A new draft international standard, ISO/DIS 14060, for net zero-aligned organisations was released for ballot on 17 June 2026, with comments open until September. This draft confirms environmental attribute certificates (EACs), termed environmental commodity certificates (ECCs) by ISO, will have a defined, guardrailed role in corporate net zero strategies. The standard, alongside SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2, establishes that additionality and integrity are preconditions for an attribute's value. It mandates that ECCs are subordinate to direct emissions cuts and requires organisations to explain why direct procurement of low-carbon products is not possible. Carbon credits are explicitly not considered ECCs under this draft standard.
Sylvera has updated its Improved Forest Management (IFM) carbon project rating framework, introducing new methods for assessing carbon, additionality, and permanence. The revised framework integrates Sylvera's proprietary Biomass Atlas for direct comparison of reported carbon stock changes against independently observed data. It also differentiates IFM project types for additionality, moving to an Internal Rate of Return (IRR)-based financial test where models are available. These changes aim to address integrity concerns around baseline inflation, weak additionality, and leakage in IFM projects, which have seen issuances double since 2022 and account for 61% of nature-based issuances in 2026.
Stellar Green Co. and Sylvera have partnered to evaluate the quality of Japan's forest J-Credits against global standards. The initiative aims to provide credit-purchasing companies with a framework to understand and explain the quality of these credits to stakeholders. This collaboration does not involve publishing individual project evaluations or certifying specific credits, but rather examines Japan's forest management practices and institutional context. The move responds to increased buyer demand for transparency and accountability regarding carbon credit quality beyond mere compliance with domestic standards.
Sylvera data indicates that while 640 million tonnes of carbon credits are theoretically eligible for CORSIA Phase 1 compliance, only 37 million tonnes currently meet all requirements due to a bottleneck in host country authorisations. Even with optimistic projections, the accessible pool reaches only 104 million tonnes, falling short of the 163 million tonnes of demand for Phase 1. Guyana's JREDD+ programme accounts for the largest authorised tranche with 24.9 million tonnes, followed by Rwanda's 2.8 million tonnes of cookstove credits. Sylvera notes that CORSIA-tagged credits are also being sold into the voluntary market, further reducing available supply for airlines. The firm has launched an 'Article 6 & CORSIA Hub' to track supply, demand, and sovereign risk.
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) released its Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0 (CNZS V2.0), formally embedding carbon credits into corporate net-zero strategies. Under the new standard, carbon credit use will become mandatory for large companies from 2035. The update introduces an 'Ongoing Emissions Responsibility' (OER) programme, which outlines three phases for companies to address emissions beyond their validated targets. Companies can achieve 'Engaged', 'Advanced', or 'Leadership' tiers by mitigating a percentage of ongoing Scope 1-3 emissions through contribution budgets or verified mitigation outcomes. This revision marks a shift for SBTi towards providing implementation guidance, acknowledging the challenges in absolute decarbonisation.
Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, and McKinsey Sustainability have launched Frontier, an advance market commitment (AMC) to purchase $1 billion of permanent carbon removal by 2030. This initiative aims to accelerate the development of carbon removal technologies by guaranteeing future demand for promising solutions. Frontier will facilitate both low-volume prepurchase agreements for early-stage suppliers and offtake agreements for growth-stage companies. The AMC model, previously used for vaccine development, is being applied to carbon removal at scale for the first time. Frontier will prioritise technologies demonstrating permanence, a path to affordability below $100/ton, and significant capacity potential.
Frontier, an advance market commitment launched by Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, and McKinsey Sustainability, facilitated its first carbon removal purchases on behalf of Stripe. Stripe committed $2.4 million to buy carbon removal from six early-stage technology companies: AspiraDAC, Calcite-Origen, Lithos Carbon, RepAir, Travertine, and Living Carbon. An additional $5.4 million is contingent on these projects reaching agreed technical milestones. The purchases, ranging from $500 to $1,800 per tonne, aim to catalyse new carbon dioxide removal solutions, with Frontier acting as the first customer for all six projects. This initiative focuses on low-volume prepurchases to support the development of diverse carbon removal technologies.
Frontier has facilitated $11 million in carbon removal purchases for Stripe and Shopify, its largest round to date. The purchases support seven companies: Arbor, Captura, Arca, Carbon To Stone, Cella, CREW, and InPlanet, across various carbon removal pathways. Stripe also provided an additional $500,000 in R&D grants to Kodama Systems and Nitricity. This cycle saw more than double the applications compared to Frontier's first round six months prior, indicating growing interest in diverse carbon removal solutions.
