Verra published VMR0018, a minor revision to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) methodology AMS-III.Y. for methane avoidance through solids separation from wastewater or manure. The update allows separated solids from animal manure for bedding and includes quantification procedures for biofiltration systems, expanding the methodology's scope. It also mandates the use of VCS tools VT0009 and VT0008 for baseline and additionality assessments. AMS-III.Y. will be inactivated as a standalone methodology in the VCS Programme from 1 July 2027, requiring new projects to apply VMR0018. Registered projects under AMS-III.Y. or VMR0003 must update to an active version of VMR0018 at their next crediting period renewal after this date.
A study published in Communications Sustainability found that biochar carbon credit prices increase by 0.143% for every 1% rise in associated Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) claims. Researchers analysed 171 transactions up to 2024 using a hedonic pricing model, revealing that buyers pay a premium for co-benefits. Credits linked to three SDGs were approximately 6% more expensive than those with two, equating to over ten dollars per tonne of CO2e. Economic claims generated the highest premium, leading to a 23.9% price increase per additional claim, while environmental claims were associated with a 6.2% price discount.
Sylvera data indicates that while 640 million tonnes of carbon credits are theoretically eligible for CORSIA Phase 1 compliance, only 47 million tonnes currently meet all requirements due to slow host country authorisations. This bottleneck leaves an estimated $2-5 billion in compliance spend at risk, despite a Phase 1 demand of 174.5 million tonnes. Even with optimistic projections, accessible supply reaches only 118 million tonnes, falling short of demand. Sylvera has launched an 'Article 6 & CORSIA Hub' to track supply, demand, and sovereign risk, aiming to address this market dislocation.
Graphyte announced that Sumitomo Corporation has acquired an equity stake in its Loblolly carbon removal project in Arkansas, marking one of the first project-level financings for a durable carbon removal facility. Concurrently, NYK Group agreed to purchase carbon removal credits generated by Graphyte's Carbon Casting technology. The Loblolly facility has issued over 15,000 durable carbon removal credits and aims to increase annual production to 50,000 credits. This investment model could facilitate future capital for carbon removal infrastructure, and the credit purchase reflects growing corporate interest in durable solutions for residual emissions.
The third edition of the 'State of Carbon Dioxide Removal' assessment reports that novel carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is growing at approximately 40% annually, reaching 0.002 GtCO2 per year. The report notes that while overall climate technology investments have slowed, funding for CDR companies has remained resilient, despite more fragile future demand expectations. It highlights a continuing gap between CDR levels in country pledges and those required for Paris-compatible pathways. The assessment explores current removal levels, voluntary CDR demand, policy, and costs, emphasising the need for a diverse portfolio of approaches.
The Argentine province of Misiones has become the first subnational authority to receive certification under Verra’s Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ Framework. The certification covers three million hectares of Atlantic Forest and logged approximately 13.1 million metric tonnes of verified CO2 reductions between 2017 and 2022. This programme is the first worldwide to achieve certification under Scenario 2 of Verra’s framework, allowing governments to generate credits for forested areas not covered by individual projects. Verra expects this model to accelerate similar programmes in other countries, demonstrating how public policy and carbon markets can collaborate for climate action.
Puro.earth has introduced a Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) programme to certify eligible carbon credits under the European Commission's CRCF Regulation. The programme, which will operate alongside Puro.earth's existing Puro Standard and CCS+ programmes, aims to enable engineered carbon dioxide removal (CDR) suppliers to issue CRCF credits once approved. Puro.earth applied to be recognised as a certification scheme under the CRCF Regulation following an EU Commission webinar on 1 June. This initiative targets EU-based project developers in bioCCS, DACCS, and biochar carbon removal, as well as international companies with European emissions. The CRCF programme will operationalise methodologies developed by the European Commission, providing certification infrastructure and registry services.
Patrick Greenfield, a biodiversity reporter for The Guardian, revisited the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project in Kenya, the first Verra-registered REDD+ initiative, two years after his investigative reporting on carbon credit integrity. He found that long-promised community funding was no longer arriving due to collapsed carbon prices and a shift from VM7 to VM48 methodologies, impacting conservation efforts. Greenfield suggests that the voluntary carbon market's 'demand collapse' narrative is 'self-pitying', arguing that misallocated capital, rather than media criticism, was the core issue. He also noted that established market participants continue to dominate discussions on the market's future.
Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, and McKinsey Sustainability have launched Frontier, an advance market commitment (AMC) to purchase $1 billion of permanent carbon removal over nine years. This initiative aims to accelerate the development of carbon removal technologies by guaranteeing future demand. Frontier will facilitate prepurchase agreements for early-stage suppliers and offtake agreements for growth-stage suppliers, prioritising technologies with long-term potential for permanence, low cost at scale, and significant capacity. This marks the first application of the AMC model, previously used for vaccine development, to carbon removal at scale.
Frontier, an advance market commitment launched by Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, and McKinsey Sustainability, has facilitated its first carbon removal purchases for Stripe. Stripe will spend $2.4 million buying carbon removal from six 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. Prices for these removals range from $500 to $1,800 per tonne of carbon removed, with Frontier acting as the first customer for all six early-stage technology projects.
Frontier, a carbon removal buyer, has published a framework to help early buyers quantify carbon removal deliveries. The framework addresses challenges in measuring removed carbon across nascent technologies like direct air capture and enhanced weathering. It aims to provide a systematic approach for assessing removal confidence, balancing cost, scale, and uncertainty. Frontier collaborated with CarbonPlan to map quantification confidence and uncertainty across six carbon removal pathways within its portfolio. This initiative seeks to standardise quantification in a market currently lacking formal protocols.
Frontier has facilitated $11M in carbon removal purchases from seven companies on behalf of Stripe and Shopify, marking its largest purchase round to date. The purchases include technologies from Arbor, Captura, Arca, Carbon To Stone, Cella, CREW, and InPlanet, with $7.5M contingent on technical milestones. Stripe also provided $500K in R&D grants to Kodama Systems and Nitricity. This round saw increased diversity in carbon removal approaches, including direct ocean capture and enhanced weathering in tropical soils. The transactions reflect growing corporate investment in diverse carbon dioxide removal pathways.
Autodesk, H&M Group, JPMorgan Chase, and Workday have joined Frontier, committing to purchase a combined $100 million of permanent carbon removal by 2030. This addition brings Frontier's total advance market commitment to over $1 billion since its launch in April 2022. The new commitments will facilitate multiyear offtake agreements, enabling more mature carbon removal suppliers to secure financing for scaling operations. Frontier has now facilitated purchases from 15 carbon removal startups across eight technological pathways.
Frontier has facilitated its first set of carbon removal offtake agreements, totalling $53 million, with Charm Industrial. The agreements cover the removal of 112,000 tonnes of CO₂ between 2024 and 2030 through Charm's biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) process. Buyers, including Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, and Meta, will pay a per-tonne price designed to decline by at least 37% by 2030. These offtake agreements provide Charm Industrial with guaranteed future demand, aiding its scaling efforts in permanent carbon removal.
Frontier 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 solutions from companies like Airhive, Alkali Earth, and Banyu Carbon, spanning 14 distinct carbon removal approaches. The selected companies, headquartered in five countries, project a collective removal of over 500,000 tonnes of CO2 annually by 2026. Stripe also provided an additional $700,000 in R&D grants to four other carbon removal start-ups.
Frontier has facilitated $46.6 million in direct air capture (DAC) offtake agreements with CarbonCapture Inc. and Heirloom, totalling 72,400 tonnes of CO₂ removal. Buyers will pay CarbonCapture $20.0 million for 45,500 tonnes by 2028 and Heirloom $26.6 million for 26,900 tonnes by 2030, with options for future purchases at lower prices. This initiative involves Frontier Founding Members such as Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, and McKinsey Sustainability, alongside other corporate buyers. The agreements include costs for measurement, reporting, and verification, with prices expected to decline significantly over time.
Frontier buyers have signed the world's first enhanced weathering offtake agreements with Lithos Carbon, totalling $57.1 million for the removal of 154,240 tonnes of CO₂ between 2024 and 2028. This represents the largest purchase facilitated by Frontier and the largest enhanced weathering purchase to date. Over half of the volume is expected by the end of 2025, significantly exceeding previous carbon removal achievements across all pathways. Lithos Carbon employs a novel Yale University-developed technique for empirical measurement of CO₂ removal by monitoring changes in soil geochemical profiles.
