Sustainability and carbon market news

As 2025 draws to a close, the voluntary carbon market is entering a more defined and deliberate phase of development. After years of rapid expansion, the market has become more discerning, placing greater value on credibility, long-term impact, and...

A new report by researchers at the University of Cambridge finds that nature-based carbon removals can play a key role in achieving long-term temperature stabilisation when combined with engineered carbon removal approaches and supported by solid...

Italy has taken a decisive step toward integrating nature conservation with market mechanisms by launching a national registry for voluntary carbon credits. The initiative aims to protect the country’s ten million hectares of forests and ensure...

Taiwan and Paraguay have formalised a new partnership to collaborate on carbon credit trading under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, strengthening their joint commitment to meet UN green targets. Panoramic view of Paraguay’s rainforest with...

The global carbon market saw a record number of forward-delivered contracts in the third quarter of 2025, marking a rebound in activity and investor confidence. Data shows 65 forward offtake deals were publicly announced during Q3, up from 48 in Q2,...

Uganda has endorsed a new national framework aimed at reversing decades of forest loss while opening pathways for sustainable economic growth through carbon crediting. Scenic green forest in Uganda. AI generated picture. The National Strategy on...

The Australian state of Victoria has introduced a new funding initiative to encourage landowners to develop forestry projects capable of generating carbon credits. Announced on 4 August, the Victorian Trees on Farms Programme (VTOF) offers financial...

The European Commission has formally proposed a binding environmental target for 2040: a 90% net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels. The move is a key milestone in the EU’s broader strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by...

Carbon credit retirements soared to a record-breaking 95 million in the first half of 2025, marking a pivotal moment in the voluntary carbon market’s evolution. The surge underscores growing demand for high-quality offsets and increasing alignment...

Microsoft has strengthened its position as a leader in nature-based carbon removals by signing a new agreement with Anew Climate and Aurora Sustainable Lands. The 10-year contract secures 4.8 million tonnes of carbon removal credits generated...

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has taken a major step towards its environmental goals by purchasing over 100,000 premium carbon credits through Rubicon Carbon, a California-based green tech platform. The agreement gives ByteDance the right...

Australia’s carbon market is off to a robust start in 2025, with a record number of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) traded in the first quarter, and Queensland stepping up to drive future supply through a major funding round. A koala resting...

Argentina has officially opened the doors to its first carbon credit exchange, marking a significant move in the Latin American carbon market. The Bolsa Argentina de Carbono (BACX) began operations nearly 18 months after its initial announcement at...

A major blue carbon project in Mozambique has reached a significant milestone with the planting of 10 million mangrove trees across 1,300 hectares of coastal wetlands. The announcement was made at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, marking a...

The voluntary carbon market (VCM) is undergoing a strategic transformation. According to the latest State of the Voluntary Carbon Market 2025 report by Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace, carbon credit trading volumes dropped 25% in 2024. Despite...

Australia is set to host its largest-ever forestry-based carbon project by land area, following the submission of a new application to the Clean Energy Regulator. The proposed Environmental Plantings (EP) initiative will span 30,000 hectares and...

Australia’s carbon credit prices climbed to their highest levels in nearly four months on Monday, following the Labor Party’s strong performance in the federal election and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s re-election. Forestry workers planting...

A new $200 million fund backed by Japanese capital is set to acquire and manage forestland across the United States, with the goal of generating both carbon credits and sustainable timber revenues. The fund, launched through a partnership between a...

Apple significantly increased its use of carbon credits in 2024, retiring 737,100 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent—its highest level on record. These offsets were applied to its corporate carbon footprint, which includes emissions from direct operations,...

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has officially entered the carbon market, executing its first trades of carbon credits eligible for offsetting South Africa’s Carbon Tax. A total of 10,000 carbon credits changed hands on the JSE Ventures...

Isometric has announced partnerships with seven digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (dMRV) providers to transform how carbon removal projects achieve certification. The collaboration aims to streamline data submission, reduce costs, and...

The Climate Action Data Trust (CAD Trust), a leading platform for carbon metadata, has announced the integration of Gold Standard, the world’s second-largest carbon registry, into its system. This marks a significant step in streamlining carbon data...

The first issuance of UN-backed carbon credits under the Article 6.4 mechanism could be imminent, following COP29's approval of a blueprint to govern the market. Maria AlJishi, chair of the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body (SBM), announced that the...

Australia has seen a record rise in new forestry-based carbon credit projects this year, driven by big emitters and an impending expiration of an existing method. According to the Clean Energy Regulator (CER), environmental planting (EP) project...

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has committed to purchasing up to 3.9 million carbon credits from BTG Pactual's forestry division by 2038. This move marks Meta’s most significant single-project carbon removal deal to date,...

Microsoft has made another significant move in corporate carbon removal efforts with its purchase of 234,000 carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits from a forest restoration project in southern Mexico. The credits, developed by Toroto under the...

The World Bank's 2024 State and Trends of Carbon Pricing: International Carbon Markets report highlights exciting progress in the global carbon market, showing increasing momentum for environmental action through carbon pricing mechanisms. While...

US timberland investment trust Rayonier is broadening its focus on carbon offset projects, evaluating initiatives in both the US and New Zealand. The company, which owns 2.7 million acres of timberland, is involved in improved forest management and...

