Who buys biochar carbon credits?
Companies with net zero or removal targets, buying either issued credits on the spot market or future tonnes through offtakes, directly from producers or through marketplaces and brokers. Puro.earth alone reports about 600 buyers. Frontier lists biochar as out of scope, and the EU's CRCF Buyers Club favours EU-funded projects in its first round.
How buyers buy
- Spot: issued credits bought for a claim now, often through a marketplace or broker.
- Offtake: a contract for future tonnes at an agreed volume, which also helps the producer raise money.
- Direct: the producer signs with the end buyer and transfers or retires credits for it.
Where demand shows up
- Puro.earth says it has about 600 buyers worldwide.
- Isometric reports more than 100 signed buyers across its pathways.
- The ICVCM, citing MSCI, noted in August 2025 that biochar credit demand had doubled each of the previous two years.
Who does not buy it
- Frontier lists biochar as out of scope for its purchases.
- The EU CRCF Buyers Club accepts biochar under its approved methodology, but its 2026 purchases strongly prefer projects funded by the EU or member states.
What a buyer checks first
- Registry and methodology version, and whether it carries the CCP label.
- Lab results such as H:Corg, and where the biochar ended up.
- That the credits are active, not already retired.
What Senseible does here
Senseible's buyer view traces a biochar tonne to its field, kiln and lab test, so a buyer can see the record before paying. The Senseible marketplace lists issued credits.
Sources: Puro.earth, CO2 Removal Certificate (CORC) page, Isometric, Carbon certification: pathways, accreditations and how certificates are issued, ICVCM, Integrity Council approves Biochar and Improved Forest Management methodologies (13 August 2025), Frontier, Apply: Innovation and Offtake tracks, purchase criteria and out-of-scope approaches, European Commission, EU CRCF Buyers Club for carbon removals and carbon farming
Last reviewed 2026-11-02.