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Hybrid

Biomass carbon removal and storage

Biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) refers to strategies that leverage photosynthesis, combined with a few processing steps, to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere and store biogenic carbon in long-lived reservoirs, either underground or in durable products. Some BiCRS pathways may also generate coproducts such as electricity, heat, or hydrogen. Prominent pathways include biochar production and storage, wood harvesting and storage, and geologic sequestration of biogenic CO₂ through pathways like bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). The biomass feedstock for BiCRS can be specifically cultivated for CDR projects or derived as a byproduct of other activities, such as residues from forestry and agriculture.

Hybrid

Biomass carbon removal and storage

Social harms, benefits, & environmental justice

Environmental harms & benefits

Additionality & baselines

Measurement, monitoring, reporting, & verification

Durability

Leakage

Other considerations

Pathway-specific considerations

Hybrid

Biomass carbon removal and storage

Social harms, benefits, & environmental justice

Environmental harms & benefits

Additionality & baselines

Measurement, monitoring, reporting, & verification

Durability

Leakage

Other considerations

Pathway-specific considerations

Biomass-based CDR

Social harms, benefits, and environmental justice

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Ensure that biomass feedstock sourcing does not compromise essential resources, including fuel sources, for local communities.

Project developers should

Articulate how project activities, like feedstock production and product or coproduct sales, will benefit under-resourced and marginalized populations, including benefits like wealth generation and economic empowerment.
Educate end users about the potential benefits and risks associated with project coproducts, such as biochar.

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Social harms, benefits, and environmental justice

Social harms, benefits, and environmental justice

Biomass-based CDR

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Ensure that biomass feedstock sourcing does not compromise essential resources, including fuel sources, for local communities.

Project developers should

Articulate how project activities, like feedstock production and product or coproduct sales, will benefit under-resourced and marginalized populations, including benefits like wealth generation and economic empowerment.
Educate end users about the potential benefits and risks associated with project coproducts, such as biochar.

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Social harms, benefits, and environmental justice

Biomass-based CDR

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Ensure that biomass feedstock sourcing does not compromise essential resources, including fuel sources, for local communities.

Project developers should

Articulate how project activities, like feedstock production and product or coproduct sales, will benefit under-resourced and marginalized populations, including benefits like wealth generation and economic empowerment.
Educate end users about the potential benefits and risks associated with project coproducts, such as biochar.

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Biomass-based CDR

Environmental harms and benefits

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Show that feedstock procurement, biomass conversion, and carbon storage operations have a low risk of any major negative impacts on the surrounding ecosystems (including soil health, biodiversity, water quality, and air quality).
Monitor any use of toxic and/or persistent environmental pollutants, including agrochemicals used in the production of purpose-grown feedstock.
Provide a detailed strategy for ensuring—through tracking, mitigating, monitoring, and other methods—that the physical coproducts and wastes of the project (e.g., biochar, wood, liquids, gases, emissions, etc.) have a low risk of negative impacts on ecosystems.

Project developers should

Explore opportunities to maximize and quantify environmental co-benefits (e.g., fire suppression from feedstock procurement).
Substantiate any environmental benefits associated with procuring feedstock for the project.

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Environmental harms and benefits

Environmental harms and benefits

Biomass-based CDR

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Show that feedstock procurement, biomass conversion, and carbon storage operations have a low risk of any major negative impacts on the surrounding ecosystems (including soil health, biodiversity, water quality, and air quality).
Monitor any use of toxic and/or persistent environmental pollutants, including agrochemicals used in the production of purpose-grown feedstock.
Provide a detailed strategy for ensuring—through tracking, mitigating, monitoring, and other methods—that the physical coproducts and wastes of the project (e.g., biochar, wood, liquids, gases, emissions, etc.) have a low risk of negative impacts on ecosystems.

Project developers should

Explore opportunities to maximize and quantify environmental co-benefits (e.g., fire suppression from feedstock procurement).
Substantiate any environmental benefits associated with procuring feedstock for the project.

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Environmental harms and benefits

Biomass-based CDR

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Show that feedstock procurement, biomass conversion, and carbon storage operations have a low risk of any major negative impacts on the surrounding ecosystems (including soil health, biodiversity, water quality, and air quality).
Monitor any use of toxic and/or persistent environmental pollutants, including agrochemicals used in the production of purpose-grown feedstock.
Provide a detailed strategy for ensuring—through tracking, mitigating, monitoring, and other methods—that the physical coproducts and wastes of the project (e.g., biochar, wood, liquids, gases, emissions, etc.) have a low risk of negative impacts on ecosystems.