An ambitious carbon project in Ethiopia has been added to Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard registry. Developed by a Netherlands-based group, the initiative aims to restore 12,000 hectares of native forest in the country’s mountainous regions,...

Oman has finalised the draft of its general policy framework for carbon markets, an initiative led by the Sultanate's Environment Authority. This comprehensive 52-page document aligns with the Paris Agreement’s Article 6 and outlines the country's...

The carbon credit market saw significant developments in the final days of August, with the Xpansiv CBL platform at the forefront of record-breaking activity. A major highlight was the trade of 39,414 tonnes of 2023 vintage ACR CCP-approved United...

Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco has taken a significant step towards reducing its carbon footprint by purchasing carbon credits to offset the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a recent shipment of Arabian light crude oil. This marks the first time...

Australian airline Qantas has partnered with mining heavyweights Rio Tinto and BHP to launch a new fund to develop nature-based carbon projects in Australia. This initiative, the Silva Carbon Origination Fund, is set to raise $165 million to manage...

Singapore and Laos are set to strengthen their collaboration in clean energy, food security, carbon credits, and capacity building, marking the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Laos nature landscape view. AI generated picture. Laos’...

The Ministry of Finance has proposed amendments to Vietnam's Law on Corporate Income Tax, aiming to exempt corporate taxes on income from green bond interest and carbon credits. Two elephants roaming in Yok Don National Park, the largest national...

In a move to enhance sustainable farming and carbon credit earnings, two certification companies, FoodChain ID and ReSeed, have launched a groundbreaking methodology for soil carbon projects. This new system, known as the ReSeed Soil Carbon...

The global market for carbon removal credits is poised to reach $100 billion annually between 2030 and 2035, a significant leap from $2.7 billion last year, as per Oliver Wyman's latest analysis. The consultancy notes rising interest from corporate...

The Dunleavy administration has finalised regulations to initiate the sale of carbon offset credits on state land. Following the Legislature’s approval of Senate Bill 48 in May last year, the new regulations will be effective from 19 July 2024. A...

A recent report by BeZero Carbon reveals that a $100 billion carbon market could catalyse $700 billion in annual investments in carbon projects, protecting 150 million hectares of land, equivalent to the size of Peru. Landscape view of young trees...

Six environmental NGOs have expressed support for the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in its plans to allow greater use of carbon offsetting, provided stringent conditions are met to ensure the efficacy of these credits. Top view of six tree...

Microsoft has made a landmark move in its environmental strategy by purchasing 8 million carbon offset credits from BTG Pactual’s forestry division. This transaction, hailed as the largest of its kind, aims to significantly contribute to Microsoft's...

Airlines are set to invest $600 million in carbon offset credits in 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This move aligns with the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), a UN-led...

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) has greenlit seven carbon crediting methodologies, amounting to 27 million carbon credits. This decision marks a significant step in ensuring the quality and integrity of carbon credits....

A coalition of 10 West African countries is urging the global community to allow carbon offsets as part of corporate efforts to reduce emissions. These nations argue that offsets are essential for attracting funding necessary for climate and...

Singaporean companies can now tap into a broader pool of carbon credits to offset up to 5% of their taxable emissions, thanks to a new bilateral agreement with Ghana. This marks the second such partnership for Singapore, following a similar...

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) plans to finalise its carbon credits rulebook within the next six months, marking a significant step towards market integrity and fraud prevention. Aerial view of Tongass National Forest. AI...

Carbon pricing revenues reached a historic $104 billion in 2023, according to a World Bank report. More than half of this revenue was directed towards climate and nature-related programmes. Implemented through carbon taxes and emissions trading...

Vietnamese businesses are being urged to embrace green technologies and generate carbon credits to enhance their competitiveness and innovation. This push towards sustainability comes as Vietnam prepares to enter the global carbon credit market....

Over half of UK institutional investors are either investing in natural capital or plan to do so within the next 18 months, favouring the development of their own carbon or biodiversity credits over buying offsets in the secondary market. This trend...

Starting September 2024, voluntary carbon credits in the UK will be subject to VAT, according to a new policy announced by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). This change will require businesses involved in the creation, sale, or purchase of carbon credits...

In a groundbreaking move for Africa’s carbon market, EcoSafi, together with the Gold Standard, has launched the continent's first carbon credits certified under the rigorous Metered and Measured Energy Cooking Devices (MECD) methodology. This...

The voluntary carbon credit market (VCM) is poised for substantial growth, anticipated to reach $21.7 billion by 2032, according to a report by Global Market Insights Inc. This surge is fueled by heightened global awareness and concerted efforts...

The International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) has recently unveiled comprehensive new guidelines aimed at assisting businesses in leveraging carbon credits to achieve the Paris Agreement’s climate objectives. Revealed during IETA’s annual...

Experts predict a substantial increase in the price of carbon credits following the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market's introduction of Core Carbon Principle (CCP) labels. Simon Jones, founder of Emral Carbon, forecasts that carbon...

NetZero, a French carbon removal firm, has successfully raised €18 million ($19.5 million) from the government-backed investor STOA Infra & Energy. This new funding will facilitate the establishment of additional biochar facilities in Brazil and...