Frequently Asked Questions

ClimeFi is the leading portfolio manager for durable carbon removals. We partner with global companies to build and manage durable carbon removal portfolios. ClimeFi provides comprehensive intelligence and asset management tools for contracting, purchasing, and managing CDR purchases across all CDR pathways, helping organisations scale their carbon removal efforts to meet climate goals.

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ClimeFi was founded in 2022 with the mission to accelerate the world’s transition to net-zero, helping companies reconcile their economic growth with environmental commitments. We are a global team with offices in Zurich, Paris, London and Singapore with 60+ years of combined carbon markets experience between us. 

ClimeFi empowers companies to develop and manage robust, high-quality durable carbon removal portfolios, built upon these three pillars:

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• Market intelligence – In-depth project analysis and benchmarks, coupled with a comprehensive market perspective, delivered through proprietary project-level ratings that assess carbon integrity, project delivery, and strategic alignment. We also advise companies in setting up their carbon removal procurement strategies.

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• Procurement – Streamlined procurement across all major projects and pathways, encompassing sourcing, Request for Proposal (RFP) management, due diligence, portfolio structuring, transaction negotiation, contracting, and execution.

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• Portfolio management – Comprehensive management of carbon removals credit portfolios on behalf of clients, including continuous project monitoring, risk structuring and management, carbon removal warehousing, credit delivery, and retirement services. In the event of project delays or non-delivery, we are able to provide alternative solutions without additional costs to our clients.

In addition to our core portfolio management and procurement services, ClimeFi provides a suite of value-added capabilities to support buyers across the full carbon-removal journey:

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• Platform – A digital platform providing portfolio visibility, supplier benchmarking, contract tracking, and structured monitoring insights to support informed decision-making and governance.

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• Ratings – Independent project ratings based on our proprietary due diligence methodology, incorporating carbon integrity, delivery risk, and broader environmental and social safeguards.

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• Advisory – Strategic advisory services across durable CDR strategy, procurement planning, portfolio design, contract structuring, and engagement with emerging standards and frameworks (e.g., Article 6, CRCF).

ClimeFi is trusted by leading carbon removal buyers and pioneers in the space. Global companies that already work with ClimeFi to de-risk their climate strategies include: Adyen, BCG, Engie, Kirkbi, The LEGO Group, Raisin, Swiss Airlines, Swiss Re, and Zürcher Kantonalbank. 

ClimeFi’s business model is truly independent and transparent. To ensure complete alignment with buyer interests, ClimeFi exclusively represents corporate buyers and never accepts fees or compensation from project developers. This means:

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• We do not develop projects ourselves, nor do we invest in them;
• We are not resellers and do not assist projects in selling their supply;
• We do not purchase credits for trading purposes.

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Instead, we act under the mandate from our clients (Buyers) and we subcontract all relevant suppliers on their behalf. The terms agreed with suppliers are identical to those accessible to our clients, and we never receive any fees from them. We believe these incentives are essential to securing the highest-quality supply on the most favourable terms for our clients.

ClimeFi differentiates itself on three key fronts: 

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• Exclusive focus on representing the buy-side. Unlike resellers, brokers, traders, marketplaces, and other intermediaries who often primarily represent suppliers’ interests, ClimeFi operates exclusively on behalf of the buyers, ensuring trust, transparency, and the avoidance of conflicts of interest in project recommendations and portfolio construction. ClimeFi also never purchases credits, engaging our own balance sheet (i.e. we never trade credits), as this can lead to meaningful misalignment with the end-buyer interests. Our corporate status explicitly prohibits us from trading credits or taking market positions.

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• Dedicated exclusively to durable carbon removal. Since our inception, we have maintained an exclusive focus on durable carbon removal, developing the most extensive market coverage by tracking over 500 projects, assessing more than 80, and managing contracts for 25+ projects. This focus has shaped our deep expertise, providing comprehensive market intelligence offering leading insights into projects and market trends for our clients. Additionally, our team consists entirely of specialists in the CDR market, covering all technical and commercial aspects of these projects, complemented by a scientific advisory committee with world-renowned experts for CDR.

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• High level of sophistication on portfolio construction and management capabilities. Our buyer-centric approach and exclusive focus on durable CDR have positioned us at the forefront of portfolio management capabilities for the largest corporate buyers in the CDR market.