Project developers should

Explore opportunities to maximize and quantify environmental co-benefits (e.g., fire suppression from feedstock procurement).
Substantiate any environmental benefits associated with procuring feedstock for the project.

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Biomass-based CDR

Additionality and baselines

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Document, monitor, and quantify any carbon accounting impacts of the most likely counterfactual scenario for the biomass resources in question, throughout the duration of the project. Include their current use, assumed counterfactual carbon storage, and any potential future uses in the absence of the project.
Document landscape carbon stock changes if biomass feedstocks are sourced directly from land management activities (e.g., ecological restoration, vegetation management, etc.). Carbon stocks must be documented at the landscape level, within the land area from which biomass is sourced, and must credibly estimate carbon stocking within the sourcing area under the project and baseline scenarios.
Document the financial viability of the project, with and without revenue from carbon credits, using a financial or techno-economic model. The model must include the impact of coproducts, tax deductions and credits, regulations, policy incentives, and other financial factors. Examples of policy incentives in the United States include the 45Q tax credit, Clean Fuel Standards, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Include and justify the cost of the biomass feedstock, delineating transportation and procurement costs, and the per-unit pricing of all project products such as biochar, bio-oil, electricity, ethanol, or steam.

Project developers should

Justify the current project cost estimate, and quantify and support its potential for change based on cost curve projections

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Additionality and baselines

Additionality and baselines

Biomass-based CDR

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Document, monitor, and quantify any carbon accounting impacts of the most likely counterfactual scenario for the biomass resources in question, throughout the duration of the project. Include their current use, assumed counterfactual carbon storage, and any potential future uses in the absence of the project.
Document landscape carbon stock changes if biomass feedstocks are sourced directly from land management activities (e.g., ecological restoration, vegetation management, etc.). Carbon stocks must be documented at the landscape level, within the land area from which biomass is sourced, and must credibly estimate carbon stocking within the sourcing area under the project and baseline scenarios.
Document the financial viability of the project, with and without revenue from carbon credits, using a financial or techno-economic model. The model must include the impact of coproducts, tax deductions and credits, regulations, policy incentives, and other financial factors. Examples of policy incentives in the United States include the 45Q tax credit, Clean Fuel Standards, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Include and justify the cost of the biomass feedstock, delineating transportation and procurement costs, and the per-unit pricing of all project products such as biochar, bio-oil, electricity, ethanol, or steam.

Project developers should

Justify the current project cost estimate, and quantify and support its potential for change based on cost curve projections

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Additionality and baselines

Biomass-based CDR

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Document, monitor, and quantify any carbon accounting impacts of the most likely counterfactual scenario for the biomass resources in question, throughout the duration of the project. Include their current use, assumed counterfactual carbon storage, and any potential future uses in the absence of the project.
Document landscape carbon stock changes if biomass feedstocks are sourced directly from land management activities (e.g., ecological restoration, vegetation management, etc.). Carbon stocks must be documented at the landscape level, within the land area from which biomass is sourced, and must credibly estimate carbon stocking within the sourcing area under the project and baseline scenarios.
Document the financial viability of the project, with and without revenue from carbon credits, using a financial or techno-economic model. The model must include the impact of coproducts, tax deductions and credits, regulations, policy incentives, and other financial factors. Examples of policy incentives in the United States include the 45Q tax credit, Clean Fuel Standards, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Include and justify the cost of the biomass feedstock, delineating transportation and procurement costs, and the per-unit pricing of all project products such as biochar, bio-oil, electricity, ethanol, or steam.

Project developers should

Justify the current project cost estimate, and quantify and support its potential for change based on cost curve projections

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Biomass-based CDR

Measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Ensure that biomass feedstock sourcing does not compromise essential resources, including fuel sources, for local communities.

Project developers should

Articulate how project activities, like feedstock production and product or coproduct sales, will benefit under-resourced and marginalized populations, including benefits like wealth generation and economic empowerment.
Educate end users about the potential benefits and risks associated with project coproducts, such as biochar.

