Until recently, carbon removal was a topic for 2050 net-zero plans. SBTi’s new net-zero standard moved it into the 2035 budget of every larger company, and the EU proposed in July 2026 to start buying permanent removals through its emissions trading system. For buyers, the open questions are now which removals to buy and when.
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is any human activity that takes CO2 out of the atmosphere and stores it durably, in forests and soils, in rock, underground or in long-lived products. This article explains the main methods, why durability decides how a removal counts, what removals cost, and how companies are buying them.
What counts as carbon removal, and what does not
Three conditions make something a removal: the CO2 comes from the atmosphere (directly or via biomass), it is stored for a meaningful period, and the process removes more than it emits over its life cycle.
That rules out several things that are often called removal:
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) on fossil emissions captures CO2 at a power plant or factory before it reaches the air. It reduces emissions, but it removes nothing from the atmosphere.
Avoided deforestation (REDD+) keeps carbon in a forest that would otherwise be cut. It is avoidance, valuable but different.
Renewable energy and efficiency prevent new emissions.
The difference matters for claims. Under SBTi’s Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0, only removals can neutralise residual emissions at net zero, and only removals count towards the annual removal requirement from 2035 (SBTi carbon removal requirements). How to combine both types in a portfolio is covered in avoidance vs removal.
How much carbon removal exists today
Global CDR is about 2.2 billion tonnes of CO2 per year, roughly 5% of gross CO2 emissions, according to the third edition of The State of Carbon Dioxide Removal (June 2026). Conventional methods, mostly forests and soils, account for 99.9% of that.
Novel CDR, the methods that store carbon in rock, underground or in stable materials, removes about 0.002 billion tonnes a year. It is growing at around 40% a year, and biochar and BECCS make up almost all of it today. The report estimates that national plans fall 5.2 billion tonnes a year short of what 1.5°C pathways need by 2050.
For a buyer, those figures explain the price structure of the market. Nature-based removals are available in volume today. Durable removals are scarce, and most of the supply for the next decade is already being contracted.
Carbon removal methods compared
Method | How carbon is stored | Durability under SBTi V2 | Maturity | Reference price (2026) | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reforestation, afforestation, agroforestry (ARR) | Trees and biomass | Short-lived (decades to centuries) | Mature, large volumes | about USD 10-30 | |
Soil carbon and regenerative farming | Soil organic carbon | Short-lived | Scaling, measurement varies | varies by project | |
Blue carbon (mangroves, seagrass, salt marshes) | Coastal vegetation and sediments | Short-lived | Mature for mangroves | varies by project | |
Biochar | Stable carbon in soil or materials | Long-lived where durability is demonstrated | Most traded durable removal | about USD 135 | |
Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) | Carbonates and bicarbonates from crushed rock | Long-lived | Early commercial, MRV-heavy | about USD 350 | |
BECCS | Biogenic CO2 stored underground | Long-lived | Few large plants, large contracts | about USD 220 | contracted mainly by large buyers |
Direct air capture with storage (DACCS) | CO2 from air stored underground | Long-lived | Early, most measurable | over USD 500 | |
Ocean-based (e.g. alkalinity enhancement) | Dissolved carbon in the ocean | Long-lived | Pilot stage | few transactions | watch list |
Prices are public reference points from Sylvera, Puro.earth and CDR.fyi as compiled in carbon removal credit prices. They are not quotes. Removal-only registries such as Puro.earth and Isometric certify most durable removals.
Durability: why it decides how a removal counts
The most important property of a removal is how long the carbon stays out of the atmosphere. CO2 from fossil fuels warms the climate for centuries to millennia, so a tonne stored in a young forest for decades is not equivalent to a tonne stored in rock.
