"Ao longo dos anos, investimos significativamente em nossa equipe de dados de campo, com foco na produção de classificações confiáveis. Embora isso garanta a precisão de nossas classificações, não permite a escala dos milhares de projetos que os compradores estão considerando."
Para obter mais informações sobre as tendências de aquisição de créditos de carbono, leia nosso artigo"Key Takeaways for 2025". Compartilhamos cinco dicas baseadas em dados para aprimorar sua estratégia de aquisição.
Mais uma coisa: os clientes do Connect to Supply também têm acesso ao restante das ferramentas da Sylvera. Isso significa que você pode ver facilmente as classificações dos projetos e avaliar os pontos fortes de um projeto individual, adquirir créditos de carbono de qualidade e até mesmo monitorar a atividade do projeto (especialmente se você investiu no estágio de pré-emissão).
Agende uma demonstração gratuita do Sylvera para ver os recursos de compras e relatórios da nossa plataforma em ação.
Behind every corporate CDR purchase lies a balance of portfolio strategy, reputational considerations, internal advocacy, evolving standards, and risk management.
Our 2025 CDR market research - conducted with CDR.fyi - and industry discussions illuminate how corporate buyers are navigating this landscape. Understanding their mindset is crucial for suppliers, investors, and policymakers working to scale durable removals.
Are standards ready to drive corporate CDR demand?
65% of corporate buyers cite clear net-zero standards as the primary factor that would increase their motivation to purchase durable CDR
Standards provide what’s more often than not the ‘why’ for corporate buyers. Standards bodies like the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) serve this essential function.
This becomes especially critical when sustainability teams must justify CDR investments to CFOs who require clear business rationale. Without external mandates, internal advocacy can be more difficult.
A key recent example is SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2, which illustrates both progress and ongoing uncertainty. The new framework allows companies to use CDR credits for residual Scope 1 emissions until they reach net zero, but only for hard-to-abate emissions through near-term durable targets. While this represents movement toward CDR inclusion, SBTi remains cautious about broader carbon credit use, leaving corporate buyers with limited clarity on when and how they can deploy removals in their decarbonization strategies.
What CDR prices are corporate buyers willing to pay?
77% of buyers rank price as a top factor when selecting CDR suppliers. 52% of purchasers ranked price as a top factor when selecting a durable CDR supplier, while 46% said lower costs would increase their motivation to buy durable CDR
A price expectation gap persists between buyers and sellers. Corporate buyers are more optimistic about price declines than suppliers, creating a fundamental blocker to progress.
For example, a separate CDR.fyi/OPIS Pricing Survey found that biochar providers require $187 per metric tonne in 2025 and $180/mt in 2030 to achieve a reasonable profit. However, buyers see prices of $155/mt in 2025 and $130/mt in 2030 as expensive. For Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), suppliers seek a price of $349/mt in 2025 and $328/mt in 2030 to be profitable, but buyers see $271/mt in 2025 and $238/mt in 2030 as expensive.
The pricing challenge intensifies as the buyer base expands beyond early adopters. Initial corporate buyers (primarily large technology firms) have been generally willing to pay premiums to support market development.
However, for the market to truly scale, the next wave of buyers will likely be more price-sensitive, creating pressure on short to medium term pricing.
What are corporates actually buying? And what are they planning to buy?
With CDR prices expected to come down over time, corporate buyers face a timing dilemma. So, what are buyers actually buying right now? And what credit types are they prioritising in their procurement planning?
In terms of today, based on our limited sample, biochar leads the way with 31% of respondents having purchased already. Purchasing intentions are rising sharply for ERW and Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). ERW is expected to increase from 15% to 42% by 2030.
By 2050, BECCS is projected to be the leading method of durable CDR, along with biochar. That said, all methods show increases.
The industry experts we’ve spoken with this year offer compelling reasons for adoption now, despite higher costs across many methods.
Why buy now:
- Early purchases help suppliers secure financing and build capacity
- Companies gain valuable procurement experience for future compliance requirements
- With a supply crunch looming in 2030, organizations with targets need to secure supply now through offtake agreements
- Early purchases from diverse companies signal market direction, creating confidence
- For project types like biochar, prices are more likely to rise than fall in the medium term, so it’s worth locking in a price today
How are buyers navigating CDR’s complexities?