CimeFi in numbers (as of March 2026): 

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• >750 kt of durable CDR secured for our clients 
• ~50 kt of durable CDR delivered for our clients 
• ~€120 million of CO₂. volumes secured 
• >500 CDR projects tracked by ClimeFi
• >80 CDR projects under Due Diligence Coverage

Some of the key durable carbon removal technologies include:

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• Biomass CDR
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  • Biochar: Biomass is heated in the absence of oxygen (pyrolysis), creating a charcoal-like substance (biochar) that is stored in soil or building materials.
  • Biogenic CO₂ capture and storage (incl. BECCS): Biomass produces biofuels, electricity, heat, and pulp; CO₂ emissions from these processes are captured and stored. Since plants absorb CO₂ as they grow, it is considered a CO₂ removal.
  • Other biomass CDR: Various methods using biomass include terrestrial biomass sequestration, bio-oil sequestration, and biomass burial.
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• ‍Direct Air Capture: Technologies that remove CO₂ directly from the ambient air using chemical processes to capture the CO₂, which is then stored in geological storage or via mineralisation.
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• Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) and Mineralisation‍‍
  
  • Mineralisation: Different processes where CO₂ is converted into stable forms.
  • ‍ERW: Accelerates the natural process of rock weathering to absorb CO₂, converting minerals into stable bicarbonates.
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• ‍Marine CDR: Technologies that use the power of the ocean to remove CO₂ either through enhancing the ocean's ability to absorb CO₂ or storing biomass in the ocean.

When purchasing carbon removal, the two primary risks are delivery risk and reversal risk. Delivery risk occurs when a project, often using early-stage technology, fails to reproduce the contracted volume of credits due to technical setbacks, construction delays, or financial instability. Reversal risk refers to the possibility that the captured CO₂ is released back into the atmosphere, potentially invalidating the claim associated with that credit. In addition, buyers can face reputational and additionality risks. If a project’s carbon accounting is flawed, or if it would have proceeded without the carbon credit revenue (lack of additionality), the purchaser may be accused of greenwashing. 
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ClimeFi can help buyers to mitigate all of these risks. We provide rigorous due diligence on carbon removal projects to assess the scientific integrity of every project, ensuring that your portfolio remains on track. 

An offtake agreement is a long-term contract where a buyer commits to purchasing a specific volume of carbon removal credits from a project before they are actually produced. 
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In the nascent CDR market, these agreements are ‘bankable’ signals that allow project suppliers to secure the financing required to build their facilities. For the buyer, an offtake agreement represents a strategic hedge, locking in future supply and prices in a market where demand is currently outstripping available capacity. 
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Beyond offtake agreements, carbon removals can be acquired through various other channels, including: 
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• Spot purchases – involves buying credits that have already been generated, providing immediate impact for current emissions. 
• Pre-purchases – involves providing upfront capital to early-stage projects. 
• Options – allows buyers to pay a premium to secure the right, but not the obligation, to purchase credits at a fixed price in the future. 
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ClimeFi helps clients to navigate all of these financing methods. 

Thorough due diligence is essential to navigate the uncertainties of the emerging CDR market. ClimeFi’s Due Diligence Coverage provides a rigorous, independent evaluation of carbon removal projects, leveraging expert analysis, strategic supplier engagement, and deep sectoral knowledge to provide a comprehensive overview of the risks and opportunities of each project.
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Continuous monitoring is key to active risk management and portfolio integrity. We don’t just assess a project at the start of the process; ClimeFi provides ongoing oversight into the project, providing our clients with quarterly updates. This provides the real-time transparency needed to ensure your net-zero commitments stay on track. 

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), emissions reductions alone are no longer enough to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Carbon removal is scientifically required to neutralise residual emissions in the atmosphere.

Scientific models show that, in order to stabilise the climate and prevent the worst impacts of global warming, we may need to remove up to 10 billion tons of CO₂.

The carbon removal regulatory landscape is currently in the process of shifting from voluntary to compliance. 
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While the industry is not fully regulated yet, the European Union adopted the Carbon Removal & Carbon Farming  (CRCF) framework in early 2026, setting the first government-backed standards for what counts as  permanent, high quality carbon removal. 
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In addition, the EU and UK are currently considering plans to integrate durable carbon removal into their respective Emissions Trading Systems (ETS). This means that in the near future, companies will likely be able to, or required to, use certified carbon removal credits to meet their regulatory compliance obligations. 

Under the latest SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard (Version 2.0), companies must achieve an absolute emissions reduction of at least 90% before they can claim to be net zero. Carbon removal helps companies to neutralise the final 10% of residual emissions that remain at their target date. 

As of the latest update, SBTi now emphasises a ‘like for like’ principle, favouring more durable removal pathways such as DAC and Mineralisation. ClimeFi ensures that your portfolio aligns with these strict criteria.

The market has consolidated around high-integrity frameworks. The gold standard is the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF), which provides a rigorous regulatory baseline for permanent removals, carbon farming, and long-term storage products. Globally, the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) provides the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label, which identifies high-quality carbon credits across all methodologies. 

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In addition, independent standards, like Isometric and Puro.earth, have emerged as leaders in providing the scientific protocols and MRV needed to verify engineered carbon removals.

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement is the international rulebook that allows countries to trade carbon credits to meet their national climate goals. It introduces ‘Corresponding Adjustments’, a mechanism that ensures that a tonne of removed carbon is only counted by one party, preventing ‘double counting’ between a host country and a buyer.

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For your company, Article 6 is increasingly relevant for high-integrity claims. As EU regulations tighten, using Article 6 authorised credits provides the highest level of assurance that your climate claims are valid, audit ready, and legally robust at a global level.