Frontier, an advance market commitment for carbon removal, announced that Autodesk, H&M Group, JPMorgan Chase, and Workday have joined its initiative. These new members committed to purchase a combined $100 million of permanent carbon removal by 2030, increasing Frontier's total commitment to over $1 billion. This capital will facilitate multi-year offtake agreements, helping carbon removal suppliers secure financing to scale operations. Since April 2022, Frontier has facilitated purchases from 15 carbon removal startups across eight technological pathways.
Frontier has facilitated its first set of carbon removal offtake agreements with Charm Industrial, totalling $53 million. These agreements commit Frontier buyers to purchase 112,000 tonnes of CO₂ removal between 2024 and 2030, utilising Charm Industrial's biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) technology. The price per tonne will decline by at least 37% over the period, reflecting anticipated scaling and potential government incentives. Founding members including Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, and McKinsey Sustainability are among the buyers, alongside others purchasing via Watershed's partnership with Frontier. This initiative aims to scale permanent carbon removal solutions by providing guaranteed future demand.
Frontier has facilitated $7 million in carbon removal purchases from 12 companies on behalf of buyers Stripe, Shopify, and H&M Group. This third round of purchases includes 14 distinct carbon removal approaches, with projects based in five different countries. The selected companies project a collective removal capacity of over 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2026. Additionally, Stripe provided $700,000 in R&D grants to four carbon removal startups.
Frontier has facilitated direct air capture (DAC) offtake agreements totalling $46.6 million with CarbonCapture Inc. and Heirloom, securing 72,400 tonnes of permanent CO₂ removal. CarbonCapture will remove 45,500 tonnes by 2028 for $20.0 million, while Heirloom will remove 26,900 tonnes by 2030 for $26.6 million. These agreements include options for future purchases at lower prices, reflecting anticipated cost reductions in DAC technology. Buyers include founding members Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, and McKinsey Sustainability, alongside other corporations.
Frontier buyers have signed offtake agreements worth $57.1 million with Lithos Carbon to remove 154,240 tonnes of CO₂ between 2024 and 2028. This represents the largest enhanced weathering purchase to date and the largest facilitated by Frontier. Lithos Carbon accelerates natural CO₂ absorption by spreading crushed basalt on farmlands and measures removal using a novel technique combining soil samples with elemental measurements. Over half of the contracted volume is expected by the end of 2025, significantly increasing the amount of carbon removal achieved across all pathways globally.
Frontier has facilitated $58.3 million in offtake agreements with Vaulted Deep, a carbon removal company, for the permanent removal of 152,480 tonnes of CO₂ between 2024 and 2027. Vaulted Deep, which injects carbon-rich organic waste deep underground, expects to deliver 18,000 tonnes in 2024. This agreement enables Vaulted to commission three new wells, leveraging technology from its parent company, Advantek Waste Management. The approach offers over 10,000-year permanence and a pathway to costs below $100 per tonne. This deal highlights growing interest from industrial companies in applying their expertise to carbon removal solutions.
Frontier has facilitated $48.6 million in offtake agreements for carbon removal credits from Stockholm Exergi's bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) project. The deal, which represents the first large European BECCS offtake for Frontier, will see buyers acquire a 'meaningful proportion' of the 800,000 tonnes of CO2 removed annually from 2028 to 2030. Stockholm Exergi will retrofit its KVV8 district heating facility in Stockholm, capturing CO2 from biomass combustion for permanent underground sequestration. The exact volume and price per tonne for Frontier buyers will be announced after the outcome of a Swedish government reverse auction for subsidies. This project aims to demonstrate commercial-scale carbon removal from a bioenergy facility, with a potential path to sub-$100 per tonne costs.
Frontier buyers have signed offtake agreements with 280 Earth worth $40 million to remove 61,571 tonnes of CO₂ between 2024 and 2030. The removals will come from 280 Earth's pilot facility in The Dalles, Oregon, which completed its first module in May 2024. This deal represents the first purchases from the new unit and will support the construction and operation of additional modules. 280 Earth employs a 'continuous capture' direct air capture process, designed with commercially available components and flexible power sources, including waste heat from data centres.