SBTi V2.0 turns this into a rule. It distinguishes long-lived removals, “capable of retaining carbon for centuries to millennia”, from short-lived removals that store carbon for “decades to centuries”, without attaching a fixed number of years. Larger companies (Category A) must cover 1% of ongoing scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions with removals in 2035, rising to 100% at their net-zero year, and a growing share of that has to be long-lived. For most office-based companies almost all emissions are CO2, so the long-lived share applies to almost all the removals they buy.
The EU draws the line in a similar place. Its Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Certification framework (CRCF) separates permanent removals, carbon farming with a minimum duration of five years, and carbon stored in products for at least 35 years (CRCF certified carbon credits). And in its EU ETS review proposal of 17 July 2026, the Commission proposed raising the ETS cap by 250 million allowances, auctioned from 2031 to 2040, with the revenue used to buy CRCF-certified BioCCS and DACCS removals. Nature-based removals would only be reviewed by the end of 2034 (ICAP). It is a proposal, still to be negotiated with Parliament and Council, but it shows where public demand for durable removals is heading.
Durability is not the only measure of quality. A short-lived removal with a strong buffer pool and real co-benefits can be the better purchase for a contribution claim today, as long as it is not presented as permanent.
Nature-based or engineered removals?
The choice is less of a contest than it looks. Each type solves a different problem.
Nature-based removals (forests, agroforestry, soils, mangroves) are available now, cost a fraction of engineered removals, and often deliver biodiversity and income for local communities. Their weaknesses are reversal risk (fire, drought, land-use change) and measurement uncertainty, especially for soil carbon.
Engineered and mineral removals (biochar, ERW, BECCS, DACCS) store carbon for much longer and are often easier to verify, DAC most of all. Their weaknesses are price, limited supply and, for some methods, measurement that is still being standardised, as with ERW.
Most of the companies we advise combine both. SparkOptimus, a consultancy, moved its portfolio from avoidance to removal and chose a reforestation project in Indonesia and a biochar project in Ghana: one for scale and co-benefits, one for durability.
Tip from Bernard de Wit, Founder of Regreener: “Do not wait for 2035 to buy your first durable removals. The volume you need then is small, but the projects that will deliver it are being contracted now. A modest annual biochar or ERW purchase today buys you price history, supplier relationships and a portfolio you understand before the requirement starts.”
Who buys carbon removals today
Demand for durable removals is concentrated. As of April 2026, Microsoft accounted for 78.5% of all disclosed durable CDR tonnes contracted, according to CDR.fyi. Buyers other than Microsoft and the Frontier coalition contracted 3.2 million tonnes in 2025, nearly as much as in 2023 and 2024 combined.
Two consequences for a mid-market buyer:
Contracted is not delivered. Most durable tonnes sold so far are forward contracts for removals that have not yet happened. A purchase today often means delivery over several years, which is why offtake agreements are common for durable removals.
Supply goes to those who commit. Developers prioritise buyers who sign multi-year volumes. Smaller buyers get better access through portfolios that aggregate demand.
How to start a carbon removal portfolio
Know your number. Check whether SBTi V2’s removal requirement applies to you and what volume it implies from 2035. Our free SBTi V2 calculator gives your category and volume.
Set a durability mix. Decide what share must be long-lived, now and in 2035, and which short-lived removals you accept for co-benefits.
Check removal-specific quality. Beyond additionality: how storage is measured, how long it lasts, who carries the reversal risk, and whether life-cycle emissions are deducted.
Choose the contract form. Spot purchases for nature-based removals, forward or offtake contracts for durable removals with limited supply.
Report removals separately from avoidance credits and from your own emissions, and say what kind of storage they represent.
Our quality framework applies these checks to every removal project in the Regreener portfolio.
“The removal market rewards buyers who know what they need. A company that can say ‘we need 200 tonnes of long-lived removals a year from 2030, rising to 600’ gets better prices and better projects than one asking for ‘some removals’ each December.”
Bernard de Wit, Founder of Regreener
See the removal projects we work with
From reforestation and agroforestry to biochar and enhanced rock weathering: browse the removal projects in our portfolio, each screened against our quality framework.
