New biochar methodology from Gold Standard opens route to durable removals at different scales

Gold Standard has published Production and Application for the Removal of Carbon via Biochar (PARC), its first biochar carbon dioxide removal methodology. It enables projects of different sizes to account for carbon removal with expected storage for at least 200 years under consistent integrity requirements. The methodology also sets safeguards for responsible biomass sourcing, including requirements to prevent carbon finance from diverting biomass from existing uses or damaging ecosystems.

PARC covers biochar, a stable, carbon-rich material made by heating sustainably sourced biomass in a low-oxygen process (pyrolysis or gasification). As the biomass absorbs carbon dioxide while growing, storing the resulting biochar in soil, engineered materials or dedicated underground storage keeps that carbon stored rather than returned to the atmosphere. Under PARC, only carbon removals are credited; avoided emissions from alternative biomass uses are excluded.

Routes for different types of biochar activity

PARC uses three compliance tracks, with monitoring requirements matched to the scale and complexity of the production unit. For project developers, the three-track structure offers a way to assess which requirements apply to their activity.

• Track 1 (distributed): Manual and semi-manual kilns processing less than one tonne of dry biomass per day per unit, operated through an aggregator.
• Track 2 (mechanised): Facilities with units processing 1–15 tonnes of dry biomass per day, with direct weighing of inputs.
• Track 3 (industrial): Facilities with units processing more than 15 tonnes per day, with continuous emissions monitoring and laboratory testing for individual batches.

While monitoring requirements vary by track, eligibility requirements, durability and net accounting rules remain consistent for all projects. This allows smaller and distributed activities to participate without compromising environmental integrity.

“Biochar has the potential to make a significant contribution to carbon removal, but realising that potential depends on rigorous methods that work across different production scales. PARC is designed to open a route for more producers to participate, from distributed kiln networks to industrial facilities, while ensuring that credits reflect the carbon expected to remain stored over time and account for emissions across the activity. That combination of access and rigour is essential if biochar removals are to grow with confidence.” – Margaret Kim, CEO, Gold Standard.

Durable removals with full net accounting

PARC calculates credited removals based on the carbon expected to remain stored after 200 years, accounting for biochar stability and the conditions where it is applied. A 1,000-year durability claim is permitted only where supported by additional analysis of the biochar’s carbon structure.

Before credits are issued, the methodology deducts emissions from biomass supply, production, transport and application, alongside leakage and an uncertainty deduction. Projects must demonstrate at least five units of CO2 stored for every unit of activity emissions; no credits are issued for a monitoring period that fails to meet this threshold.

To manage the risk of carbon release, projects must contribute to a buffer or apply an upfront risk deduction of at least 2.5%, with higher default rates for some production tracks and end uses.

Safeguards for smaller and distributed projects

Track 1 is limited to micro- and small-scale activities, capped at 60'000 tCO2e per year per activity or VPA. Related activities under common ownership or control are assessed together, preventing projects from being split to remain below the threshold.

For distributed activities, a digital chain of custody links biochar production to its final application, and aggregators are responsible for ensuring participating production units meet the methodology’s requirements. Micro- and small-scale activities in least developed countries and small island developing states can also benefit from deemed additionality.

Responsible biomass sourcing

Biochar removals depend on more than how much carbon is stored; the biomass used must also be sustainably sourced. PARC requires feedstock to be genuinely surplus, with sustainability and non-diversion safeguards designed to cover six feedstock categories, covering agricultural residues, processing residues, biomass from invasive species or bush encroachment, disaster and sanitary removals, purpose-grown biomass on degraded land, and organic waste. Requirements vary by feedstock to address the risks associated with each source.

Purpose-grown and organic-waste feedstocks are restricted to industrial-scale activities (Track 3). The methodology excludes landfill disposal and the use of biochar as a fuel.

Built for Article 6

PARC follows the baseline approach set out in the Article 6.4 Rules, Modalities and Procedures. Gold Standard’s Paris Agreement-aligned downward adjustment factor is applied transparently when credits are issued.

The methodology was developed through expert review and public consultation, and is accompanied by Supplementary Information explaining the derivation of default factors and the approach to durability assessment.

Notes to editors

• PARC is formally titled Production and Application for the Removal of Carbon via Biochar (GS4GG PAA M400-16).
• Additionality follows the GS4GG Requirements for Additionality Demonstration, including regulatory-surplus and technology lock-in assessments, with pathways that vary according to the production track.
• The permanence assessment uses the biochar’s chemical stability and the mean annual temperature of the application site.
• PARC includes three end-use categories: soil, engineered materials and engineered underground storage.