Frontier has facilitated $4.5 million in carbon removal prepurchases from nine companies, including Alithic, Alt Carbon, and Capture6, on behalf of buyers Stripe, Shopify, Alphabet, H&M Group, and Match (via Watershed). This fourth round of prepurchases supports projects integrating carbon removal into existing large-scale industries to reduce costs and accelerate scale. Examples include Planeteers, an ocean alkalinity enhancement company working with water treatment plants, and Exterra, which embeds its approach into mining processes. The prepurchases cover diverse methodologies such as direct air capture, field weathering, and mineralization, with volumes ranging from 285 to 1,851 tonnes per project.
Frontier buyers have signed the first river liming carbon removal deal, committing $25.4 million to CarbonRun for the permanent removal of 55,442 tonnes of CO₂ between 2025 and 2029. The Canadian company will deploy the method, which involves adding crushed limestone to acidified rivers, starting in Nova Scotia. This approach not only removes CO₂ by converting it to bicarbonate but also offers co-benefits like ecosystem restoration. Stripe is providing an additional $1 million R&D grant to CarbonRun to explore the method's potential in neutral pH rivers. The deal aims to gather data on limestone dissolution and safe application rates.
Frontier has facilitated $27 million in offtake agreements for 90,000 tonnes of CO₂ removal from Terradot, to be delivered between 2025 and 2029. Terradot will achieve this by deploying enhanced rock weathering in Brazil, spreading basalt on agricultural land. Founding Frontier members Stripe, Google, Shopify, and McKinsey Sustainability are among the buyers, with Google committing an additional 200,000 tonnes for delivery by the early 2030s. This deal highlights growing corporate investment in enhanced rock weathering, particularly in regions with optimal conditions for the technology.
Frontier, a carbon removal advance market commitment, announced $80 million in offtake agreements with CO280 and CREW Carbon. The agreements cover the removal of 296,378 tonnes of CO₂ by 2030 through industrial retrofits. CO280 will remove 224,500 tonnes from pulp and paper facilities for $48.0 million between 2028 and 2030, while CREW Carbon will remove 71,878 tonnes from wastewater treatment for $32.1 million between 2025 and 2030. This initiative aims to scale carbon removal by integrating technology into existing industrial processes, leveraging high CO₂ concentrations and established infrastructure to reduce costs.
Frontier buyers have signed an offtake agreement with Phlair, an electrochemical direct air capture (DAC) company, for $30.6 million to remove 47,000 tonnes of CO₂ between 2027 and 2030. This agreement will support Phlair's first commercial-scale DAC facility in Alberta, Canada. Phlair's technology aims for high energy efficiency, targeting less than 1.5 MWh/tCO₂, and is designed to integrate with intermittent renewable energy sources, including dedicated on-site solar panels. This marks Frontier's first offtake with Phlair, following an initial prepurchase in September 2023.
Frontier buyers, including Stripe, Google, and Shopify, signed $33 million in offtake agreements with Eion for the removal of 78,707 tonnes of CO₂ between 2027 and 2030. Eion deploys enhanced rock weathering using olivine on agricultural fields in the Southern and Midwestern United States. The olivine serves as a cheaper alternative to agricultural lime for farmers, converting atmospheric CO₂ into bicarbonate stored in the ocean. This deal facilitates the scaling of enhanced weathering and provides crucial data for the scientific validation of the method.
Frontier has facilitated an offtake agreement for Hafslund Celsio to remove 100,000 tonnes of CO₂ between 2029 and 2030, valued at $31.6 million. This agreement supports the retrofit of Hafslund Celsio’s waste-to-energy facility in Oslo, making it the first such project globally to deliver carbon removal. The facility will capture biogenic CO₂ emissions, which will be transported to the Northern Lights facility for permanent geological storage. This model could be replicated across approximately 500 European waste-to-energy facilities, potentially removing 400 million tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2050.
Frontier buyers will pay Arbor $41 million for the removal of 116,000 tonnes of CO₂ between 2028 and 2030. This funding will support Arbor's first commercial Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) facility, expected to be operational in 2028 near Lake Charles, Louisiana. Arbor's system, which combines biomass gasification, oxycombustion, and supercritical CO₂ turbomachinery, claims a CO₂ capture rate exceeding 99% and produces up to 1,000 kWh of clean electricity per tonne of CO₂ removed. The deal aims to test a new, highly efficient BECCS approach that also generates clean electricity, particularly for data centres.
