Member States and the European Parliament have provisionally approved the Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRCF). This new framework, which is expected to be formally adopted and published by the end of 2024, is a key piece in the EU's strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase carbon removal activities.
Achieve climate neutrality by 2050
The CRCF aims to facilitate the implementation of carbon removal activities within the EU. It establishes quality criteria, rules for verification and certification, and standards for the operation of certification schemes and their recognition by the European Commission. Although the framework will be voluntary, it is expected to establish a general rule for carbon removal across the EU.
The framework covers three main categories of activities: permanent carbon removals, carbon farming or carbon farming, and carbon storage in products.
Permanent carbon removals include industrial technologies that capture carbon, such as BECCS, and store it safely for centuries. Carbon farming encompasses practices in agricultural lands, wetlands, forests and coastal environments that sequester carbon through biological processes, also generating benefits for biodiversity. Carbon storage in products involves capturing and storing carbon in durable products such as wood building elements and biobased insulation materials.
These activities can generate four types of certified units: permanent carbon removal units, agricultural carbon sequestration units, soil emissions reduction units, and product carbon storage units. To be certified, activities must meet four main criteria: quantification, additionality, long-term storage and sustainability.
Implications for the bioenergy sector
Bioenergy Europe has actively worked to ensure that the CRCF does not impose additional requirements for sustainable bioenergy production and that it includes a broad definition of carbon removal, including biochar. The CRCF may open new opportunities for biomass-using industries, which could now develop carbon removal technologies or products for long-term carbon storage.
Consult the report prepared by Bioenergy Europe on this matter (in Spanish)
https://www.avebiom.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/Marco-eliminaciones-carbono-UE-2024.pdf
What will the certification process be like?
The certification process includes participation in a certification scheme, certification and recertification audits, and maintenance of certification records. The European Commission will develop specific certification methodologies for various carbon removal activities through delegated acts.
The Commission will establish an EU register within four years of the entry into force of the Regulation. Furthermore, the CRCF will be reviewed regularly to ensure its alignment with EU legislation and international agreements, assessing technological and scientific progress, environmental impacts and food safety.
The agreement on the CRCF is aligned with the EU's climate and circular economy objectives. By providing a transparent and reliable governance framework for carbon removal activities, the EU is laying the foundations for a more sustainable and resilient future.
Carbon removals at Expobiomasa 2025
EXPOBIOMASA 2025 will dedicate a special space to the discussion and analysis of the opportunities that are opening up for the bioenergy sector and other industries related to carbon removal.
Experts, companies and institutions will have the opportunity to explore in depth the opportunities and challenges associated with this new field of activity and exchange knowledge, present technological advances and discuss best practices to remove carbon according to the CRCF.