Carbon Credits: Carbonity Biochar Project Certified by Puro.Earth

Press Release - September 23, 2025

Project issues first carbon removal certificates to Microsoft under offtake agreement

Just weeks after the official launch of its biochar plant in Port Cartier, Canada Carbonity achieved another major milestone. The project successfully completed its certification audit and is now officially registered under the internationally recognized Puro.earth standard.

With Puro.earth certification in place, Carbonity has successfully completed its first audit and begun issuing carbon removal credits from biochar production and application, with the first credits already delivered to Microsoft: Earlier in 2024, the Carbonity project secured a three-year forward offtake agreement for 36,000 carbon credits.

“The Puro.earth certification is another important step forward in the project’s development,” says Lylia Khennache, from Carbonity joint venture partner Airex Energy. “The project can now issue carbon credits in the emerging biochar market, which is essential for ensuring both the projects’ cost-effectiveness and long-term development planning.”

Comprehensive Audit from Puro.earth

The multi-stage verification process extended over several months and involved a range of verification steps. These included a thorough audit of the production facility in Port Cartier, with a detailed review of all processes relevant to safety, environmental protection, and quality. Puro.earth auditors also examined all production parameters, such as the temperature profile and duration of the pyrolysis process, the origin and moisture content of the feedstock used, and the quality of the resulting biochar.

“The verification process confirms that the methods applied within the Carbonity project to quantify the climate benefits of biochar production and use are fully aligned with Puro.earth requirements and deliver robust, credible results,” explains Nino Berta, Senior Project Manager for Carbonity’s partner First Climate, which guided the project through the certification process.” Following this verification, we are excited to offer carbon removal credits from the Carbonity project, which meets the highest international standards.”

An important part of the certification process was the verification of the traceability of each individual carbon removal certificate from issuance to retirement. For the Carbonity project, the collection and provision of all relevant data is managed via a fully digital system from Cula Technologies, where all project data relevant to Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) is consolidated and documented.

“The successful Puro.earth certification is also a testament to the quality of Carbonity‘s operation and MRV procedures. It is one of the most secure and automated MRV set-ups we have seen worldwide,” says Oliver Erb, Co-Founder of Cula Technologies. “By replacing manual reporting with continuous digital tracking, we ensure every credit is fully traceable and audit-ready from day one. This makes certification safer and faster, while giving buyers confidence that their credits are backed by real-time, tamper-proof data.”

Carbonity: Taking Climate Action with Scaled Up Biochar Production

Carbonity is one of the first plants globally to produce high quality biochar at industrial scale and one of the largest facilities of its kind in North America. Existing biomass waste from the region’s wood industry is transformed into biochar using a special pyrolysis process. Pyrolysis locks the carbon absorbed during plant growth into a stable form, ensuring it remains permanently removed from the atmosphere. This represents a vital contribution to global climate action.

In its current project phase, production capacity at the facility will be ramped up to 10,000 tonnes per year. At its full capacity, the Carbonity joint venture, formed by Airex Energy, Groupe Rémabec and SUEZ, will produce up to 30,000 tonnes of premium-quality biochar annually. This output represents a climate benefit of 75,000 tonnes of CO₂ permanently removed from the atmosphere each year.

The Carbonity project marks the first milestone in an ambitious global biochar roadmap by Airex Energy and SUEZ. By 2035, the partners aim to develop more projects to achieve a worldwide production capacity of 350,000 tonnes of biochar annually, making a significant contribution to global climate solutions.

About First Climate

First Climate is a leading global provider of corporate climate action and sustainability solutions with over 25 years of experience. We advise organizations across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas on their journey to Net Zero. Our range of services covers all steps on the corporate path to decarbonization—from calculating carbon footprints and developing climate strategies to implementing measures for project-based climate change mitigation.

First Climate develops and finances verified emission reduction and carbon removal projects around the globe. With access to an extensive network of global partners, as well as in-house expertise in operational renewable energy procurement, we help companies reduce their energy-related emissions. Our experienced sustainability consultants also provide companies with cutting-edge solutions for their ESG strategy and reporting.

About Carbonity

Carbonity is an innovative joint venture born of a strategic collaboration between industry leaders Airex Energy, Groupe Rémabec and Suez. Located in Northern Quebec, Carbonity is Canada’s first industrial-scale biochar plant and the largest of its kind in North America. With Airex Energy’s patented CarbonFX™ torrefaction technology, Carbonity transforms local wood residues into high-quality biochar for diverse applications, including agriculture and metallurgy (biocarbon). By sequestering carbon, improving soil health, and reducing the carbon footprint of various industrial processes, Carbonity is positioned as a key player in the transition toward a circular and sustainable economy.

About Cula

Cula is the leading MRV system for direct machine and sensor data integration in carbon removal. Their platform captures real-time operational data across the complete carbon removal value chain, automating Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) from feedstock delivery to CO₂ storage or end-product application.

Contact

• First Climate: Benjamin Seitz, Benjamin.Seitz@firstclimate.com , Tel. +49 6101 55 658 34 (Germany)
• Carbonity: Geneviève Chartrand, gchartrand@airex-energie.com, Tel. +1 (438) 596-7707 (Canada)