Frontier has committed $1.75 million in carbon removal prepurchases to three early-stage companies: Karbonetiq, Limenet, and pHathom. These purchases, made on behalf of Stripe, Shopify, and Google, support the development of ocean alkalinity enhancement and surficial mineralisation technologies. Karbonetiq received funding for 2,142 tons, Limenet for 330 tons, and pHathom for 510 tons. This initiative marks the first customer for two of the three companies, aiming to accelerate promising but underexplored carbon removal solutions.
Frontier has facilitated a $31.3 million offtake agreement with Planetary for the removal of 115,211 tonnes of CO₂ between 2026 and 2030 through ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE). Planetary's OAE process involves adding dissolved alkaline minerals to coastal seawater, converting dissolved CO₂ into stable bicarbonate ions. This deal expands on a pilot project that delivered the first verified OAE tonnes and initiates the next operational phase. The approach aims to achieve gigaton-scale removal at a cost of $50-160 per tonne, while also mitigating ocean acidification.
Frontier has facilitated offtake agreements totalling $41 million for Reverion, a German company capturing and permanently storing CO₂ from biogas while generating clean electricity. The agreements cover the removal of 96,000 tonnes of CO₂ between 2027 and 2030. Reverion's technology uses solid oxide fuel cells to convert biogas from waste into electricity at 74% efficiency, capturing all carbon from both methane and CO₂. This approach doubles removal compared to conventional methods and provides decentralised clean electricity, with a potential to remove hundreds of millions of tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2040. The process involves liquefying the captured CO₂ for permanent geological storage.
Frontier has facilitated an offtake agreement for its buyers to purchase 122,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide removal from NULIFE GreenTech, a Canadian company, for USD $44.2 million between 2026 and 2030. NULIFE converts biowaste into bio-oil via hydrothermal liquefaction and stores the concentrated CO₂ geologically in licensed salt caverns. This deal follows a 2024 prepurchase where NULIFE has already delivered over half the contracted volume, with removals independently verified by Isometric. This marks Frontier's third Canadian offtake, bringing its total commitment in the country to over $100 million.
Frontier, on behalf of Stripe, Shopify, and Google, has awarded $2 million in R&D grants to Leilac (UK) and SaltX (Sweden). These grants support the development of zero-carbon lime production methods, crucial for carbon removal applications such as ocean liming and direct air capture. The initiative aims to accelerate cost-effective, commercially ready processes for producing quicklime without net CO₂ emissions. This funding targets electric calcination technologies, which can significantly reduce upstream emissions associated with conventional lime production. Leilac and SaltX will develop distinct electric calcination systems tailored for carbon removal applications.
Frontier has opened applications for its 2026 Innovation programme, expanding its early-stage funding beyond prepurchases to explicitly support research and development in carbon removal. The programme targets novel approaches and 'last-mile challenges' in ocean alkalinity enhancement, surficial mineralisation, and open-system measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV). This initiative aims to address remaining innovation gaps in promising pathways, building on progress made since 2022 in over 60% of identified research challenges. Frontier will offer more flexible check sizes to support these R&D efforts. The organisation noted that some early carbon removal models were over-optimistic, citing issues with cold weather impacts on direct air capture (DAC) and challenges with certain biological approaches like kelp sinking and engineered biopolymers.
Frontier, an advance market commitment (AMC) for carbon removal, announced an additional $915 million in funding, bringing its total commitment to $1.8 billion. This funding aims to accelerate carbon removal companies, with participating buyers including Stripe, Google, Shopify, and Salesforce. Frontier will focus purchases on a narrower portfolio of companies with gigaton-scale potential and require clear long-term demand for each deal. Since its 2022 launch, Frontier has supported the commercialisation of new pathways and seen portfolio companies deliver approximately 23,000 tonnes in 2023, with over 50,000 tonnes forecast for 2024. The initiative seeks to bridge the gap until policy-driven demand matures, providing revenue for technology scaling.
Verra has opened a public consultation on a major revision to its biochar methodology, VM0044, which quantifies carbon dioxide removals from converting waste biomass into biochar. The consultation runs from 15 July to 17 August 2026, aiming to enhance accuracy, transparency, and consistency in emission reduction quantification. Key updates include expanding eligibility to existing biochar facilities and new feedstocks, replacing the positive list for additionality with a project method, and introducing detailed monitoring approaches. Verra hired Canadian Biomass Energy Research as a technical consultant for this revision. The updated VM0044 v2.0 will be submitted to the ICVCM for assessment, following v1.2's approval in 2025.
