In the rapidly evolving landscape of carbon removal, trust is everything.

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That trust can’t be built on ambition or promise alone. It requires data. And for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to be credible, buyers need full transparency into every step of the carbon removal journey. That’s why NextGen, a global buyers club built by Mitsubishi Corporation and South Pole, took a bold step: incorporating independent digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) into one of their most strategic carbon removal purchases to date.

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By partnering with Carbonfuture, NextGen ensured that its deal for 36,000 tonnes of durable carbon removal from Exomad Green would meet the highest possible standards of transparency and quality. In doing so, they’ve demonstrated a replicable model for how buyers can enter the carbon removal market with impact and integrity.

Why Buyers Clubs Could Drive the Future of Carbon Removal

Buyers clubs like NextGen help to aggregate demand from large corporate climate leaders. They act as a bridge between buyers and CDR suppliers — de-risking purchases, securing long-term supply agreements, and contributing to emerging CDR technologies. They also conduct rigorous due diligence of projects for multiple buyers, making it significantly easier to engage potential partners. For many corporate leaders, buyers clubs are a low-risk, high-reward way to achieve their sustainability goals while supporting the growth of a trustworthy carbon removal market.

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With founding buyers that include Swiss Re, UBS, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, LGT Group, and Boston Consulting Group, NextGen’s mission is to support innovative carbon removal technologies and projects that can provide credits at scale in the near term. Because emerging CDR technologies can often be cost-prohibitive for buyers, NextGen’s unique approach aims to help buyers secure a long-term supply of carbon removal credits at an average price of $200 per tonne. By aggregating demand among a network of buyers and extending a clear, long-term commitment to suppliers, buyer clubs like NextGen play a crucial role in scaling the carbon removal market.

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But even the most forward-thinking buyers’ clubs face two critical hurdles. First, there’s the important issue of trust. Without full, end-to-end visibility into the entire carbon removal journey, buyers can potentially be exposed to reputational and financial risk. Confidence in credit integrity hinges on transparent, independently verified data.

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Second, there’s the risk that the CDR supply isn’t scaling fast enough. Many carbon removal suppliers are navigating complex, manual certification processes that can slow down credit issuance, stall promising projects, and ultimately, lower trust between suppliers and buyers. To shorten the time it takes suppliers to get credits to market and for buyers to secure a long-term, reliable supply of credits, it requires a streamlined approach to certification via independent, digital MRV: Carbonfuture MRV+.

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Setting a New Standard

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On December 5, 2024, the Industrial Energy Green Transition conference was entering its final day in Tokyo when representatives from NextGen, Carbonfuture and Exomad Green took to the stage and made a landmark announcement that would set a new standard for the carbon removal industry.

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The announcement detailed a 3-year, 36,000 tonnes deal between NextGen and Exomad Green, which today is the world’s leading provider of Biochar Carbon Removal (BCR). With three facilities that are now or near-operational, Exomad Green transforms excess timber waste into biochar, utilizing feedstock certified by the Autoridad Bosques y Tierra (ABT). This biochar is then provided to local farmers for free as a soil amendment to improve crop yields. With a goal of removing 360,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, Exomad Green is creating 300+ green tech jobs while also contributing to the health of local communities by reducing the burning of timber waste.

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This project would already stand out for these social and economic benefits, as well as the value of providing durable CDR at scale over the next three years. However, another groundbreaking precedent the deal set was the integration of Carbonfuture MRV+ as a core feature.

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A Data-Driven Model for High-Quality CDR

By prioritizing quality and integrity, this collaboration would demonstrate a new model for buyers clubs prioritizing transparency and quality. This would have major ramifications for the entire CDR industry.

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For CDR buyers and buyers clubs, Carbonfuture MRV+ provides a reliable and scalable foundation for procurement. It enables confident investment in high-durability removal pathways, including BCR, BECCS, DACCS, and mineralization, by offering comprehensive project tracking, seamless third-party verification, and integration with all major standards and registries. Working as a trusted intermediary, the Carbonfuture MRV+ platform protects buyers from reputational risk while preparing them for emerging compliance requirements.

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For suppliers, Carbonfuture MRV+ reduces friction in the certification and credit issuance process. By standardizing data collection and addressing buyer requirements like due diligence, it allows projects like Exomad Green to enter the market faster and signal the high quality of their credits from day one, accelerating project financing, potential offtake agreements, and market access.

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And for the broader CDR ecosystem, this deal sets a precedent, proving that independent digital MRV is critical for scaling carbon removal with confidence. As the voluntary market evolves and compliance policies take shape around the world, infrastructure like Carbonfuture MRV+ will be foundational for aligning corporate climate strategies with measurable, verifiable outcomes.

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By prioritizing integrity at every step, NextGen, Carbonfuture, and Exomad Green have provided a blueprint for a CDR industry where quality is paramount and a replicable model for scaling trust in carbon removal.

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