Frontier has facilitated $58.3 million in offtake agreements with Vaulted Deep, a carbon removal company that injects organic waste deep underground for permanent storage. Frontier buyers will purchase 152,480 tonnes of CO2 removal between 2024 and 2027, with 18,000 tonnes expected in 2024. Vaulted Deep, a spin-out from Advantek Waste Management, leverages existing waste management infrastructure and expertise for its injection technology. This agreement enables Vaulted to commission three new wells, with a stated path to under $100 per tonne and over 10,000-year permanence. The deal highlights growing interest from industrial sectors in applying their assets to carbon removal.
Frontier, a carbon removal purchasing coalition, has facilitated $48.6 million in offtake agreements with Stockholm Exergi for carbon removal credits. These credits will come from a commercial-scale carbon capture retrofit on a biomass-fuelled district heating facility in Stockholm, projected to remove 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually from 2028. Frontier buyers will acquire a 'meaningful proportion' of the output from 2028 to 2030. The exact volume and price per tonne will be confirmed following a competitive reverse auction by the Swedish government, which Exergi hopes will provide subsidies. This deal represents Frontier's first large European transaction and supports a project that could deliver carbon removals below $100 per tonne at scale.
Frontier buyers have signed offtake agreements totalling $40 million with 280 Earth to remove 61,571 tonnes of CO₂ between 2024 and 2030. The direct air capture (DAC) will occur at 280 Earth's pilot facility in The Dalles, Oregon, which completed its first module in May 2024. This agreement marks the first purchase from the new unit and will support the construction and operation of additional modules. 280 Earth's DAC technology uses a proprietary continuous capture process built with commercially available components, capable of being powered by waste heat or clean electricity.
Frontier has facilitated $4.5 million in carbon removal prepurchases from nine companies, including Alithic and Capture6, on behalf of buyers Stripe, Shopify, Alphabet, H&M Group, and Match. This fourth round of prepurchases supports projects integrating carbon removal into existing large-scale industries to reduce costs and accelerate scale. Examples include Planeteers using ocean alkalinity enhancement in water treatment and Exterra embedding mineralization into mining processes. The prepurchases aim to advance diverse carbon removal technologies, including direct air capture, field weathering, and mineralization.
Frontier buyers have signed the first river liming carbon removal deal, committing $25.4 million to CarbonRun for the 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 producing bicarbonate for ocean storage 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 pH-neutral rivers. This deal enables data collection to understand limestone dissolution and safe application rates.
Frontier has facilitated $27 million in offtake agreements for Terradot, a carbon removal company, to remove 90,000 tonnes of CO₂ between 2025 and 2029 through enhanced rock weathering in Brazil. Terradot will spread basalt on agricultural land, converting atmospheric CO₂ into bicarbonate for permanent storage in the ocean. This process also benefits soil health and pH management for farmers. The deal involves Frontier founding members Stripe, Google, Shopify, and McKinsey Sustainability, among others, with Google committing an additional 200,000 tonnes for delivery by the early 2030s.
Frontier has facilitated $80.1 million in carbon removal offtake agreements with CO280 and CREW Carbon, totalling 296,378 tonnes of CO₂ removal by 2030. CO280 will remove 224,500 tonnes of CO₂ from pulp and paper facilities between 2028 and 2030 for $48.0 million. CREW Carbon will remove 71,878 tonnes of CO₂ from wastewater treatment processes between 2025 and 2030 for $32.1 million. These agreements support the integration of carbon removal technologies into existing industrial infrastructure, aiming for lower-cost, scalable solutions. The projects leverage biogenic CO₂ sources and existing facilities to enhance removal efficiency and reduce capital expenditure.
Frontier buyers have committed $30.6 million to Phlair for the removal of 47,000 tonnes of CO₂ between 2027 and 2030. This agreement supports Phlair's first commercial-scale direct air capture (DAC) facility in Alberta, Canada. Phlair utilises an electrochemical DAC approach designed for energy efficiency and intermittent renewable energy sources. The company aims for less than 1.5 MWh/tCO₂ energy consumption, which is approximately 1.3 times lower than other electricity-intensive carbon dioxide removal methods. This deal follows an initial prepurchase of 275 tonnes by Frontier buyers in September 2023.
