Microsoft has signed a long-term agreement to purchase up to 23,602 durable carbon removal units from Brooklyn-based startup CREW Carbon. This transaction diversifies Microsoft's carbon offset portfolio beyond established methods like direct air capture and biochar. CREW Carbon's technology integrates into municipal wastewater treatment plants, using alkaline minerals to convert dissolved carbon dioxide into stable bicarbonate ions for long-term ocean storage. The deal supports Microsoft's goal of becoming carbon negative by 2030 and expands CREW Carbon's committed removal pipeline past $40 million.
Companies signed carbon offtake agreements worth approximately $12.25 billion in 2025, according to Sylvera data cited by Regreener. These multi-year contracts, typically spanning 5 to 15 years, commit buyers to purchasing future carbon credits at an agreed price and schedule. This volume significantly exceeds the value of credits retired on the spot market in the same year. The trend indicates a shift among corporate buyers towards securing long-term supply and price certainty for high-integrity carbon credits, particularly for durable carbon removal projects. Such agreements provide project developers with the contracted revenue necessary to finance and scale their initiatives.
Regreener, a carbon credit trader, published a guide distinguishing between carbon credit traders, brokers, and platforms for corporate buyers. The guide defines a trader as a firm that sources, curates, and procures credits, taking an active role in quality assessment and portfolio construction. It characterises brokers as facilitators of transactions between buyers and sellers, while platforms are described as digital marketplaces for direct credit purchases. This distinction aims to help EU mid-market and enterprise companies choose a carbon credit partner based on their internal expertise and compliance needs.
The Grassland Restoration and Stewardship in South Africa Group Project (GRASS GP) has distributed R2.7 million ($170,000) to 15 farming communities, marking the first payments under the initiative. These payments follow the issuance of 266,254 verified carbon units, generated from the project's first monitoring period across over 95,000 hectares. Developed by TASC in partnership with Meat Naturally Africa, the project aims to restore degraded rangelands in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal through regenerative grazing. The credits are the first globally to combine CCB certification with Verra’s VM0042 methodology, channelling carbon credit revenues directly to local communities for activities like hiring herders and pasture restoration. The project plans to restore two million hectares by 2030, preventing approximately 14 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over 30 years.
Climate asset manager Econetix has secured a Letter of Authorization from the Rwandan government to commercialise up to 1.77 million metric tons of CORSIA-eligible carbon credits. These credits, generated from clean cooking and energy efficiency projects, are authorised under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and will receive corresponding adjustments from Rwanda. This agreement provides international airline operators with access to compliance-grade assets for CORSIA Phase 1. The partnership aims to address the scarcity of eligible carbon credits and direct climate finance into Rwandan clean energy development.
Carbon credit advisory firm Deduci, a sister company of Agendi, launched its second carbon removal portfolio, featuring entirely domestic projects certified in partnership with Isometric. The portfolio includes engineered and nature-based carbon dioxide removal, with Pacific Biochar among the featured developers. This initiative aims to assist corporate buyers with increasingly strict voluntary and regulatory climate disclosures, such as California’s Assembly Bill 1305. Deduci manages onboarding and contracting, while Isometric provides third-party verification and documentation for credits generated. The programme offers corporate buyers access to high-integrity US-based biochar and carbon removal credits through September, streamlining procurement for regulatory compliance.
Biochar, a carbon-rich material derived from biomass decomposition, offers a sustainable alternative to traditional peat in soil amendments. Its incorporation into soil blends improves water retention, helping plants withstand heat and drought, and enhances nutrient availability, leading to increased crop yields. This diversion of biomass waste from landfills also creates opportunities for revenue through voluntary carbon credit markets, as biochar sequesters atmospheric carbon for centuries. The material's ability to maintain structural integrity and foster microbial activity further reduces the need for synthetic chemical inputs and frequent irrigation. Growers and soil manufacturers can benefit financially from utilising biochar.
Soil intelligence company EarthOptics announced a strategic partnership with Cquester Analytics to integrate lab-grade soil organic matter fractionation into its platform. This collaboration will provide carbon programme developers and investors with more defensible evidence of soil carbon permanence through particulate organic matter and mineral-associated organic matter (POM/MAOM) analysis. The companies aim to meet market demand for data demonstrating carbon durability, moving beyond volumetric accounting. They also plan to pursue joint research and establish measurement standards for soil biology in carbon programmes, particularly for grasslands.
Deduci, an Agendi sister company, launched its second carbon removal portfolio, featuring 100% US-based projects certified in partnership with Isometric. The portfolio includes engineered and nature-based removal pathways from Graphyte, Pacific Biochar, and Renoster, utilising methodologies such as Biochar, Improved Forest Management, and Subsurface Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage. This initiative aims to simplify carbon removal procurement for corporate buyers, aligning with evolving voluntary and regulatory frameworks like California's AB 1305 and SBTi. Deduci manages onboarding and contracting, while Isometric provides third-party verification and methodology alignment for the credits.
Sylvera outlined the five-stage lifecycle of a carbon credit, beginning with project development where developers design projects against registry-published methodologies. The process continues with validation and verification by accredited third-party auditors, confirming project design and auditing results before registries issue credits. Once issued, each credit represents one metric tonne of CO2e and carries a vintage year, becoming a serialized, tradable unit in the market. This framework enables companies to finance emissions reduction projects to compensate for unavoidable operational emissions.
Sylvera detailed the primary channels companies use to purchase carbon credits, including direct engagement with project developers, brokers, and exchanges. The company emphasised that carbon credits allow organisations to fund climate action beyond their direct operations, compensating for unavoidable emissions. Sylvera also highlighted the strategic importance of early procurement, treating credits as assets, and adhering to the mitigation hierarchy to avoid greenwashing accusations. The article distinguished between carbon neutrality and net-zero strategies, noting that the chosen goal influences credit purchasing decisions, particularly regarding removal versus avoidance credits.
Sylvera has published an explanation of carbon credit quantification, defining it as the process of calculating avoided or removed CO2e to determine credit issuance. The firm highlights that quantification, particularly baseline setting, is central to credit quality and a primary source of over-crediting. Sylvera states it uses an over-crediting risk framework, employing independent biome-specific deforestation modelling and machine learning with lidar and remote sensing, to assess project baselines and carbon accounting. This approach aims to identify and mitigate overestimation risks in credit generation, especially in forestry projects.
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.
Econetix has received a Letter of Authorisation from the Rwandan government to market up to 1.77 million metric tonnes of CORSIA-eligible carbon credits. The credits, generated between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2027 by the Verra-certified Rwandan Improved Cookstove Project, will be transferred internationally under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, with Rwanda applying corresponding adjustments. This approval adds to the limited supply of CORSIA-eligible credits, which industry forecasts suggest may face a shortfall of 170-236 million units during CORSIA's first compliance phase. Econetix previously secured similar authorisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is developing projects in other African nations.
Specialist carbon insurer Kita has secured a strategic investment from Tokio Marine Group, expanding an existing partnership with Tokio Marine Kiln. This collaboration will focus on developing insurance products for carbon credit buyers against delivery failures and non-performance risks, particularly in Japan. Kita will work with Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance (TMNF) to create these products and explore providing satellite-based carbon project risk assessments to TMNF’s corporate clients. The companies aim to offer a unified solution across the carbon project lifecycle by integrating Kita's digital risk analytics with Nippon Koei's engineering consulting services.
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.