Understanding biochar doesn't prepare buyers for assessing ERW, or direct air capture. This technological diversity can create barriers to efficient procurement.
Key complexity challenges:
- Each CDR technology requires specialized knowledge to evaluate properly
- Lengthy evaluation periods frustrate both buyers and suppliers
- Inconsistent data disclosure practices slow deal-making
As the market expands beyond a small group of experienced buyers, navigating these complexities will become even more challenging. Independent ratings agencies and data platforms are therefore critical in providing a transparent, consistent view of project integrity and delivery risk with confidence.
This knowledge gap is compounded by the need for compelling narratives that align with brand values and stakeholder expectations.
Corporate buyers more accustomed to nature-based solutions often ask about co-benefits, seeking familiar frameworks to justify investments.
The storytelling varies dramatically by technology:
- Bio-oil injection: Less obvious community involvement compared to forest projects
- DAC projects in developed countries: Limited co-benefits beyond job creation
- Projects in developing markets: Stronger narratives around economic development and technology transfer
How do corporate buyers justify CDR purchases internally?
Beyond standards, 62% of surveyed buyers identified clear business benefits or ROI as a key motivating factor. This highlights the persistent challenge of internal advocacy within corporations.
Unlike traditional business investments with measurable financial returns, CDR purchases deliver value through:
- Reputational benefits
- Future regulatory compliance
- Alignment with long-term decarbonization goals
This value proposition creates friction when sustainability teams must secure buy-in from finance departments accustomed to more straightforward, near-term ROI.
73% of CDR suppliers have yet to deliver a single credit
Concerns can be compounded by delivery uncertainty. Buyers are often essentially making bets on future capability rather than proven services. This uncertainty forces companies to evaluate not just the technology itself, but the operational expertise, business fundamentals, and long-term viability of suppliers.
How are corporate buyers building their CDR portfolios?
Corporate CDR strategies are evolving toward sophisticated, diversified portfolio approaches rather than simple binary choices between nature-based and durable removals.
Current market reality: Nature-based solutions outpace durable CDR at a 6:1 ratio
2050 projection: This gap narrows dramatically to 1.2:1
Rather than viewing different removal types as competing alternatives, forward-thinking companies are adopting emissions matching. This approach aligns different types of emissions with corresponding removal solutions based on characteristics like durability.
The portfolio mindset also reflects practical business realities. No company acts in isolation; their carbon strategies must connect to broader national objectives and legal requirements on climate and nature.
This reality means most companies will maintain a blend of credit types in their portfolios, including both nature-based solutions and engineered removals.
What’s next for corporate CDR buying?
Corporate CDR demand will likely remain concentrated among a few major buyers, until the market develops broader appeal through lower pricing, as well as tighter CDR-focused standards.
- Regulations and supply development must align
- Financing availability must match buyer demand
- Standards will continue evolving as science advances
- Long-term agreements need flexibility for changing requirements
For corporate buyers, the immediate priority is to build internal capacity and procurement experience while standards mature. Even small purchases play an outsized role by signalling confidence to the market and supporting supplier scale-up.
As Robert Höglund has argued, voluntary corporate demand is essential in this interim period: just as niche electronics sustained the solar industry in the 1970s, corporate CDR purchases today are the bridge that can sustain the sector until compliance markets arrive in the 2030s.
What role does COP30 play at this time?
COP30 in Brazil comes at an important time for CDR and corporate buyers. The inaugural CDR30 pavilion - the first dedicated CDR presence at a COP - represents an opportunity to address and discuss the key challenges in this space.
By bringing together policymakers, investors, and industry practitioners, COP30 can tackle the technical discussions and political negotiations needed to harmonize the standards, regulations, and financing mechanisms that are needed.
Policy is especially critical for CDR because voluntary demand alone cannot deliver the scale or certainty needed. Clear regulatory signals, integration into compliance markets, and supportive incentives will determine whether early corporate action translates into a durable, investable market capable of scaling to gigatonne levels.