Frontier buyers, including Stripe, Google, and Shopify, have committed $33 million to Eion for the removal of 78,707 tonnes of CO₂ between 2027 and 2030. Eion employs enhanced rock weathering by applying olivine to agricultural fields in the Southern and Midwestern United States. This method converts atmospheric CO₂ into bicarbonate, which is then stored in the ocean. The programme also offers farmers a cheaper alternative to agricultural lime for soil pH management, integrating carbon removal with existing agricultural practices.
Frontier has facilitated a deal where its buyers will pay Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) company Arbor $41 million to remove 116,000 tonnes of CO₂ between 2028 and 2030. This investment will enable Arbor to launch its first commercial facility near Lake Charles, Louisiana, expected to be fully operational in 2028. Arbor's BECCS technology captures over 99% of CO₂ while producing clean electricity, combining biomass gasification, oxycombustion, and supercritical CO₂ turbomachinery into a single system. The process aims to provide a low-cost approach to BECCS, meeting growing demand for clean baseload electricity, particularly from 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 will deliver 2,142 tonnes, Limenet 330 tonnes, and pHathom 510 tonnes of carbon removal. This initiative aims to accelerate nascent carbon removal solutions, with Frontier buyers acting as first customers for two of the three companies.
Frontier has facilitated a $31.3 million deal for its buyers to purchase 115,211 tonnes of CO₂ removal credits from Planetary, an ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) company. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2026 and continue through 2030. This agreement expands on Planetary's pilot project, which recently generated the first verified OAE tonnes. Planetary's method involves adding dissolved alkaline minerals to seawater to convert CO₂ into stable bicarbonate ions, with co-benefits for ocean acidification.
Regreener has released a series of guides focusing on carbon offtake agreements, including a buyer's guide, a due diligence checklist, and a comparison with annual purchases. The publications aim to assist companies in navigating the complexities of carbon credit procurement. Authored by Regreener founder Bernard de Wit, the resources draw on his experience assessing numerous carbon projects. These guides provide insights into best practices for impactful climate action and VCM integrity.
Regreener has published a guide comparing the main carbon credit standards relevant for corporate buyers in 2026, including Verra, Gold Standard, Plan Vivo, Puro.earth, and Isometric. The guide highlights that while Verra and Gold Standard dominate avoidance and reduction credits, Plan Vivo specialises in nature projects, and Puro.earth and Isometric certify engineered carbon removal. It emphasises that the choice of standard depends on the buyer's climate strategy and the specific claims they need to make, noting that no single standard is 'best'. The comparison focuses on additionality, permanence, MRV, and co-benefits as key differentiating factors among standards.
The Satoyama Mace Initiative approved a new framework, 'Biodiversity Methodologies for Biochar Utilization in Soil and Non-Soil Applications', in Taiwan on 2 June 2026. This framework, aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, allows agricultural producers to generate verifiable carbon assets from circular land management practices. It aims to lower financial and technical barriers for small-scale farmers to access carbon markets by simplifying monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) for biochar production from agricultural residues. The methodology enables farmers to secure new income streams from carbon storage and biodiversity protection, incentivising alternatives to open biomass burning.
Climeworks Solutions has signed a ten-year carbon dioxide removal (CDR) agreement with TD Bank, marking its first partnership with a Canadian financial institution. Climeworks will manage a diversified North American CDR portfolio for TD Bank, including enhanced rock weathering, biochar, and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. This multi-technology approach aims to mitigate delivery and durability risks associated with single-project carbon accounting. The agreement establishes a precedent for multi-pathway corporate climate procurement within North American financial services, ensuring long-term carbon sequestration volumes for TD Bank. Climeworks will act as an institutional aggregator and portfolio manager, blending high-permanence biological and geochemical pathways with future direct air capture assets.
Verra has certified its first government-led, provincial-scale forest carbon programme in Misiones, Argentina, under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Programme’s Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ (JNR) Framework. The programme covers approximately 3 million hectares of native Atlantic Forest and generated an estimated 13.1 million tCO₂e in verified emission reductions between 2017 and 2022. This marks the first global certification using Scenario 2 of Verra’s JNR Framework, which allows governments to generate credits for forest areas not covered by individual projects. The certification establishes a replicable model for other national and subnational governments seeking to integrate climate policy, forest conservation, and international carbon markets. The programme is now registered on the Verra Registry.