Share this section

Measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification

Measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification

Biomass-based CDR

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Ensure that CDR claims are consistent with a net carbon-negative outcome against a credible baseline, based on cradle-to-grave LCAs that include biomass feedstock procurement (including land-use change for purpose-grown feedstocks), land management activities (e.g., ecological restoration, vegetation management, land clearing, etc.), process emissions, carbon storage operations, environmental disturbances, and embodied emissions.
Conduct an attributional LCA based on primary data where available. Justify values used in the LCA that are derived from literature or databases and conduct sensitivity analyses for values with high uncertainty.
Quantify the consequential GHG impacts of project implementation, including the impacts of feedstock sourcing, energy procurement, and leakage. Justify values used in the LCA that are derived from literature or databases and conduct sensitivity analyses for values with high uncertainty.
Clearly outline emission allocation methods for coproducts, including a sensitivity analysis on allocation assumptions and different product scenarios.
Provide detailed accounting and justification of counterfactuals for waste or residue feedstocks.
Provide the implementation and operational details of any third-party MRV platforms the project will use, including access permissions, personnel responsible for making updates, approach to integration of automated inputs, and the process for platform quality checks.
Select energy and material sources with the lowest fossil GHG emissions per gross tonne of CO₂ removed, where multiple viable configurations are available.

Project developers should

Document the rationale for selecting the project registry and affiliated protocol, and highlight where the project exceeds protocol requirements.

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Measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification

Biomass-based CDR

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Ensure that CDR claims are consistent with a net carbon-negative outcome against a credible baseline, based on cradle-to-grave LCAs that include biomass feedstock procurement (including land-use change for purpose-grown feedstocks), land management activities (e.g., ecological restoration, vegetation management, land clearing, etc.), process emissions, carbon storage operations, environmental disturbances, and embodied emissions.
Conduct an attributional LCA based on primary data where available. Justify values used in the LCA that are derived from literature or databases and conduct sensitivity analyses for values with high uncertainty.
Quantify the consequential GHG impacts of project implementation, including the impacts of feedstock sourcing, energy procurement, and leakage. Justify values used in the LCA that are derived from literature or databases and conduct sensitivity analyses for values with high uncertainty.
Clearly outline emission allocation methods for coproducts, including a sensitivity analysis on allocation assumptions and different product scenarios.
Provide detailed accounting and justification of counterfactuals for waste or residue feedstocks.
Provide the implementation and operational details of any third-party MRV platforms the project will use, including access permissions, personnel responsible for making updates, approach to integration of automated inputs, and the process for platform quality checks.
Select energy and material sources with the lowest fossil GHG emissions per gross tonne of CO₂ removed, where multiple viable configurations are available.

Project developers should

Document the rationale for selecting the project registry and affiliated protocol, and highlight where the project exceeds protocol requirements.

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Biomass-based CDR

Durability

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Use geologic storage sites, where applicable, created under established permitting processes (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Class permitting for deep injection wells in the United States or meet ISO 27914:2017 standard for CO₂ storage).
Quantify and document expected changes in the amount of carbon sequestered over time (e.g., through decay or physical leakage).
Use guidance set forth for durability in the Direct air capture section of this document when storing gaseous CO₂ (e.g., BECCS).
Rely on empirical measurements for durability claims, rather than models, whenever possible.

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Durability

Durability

Biomass-based CDR

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Use geologic storage sites, where applicable, created under established permitting processes (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Class permitting for deep injection wells in the United States or meet ISO 27914:2017 standard for CO₂ storage).
Quantify and document expected changes in the amount of carbon sequestered over time (e.g., through decay or physical leakage).
Use guidance set forth for durability in the Direct air capture section of this document when storing gaseous CO₂ (e.g., BECCS).
Rely on empirical measurements for durability claims, rather than models, whenever possible.

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Durability

Biomass-based CDR

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Use geologic storage sites, where applicable, created under established permitting processes (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Class permitting for deep injection wells in the United States or meet ISO 27914:2017 standard for CO₂ storage).
Quantify and document expected changes in the amount of carbon sequestered over time (e.g., through decay or physical leakage).
Use guidance set forth for durability in the Direct air capture section of this document when storing gaseous CO₂ (e.g., BECCS).
Rely on empirical measurements for durability claims, rather than models, whenever possible.

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Biomass-based CDR

Leakage

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Quantify and include, in carbon accounting and MRV, the carbon emissions that may result from the project’s consumption or displacement of regional materials and energy supplies (e.g., energy diverted for capture and compression of CO₂ at retrofitted facilities).
Quantify the market impacts and carbon emissions resulting from biomass procured at a price that exceeds the cost incurred by the supplier, including potential biomass market distortions and associated resource diversion.
Quantify and include, in carbon accounting and MRV, any carbon emissions from potential land-use change or impacts to bioeconomy product supply (e.g. biofuels or biochemicals displacement) incurred by feedstock sourcing.

