SBTi Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) rules. Companies are deploying biochar for insetting, which sequesters carbon and enhances soil fertility, with examples including Exomad Green's field trials in Bolivia and Better Cotton's partnership with Planboo. This strategy helps companies meet SBTi carbon removal requirements and secure resilient supply chains ahead of the 2035 OER enforcement deadline.
Carbonmark has launched an online marketplace enabling individuals and small businesses to purchase and retire carbon credits. The platform allows fractional purchases from 1 kg (0.001 tonnes) and offers Stripe-powered checkout for various payment methods. This initiative aims to democratise access to the voluntary carbon market, which traditionally required brokers and large minimum orders. Retirements on Carbonmark are recorded on a public blockchain, providing tamper-proof certificates for verification.
A recent commentary explores how carbon markets can achieve success while simultaneously benefiting communities in the Global South. The article suggests that the foundational premise of carbon markets, which involves directing private finance to at-risk forests and rewarding protectors, remains valid. It highlights the role of forests in providing essential ecosystem services and capturing carbon. The piece argues that these markets can help companies address their emissions responsibilities.
A survey by the Carbon Business Council, Bellwether Research, and Intage found that 56% of Japanese adults support public and private investment in atmospheric carbon removal after being informed about the mechanisms. The study, conducted among 1,061 adults, highlighted low initial public awareness of national decarbonisation mechanisms, with 58% unfamiliar with the GX-ETS. When educated, 70% supported capturing carbon from industrial sources and 57% favoured joint government-private sector leadership in carbon removal. These findings suggest that clear communication can generate public backing for carbon removal technologies in Japan. The survey aims to inform the transition of Japan's GX emissions trading system towards mandatory compliance.
Agreena and Verra are collaborating to expand the AgreenaCarbon programme (Verra Project 4022), enabling thousands of European farmers to sequester soil carbon and earn carbon finance. The programme uses Verra's VCS Program and methodology VM0042 to quantify soil carbon accumulation across 4.5 million hectares in 20 markets. Agreena provides a framework for farmers to implement climate-smart practices, with up to 85% of carbon credit sales value returned directly to participating farms. This initiative aims to mitigate economic and physical barriers for farmers transitioning to regenerative agriculture, including those in Ukraine.
Verra launched its new registry platform on 27 July 2026, developed in partnership with S&P Global Energy. This upgrade involved migrating over 5,900 projects, 10,500 account holders, 1.4 billion credits, and 125,000 documents. The new system integrates with the Verra Project Hub, streamlining project tracking from listing to retirement within a single platform. Future updates will include transaction-ready API connectivity and enhanced Article 6 functionality.