Climeworks has secured a 10-year carbon dioxide removal (CDR) agreement with Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD Bank), marking its first deal with a Canadian financial services customer. Under the agreement, Climeworks Solutions will manage a diversified portfolio of North American CDR for TD Bank, including enhanced rock weathering, biochar, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, and future direct air capture. The direct air capture credits will originate from Climeworks' planned North American facilities. This deal positions TD Bank as an early financial services buyer using long-term procurement to support CDR, reflecting a corporate shift towards diversified carbon portfolios.
The International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) has highlighted the urgent need for action to ensure the successful conclusion of CORSIA's first phase by the January 2028 compliance deadline. Airlines face an estimated 55.6 million tonnes of emission reduction obligations for 2024, with total Phase 1 obligations potentially reaching 200 million tonnes. As of May 2026, only 36 million tonnes of CORSIA-eligible supply are available from 10 countries and three standards, indicating a significant supply-demand gap. IETA emphasised that resolving legal and regulatory uncertainties, particularly host country authorisation of credits and national implementation of CORSIA, is crucial for market scale-up. The organisation noted that CORSIA's success is vital for multilateral climate cooperation, extending beyond aviation emissions alone.
The IETA Brazil Initiative, in partnership with EOS Consulting, launched a new working paper, 'Carbon Market Frameworks for Brazil 2.0', at the Latin America Climate Summit 2026. The paper quantitatively assesses four pathways for integrating Brazil’s Emissions Trading System, voluntary carbon markets, and Article 6 mechanisms. It explores the macroeconomic, environmental, and social impacts of different carbon market designs, including a hybrid scenario combining industrial decarbonisation and nature-based solutions under an Article 6 framework. The analysis suggests that strategic engagement with international carbon markets could attract investment, support hard-to-abate sectors, and aid Brazil in achieving its NDC cost-effectively. Key considerations such as market integrity, corresponding adjustments, and ITMO authorisation are also addressed.
Regreener has identified five Gold Standard-certified carbon credit projects as top performers for 2026, based on additionality, independent ratings, SDG co-benefits, and procurement availability. The selected projects include WithOneSeed Community Forestry Program (GS 4210) in Timor-Leste, Humbo Ethiopia Assisted Natural Regeneration (GS 1922), EcoMakala Virunga Reforestation (GS 5618) in DRC, Kenya Biomass Gasification for Clean Cooking (GS 3373), and UpEnergy Electric Cooking (GS 4265) in Tanzania. These projects are independently verifiable on the Gold Standard Impact Registry and include a cookstove project under a CCP-approved methodology. Regreener emphasises that while Gold Standard certification is a strong filter, independent ratings from agencies like BeZero Carbon are also crucial for procurement decisions.
Sylvera has identified five carbon credit projects with high ratings (AA to A-AA range) for 2026, including Katingan Peatland Restoration (Indonesia) and Exomad Green Concepción (Bolivia). Investment-grade (BBB+) credits now trade at an average of $20.10 per tonne, more than three times the market-wide average of $5.69, according to Sylvera's Q1 2026 data. These ratings are increasingly used by corporate buyers for due diligence under regulations like CSRD and the EU Green Claims Directive. Sylvera's ratings assess a project's likelihood of delivering claimed tonnes, its additionality, permanence, and co-benefits, differing from registry certifications.
BeZero Carbon has identified five projects with AA or AAA ratings, the threshold for audit-conscious corporate buyers, for European procurement in 2026. The projects include Climeworks Mammoth (AAA), Perennial CMM HRS Dent's Run Flare Project (AAA), Katingan Mentaya Peatland Restoration (AA), WithOneSeed Timor-Leste Community Forestry Program (AA), and Brusque Landfill Gas Project (AA). Katingan's rating upgrade from A to AA in Q1 2025 led to a price increase for its 2020 vintage credits from USD 4.50-5.00 to USD 7.40-8.00 per tCO₂e. These ratings are crucial for buyers reporting under frameworks like CSRD, with BeZero's methodology aligning with ICVCM and VCMI standards.