Project developers should

Avoid relying on feedstocks with potential land-use change impacts or bioeconomy product supply impacts (i.e., by following the guidance on sustainable biomass sourcing, below).

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Leakage

Leakage

Biomass-based CDR

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Quantify and include, in carbon accounting and MRV, the carbon emissions that may result from the project’s consumption or displacement of regional materials and energy supplies (e.g., energy diverted for capture and compression of CO₂ at retrofitted facilities).
Quantify the market impacts and carbon emissions resulting from biomass procured at a price that exceeds the cost incurred by the supplier, including potential biomass market distortions and associated resource diversion.
Quantify and include, in carbon accounting and MRV, any carbon emissions from potential land-use change or impacts to bioeconomy product supply (e.g. biofuels or biochemicals displacement) incurred by feedstock sourcing.

Project developers should

Avoid relying on feedstocks with potential land-use change impacts or bioeconomy product supply impacts (i.e., by following the guidance on sustainable biomass sourcing, below).

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Leakage

Biomass-based CDR

These criteria build on and extend the considerations included under the essential principles for high-quality CDR.

Essential principles

Project developers must

Quantify and include, in carbon accounting and MRV, the carbon emissions that may result from the project’s consumption or displacement of regional materials and energy supplies (e.g., energy diverted for capture and compression of CO₂ at retrofitted facilities).
Quantify the market impacts and carbon emissions resulting from biomass procured at a price that exceeds the cost incurred by the supplier, including potential biomass market distortions and associated resource diversion.
Quantify and include, in carbon accounting and MRV, any carbon emissions from potential land-use change or impacts to bioeconomy product supply (e.g. biofuels or biochemicals displacement) incurred by feedstock sourcing.

Project developers should

Avoid relying on feedstocks with potential land-use change impacts or bioeconomy product supply impacts (i.e., by following the guidance on sustainable biomass sourcing, below).

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Biomass-based CDR

Other considerations

Biomass sustainability

Project developers must

Source biomass feedstock following the guidelines outlined in A Buyer’s Guide to Sustainable Biomass Sourcing for Carbon Dioxide Removal, where applicable. Biomass must come from sources that adhere to the following guidelines:
- Operate with integrity and oversight through strong governance, standards, and supply-chain transparency.
- Minimize negative impacts on Indigenous Peoples, workers, and local communities.
- Produce biomass without threatening protected areas or reducing regional carbon stocks.
- Do not distort markets for agriculture or forestry products.

Project developers should

Forecast future biomass sustainability (using the “must” criteria above, as appropriate) given the existing and planned projects in the developer’s intended biomass sourcing area.

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Biomass-based CDR

Pathway-specific considerations

Biochar

Project developers must

Verify, using end-to-end tracking, that all biochar generating CDR credits is durably stored in a long-term sink. Biochar storage must minimize reversal risk and prevent biochar use in combustion applications or other applications that would rapidly release CO2 to the atmosphere.
Provide biochar elemental analysis (e.g., carbon, hydrogen, oxygen), based on the best available models, to substantiate storage durability and quantify biochar recalcitrance and carbon loss over a 100-year time frame.
Ensure that biochar is regularly tested for heavy metals, toxins (e.g., tar), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to minimize environmental harms (e.g., adhere to the European Biochar Certificate and World Biochar Certificate guidelines, as well as local regulations).
Prove that the project results in the production of additional biochar, above a verifiable and established baseline production scenario.
Measure, and include in an LCA or carbon accounting model, any methane emissions from the biochar production process.
Account for end-of-life scenarios, for materials that utilize biochar as an additive or component, to prevent potential carbon reversals once those materials reach the end of their useful life.
Conduct testing (e.g., carbon-14 isotope) on biochar produced from partially fossil-based waste, in order to ascertain the biogenic content for credit issuance.