A CDR.fyi market analysis, 'Mapping Certified Durable Carbon Removal in the United States', reports that certified US carbon removal facilities issued 850,000 cumulative net metric tons of CO2e removals between early 2022 and mid-2026. The study, which reviewed 40 initiatives with credit issuances from Puro.earth and Isometric by 20 June 2026, found that industrial biochar is the dominant pathway. Commercial deployment is accelerating, with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 298% from 29,000 tonnes in 2023 to 460,000 tonnes in 2025. The report highlights that localized biomass availability and existing wood product handling lines dictate the economic footprint of certified projects.
Isometric has launched its 'Improved Soil Management 1.0' protocol, a certification framework designed to standardise the verification of soil-based carbon removal projects. The protocol establishes rigorous requirements for data collection, monitoring, and project governance to ensure measurable and verifiable improvements in soil health and carbon sequestration. This initiative aims to address the lack of consistent verification standards in the soil carbon market, which has historically led to variability and scepticism regarding permanence and accuracy. By codifying strict requirements for project design, site validation, and ongoing verification, Isometric seeks to provide a unified, transparent framework for high-integrity soil carbon credits. The protocol also includes mandates for environmental and social safeguards, land tenure, and financial planning, aiming to facilitate institutional investment and scale biochar applications within a broader soil management strategy.
Sustainable Green Team (SGTM) has formed a strategic alliance with Rock Dust Local and BioEnergy Innovations Global to establish a continental-scale biomineral supply and verification infrastructure in North America. The partnership integrates biomineral fertilizer manufacturing, large-scale pyrolysis production, and field-level environmental data tracking. This initiative aims to address the lack of physical verification systems in environmental credit markets by using SGTM's digital platform, Restore.Earth, to document ecological interventions. The alliance will streamline applications for USDA cost-share programmes and carbon credit exchanges by providing auditable, standardised data assets.
KriSHE Carbon, co-founded by Anjali Rose, has engaged thousands of smallholder farmers in India to produce biochar from agricultural residues. This initiative transforms waste into a carbon removal solution, generating verified carbon removal credits and providing additional income for rural communities. The programme focuses on decentralised biochar production through village-level 'Climapreneurs', linking climate action with livelihood creation. KriSHE Carbon aims to address stubble burning, improve soil health, and sequester carbon for over a thousand years.
Indonesia approved four forest carbon projects on 6 July 2026, covering 225,000 hectares and expected to yield over 30 million carbon credits through Verra and Plan Vivo. This marks the end of a moratorium on international standard credit issuance that began in 2021. Concurrently, Indonesia signed an MOU with Singapore for Article 6 collaboration and launched its national carbon registry (SRUK) on 9 July 2026. The SRUK is designed to ensure traceability, prevent double counting, and connect with international systems, making it the first national registry aligned with the G20’s Common Carbon Credit Data Model.
Aperam BioEnergia, a subsidiary of stainless steel manufacturer Aperam, generates 70,000 carbon credits annually from its 124,000-hectare eucalyptus monoculture plantations in Brazil. The company produces charcoal for iron production and applies biochar to the soil to generate these credits, certified by Puro Earth. Buyers of these credits include Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken, International Workplace Group, The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Deutsche Bank, and Carbon Finance Labs. This activity contrasts with Lakshmi Mittal's criticism of the EU Emissions Trading System, despite his association with Aperam.
Corporate offtake purchases for biochar-based carbon credits increased by 79% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, reaching 3.17 million tonnes, according to a new Sylvera report. The aggregate value of these biochar contracts rose 80% to over $800 million from $448 million in the same period. This growth occurred despite a 65% overall contraction in the forward offtake market to 21.52 million tonnes, largely due to Microsoft pausing new deals. The report indicates a market shift where corporate buyers prioritise high-quality, durable carbon dioxide removal technologies like biochar to meet net-zero compliance standards. This trend highlights biochar's emergence as a dominant commodity within the voluntary carbon market's carbon removal portfolio.
The Carbon Business Council released an issue brief, 'Direct Storage of Biomass: Assessing the Carbon Removal Opportunity,' outlining a framework for deploying biomass storage technologies. The brief, developed by the Direct Storage of Biomass Coalition, recommends expanding direct biomass storage as a low-tech climate solution. This method involves permanently interring organic matter in engineered facilities to prevent decomposition and store carbon for centuries. The coalition estimates this approach could sequester 55 to 115 million tonnes of CO2e annually from American forestry residues alone, leveraging private carbon finance for land management and creating revenue streams.