Verify, using end-to-end tracking, that all biochar generating CDR credits is durably stored in a long-term sink. Biochar storage must minimize reversal risk and prevent biochar use in combustion applications or other applications that would rapidly release CO2 to the atmosphere.
Provide biochar elemental analysis (e.g., carbon, hydrogen, oxygen), based on the best available models, to substantiate storage durability and quantify biochar recalcitrance and carbon loss over a 100-year time frame.
Ensure that biochar is regularly tested for heavy metals, toxins (e.g., tar), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to minimize environmental harms (e.g., adhere to the European Biochar Certificate and World Biochar Certificate guidelines, as well as local regulations).
Prove that the project results in the production of additional biochar, above a verifiable and established baseline production scenario.
Measure, and include in an LCA or carbon accounting model, any methane emissions from the biochar production process.
Account for end-of-life scenarios, for materials that utilize biochar as an additive or component, to prevent potential carbon reversals once those materials reach the end of their useful life.
Conduct testing (e.g., carbon-14 isotope) on biochar produced from partially fossil-based waste, in order to ascertain the biogenic content for credit issuance.

Project developers should

Measure biochar decomposition rates after application, differentiating between labile and recalcitrant fractions, to refine existing decay models.
Consider energy efficiency in project design, such as by exploring the utilization of waste heat from the pyrolysis process, where feasible and supportive of the primary CDR objectives.

BECCS

Project developers must

Ensure that environmental releases, such as sorbent or solvent slip, are adequately measured and monitored to identify hazards and that emissions remain below regulatory thresholds.
Implement rigorous safety and community outreach plans to mitigate risks associated with uncontrolled CO2 release during transportation and storage.
Use established standards to conduct testing (e.g., carbon-14 isotope) to distinguish between biogenic CO2 and fossil CO2 produced from partially fossil-based waste, where applicable.
Describe in detail the energy requirements (including sources) for retrofitting and operating a carbon capture system, and quantify the associated emissions within the project’s carbon accounting (such as in the leakage assessment or the overall LCA).

Project developers should

Quantify positive leakage effects from coproduct outputs such as electricity and steam.

Biomass storage

Project developers must

Design storage methods to minimize decomposition, inhibit biological degradation, and mitigate the risk of external disturbances, such as intrusion by biotic agents, geological events, and weather events.
Provide a cradle-to-grave LCA that includes all relevant portions of the project, including topsoil disturbance and transport of biomass feedstock.
Use in situ sensors and gas sampling in the biomass storage environment to monitor for sealing integrity and indicators of degradation.
Use in situ sensors and gas sampling of methane for MRV.

Project developers should

Maintain a buffer pool of credits to mitigate uncertainty in factors like durability and methanogenesis, until MRV substantiates modeled outcomes.
Ensure the storage site is securely established, both physically and legally, to prevent disturbances from human interference and activities over timeframes relevant for durability, to the extent possible.
Use sample excavations, from either the actual project storage site or a representative test storage site, to enhance MRV. In cases where direct sampling could compromise sealed areas, establish a dedicated MRV subplot for systematic testing.

Waste-to-energy with carbon capture and storage

While waste-to-energy (WtE) with carbon capture and storage (CCS) falls under the broader category of BECCS, the specific characteristics and nuances of this project type warrant its classification as a distinct subcategory.

Project developers must

Verify the split of fossil and biogenic CO2 through direct testing and sampling (e.g., carbon-14 testing), ensuring sufficiently frequent monitoring from multiple metering locations.
Ensure that the WtE facility charges a gate-fee, or uses a similar mechanism, to track all waste it receives.
Ensure that the WtE facility incinerates waste that has been sorted for recycling or reuse (or other activities higher on the waste hierarchy), or demonstrate the unfavorability of waste sortation.
Ensure that any additional waste a facility sources to facilitate the operation of the capture unit is reflected in the project's LCA, including transportation emissions.
Demonstrate that the facility meets all additionality criteria, especially in terms of regulatory additionality, when emissions from such a facility may be taxed.
Ensure biogenic-only feedstock is used, only if it is a true waste product and has been rejected from recycling, reuse (or other activities higher on the waste hierarchy) or has been permitted for use under local law.
- If biogenic feedstock is used to increase the heating value of the feedstock, the feedstock must adhere to A Buyer’s Guide to Sustainable Biomass Sourcing for Carbon Dioxide Removal.

Project developers should

Ensure waste is sorted to remove recyclable or reusable material and that sorting is conducted by an entity other than the WtE facility owner, where possible. If the operator is responsible for sorting waste, ensure this is done in an objective manner.
Use waste primarily sourced from the surrounding area, and limit use of imported waste to waste from countries meeting relevant waste targets.

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The information on this page represents the current view of Microsoft and Carbon Direct on the content. It is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT AND CARBON DIRECT MAKE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE.