Japan Airlines (JAL) has signed a carbon removal deal with Climeworks Solutions that the companies describe as the world’s first designed to meet the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

The deal is a new step for carbon removals in aviation. It combines several types of carbon removal with additional direct air capture (DAC) credits from Climeworks.

The companies, however, did not disclose the value or volume of credits covered by the deal. JAL and Climeworks said their research found no earlier purchase agreements of this type.

The deal comes as airlines face growing pressure to cut emissions. Airlines are working on aircraft efficiency, better operations, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Carbon removals can help address emissions that remain after these measures.

JAL Targets CORSIA-Compliant Carbon Removals

Under the agreement, Climeworks Solutions will source a portfolio of carbon removal projects that are selected to meet ICAO requirements for CORSIA Eligible Emissions Units.

The portfolio will include methods such as soil carbon sequestration and biochar. JAL will also buy separate carbon removal credits from Climeworks’ direct air capture operations. This matters because CORSIA has specific rules for which carbon credits airlines can use.

Not every carbon credit in the voluntary carbon market qualifies for CORSIA. ICAO reviews carbon credit programs against requirements covering environmental and social integrity.

Approved programs and eligible unit types can then supply emissions units for specific CORSIA compliance periods. That makes the JAL deal different from a standard corporate carbon removal purchase.

However, the companies’ wording matters. They describe the agreement as a purchase of carbon removal credits designed to meet CORSIA requirements. The announcement does not give a specific number of credits that have already been canceled against a CORSIA obligation.

Why CORSIA Could Reshape Aviation’s Carbon Market

CORSIA is ICAO’s global system for addressing CO₂ emissions from international aviation. The system requires covered airlines to cancel eligible emissions units against their calculated offsetting requirements.

CORSIA began its pilot phase in 2021 and entered its first phase in 2024. Its second phase starts in 2027 and runs through 2035. For 2024–2035, ICAO sets the sector-wide baseline for offsetting at 85% of 2019 emissions from international aviation covered by CORSIA.

Airlines can reduce their CORSIA obligations through eligible fuels and other measures. They can meet remaining requirements by canceling CORSIA Eligible Emissions Units approved by ICAO. This creates potential demand for carbon credits that meet CORSIA’s eligibility rules.

ICAO currently lists eight programs approved to supply eligible emissions units for the 2024–2026 first phase. They include the American Carbon Registry, Architecture for REDD+ Transactions, Climate Action Reserve, Global Carbon Council, Gold Standard, Isometric, the Premium Thailand Voluntary Emission Reduction Program, and Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard.

However, approval of a program does not mean every credit from that program can be used. Individual credits depend on several factors. These include the program, project activity, methodology, vintage, and other conditions.

• SEE MORE: CORSIA Could Face a 125 Million Carbon Credit Gap Before 2028, Says Sylvera

Carbon Removals Enter Aviation’s Compliance Pipeline

The JAL-Climeworks agreement also shows how the carbon market is changing. For years, most corporate demand for carbon removals came from the voluntary carbon market. Companies bought removals to address residual emissions or support longer-term climate goals. Regulatory systems are now creating another potential source of demand.

Climeworks launched its compliance-focused Solutions offering in July 2026. The service helps companies find carbon removal portfolios. These portfolios work with frameworks like CORSIA, Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, and the EU’s Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming Certification Framework.

The JAL agreement is the first major deal publicly announced by Climeworks under this expanded strategy. For the carbon removal industry, the importance of the deal goes beyond the number of credits sold.

It shows how developers and buyers can build carbon removal portfolios around a specific compliance system. That could become more important as governments and international organizations set clearer rules for which carbon removals can be used in regulated markets.

JAL Pairs Removals With SAF and Efficiency for Net Zero

JAL is not using carbon removals as its only way to cut aviation emissions. The airline says aircraft efficiency, operational improvements, and SAF remain priorities.

Noriko Ogawa, Executive Officer and Chairperson, Japan Airlines, noted:

“As the first airline to secure CORSIA-compliant carbon removals, we are proud to lead the industry toward net-zero emissions. While reducing emissions through aircraft renewal, operational innovations and the use of SAF remains our top priority, high-integrity carbon removals are essential to address residual emissions. Through this pioneering partnership with Climeworks, we aim to accelerate the adoption of high-quality solutions across international aviation and contribute to a sustainable future for air travel.”

JAL has set a target of reducing its FY2030 aircraft CO₂ emissions by 10% from FY2019 levels to 8.28 million metric tons. It also targets SAF equal to at least 10% of total fuel use by FY2030. JAL said SAF accounted for 1% of its fuel use in FY2025.

The airline has also used CORSIA-eligible credits.

JAL said in its latest sustainability disclosures that it met its FY2025 target of keeping net aircraft CO₂ emissions below its FY2019 level. The airline used several measures, including more fuel-efficient aircraft, operational improvements, SAF, and carbon credits.

The new agreement, therefore, adds carbon removals to a broader decarbonization strategy. It does not replace direct efforts to reduce aviation emissions.

DAC Adds a Longer-Term Carbon Removal Bet 

The second part of the deal focuses on direct air capture. DAC uses machines to remove CO₂ directly from the air. The captured CO₂ can then be permanently stored, depending on the project and its storage method.

Climeworks operates the Mammoth DAC facility in Iceland. The company sees engineered carbon removal as a long-term way to deal with emissions that are difficult to eliminate.

JAL’s decision to buy Climeworks DAC credits alongside the broader CORSIA-focused portfolio gives the deal two different elements. The CORSIA-focused portfolio provides access to carbon removal methods designed around aviation’s compliance system.

The DAC purchases support a commercially scaling engineered carbon removal technology. These approaches, therefore, represent different parts of the growing carbon removal market.

A New Carbon Removal Market Takes Off in Aviation

The JAL-Climeworks deal does not mean that all carbon removals can now be used for CORSIA. Yet, the agreement shows that airlines are starting to look beyond traditional carbon offsets. They are also seeking carbon removal portfolios designed for specific compliance systems.

JAL and Climeworks call this deal the world’s first CORSIA-compliant carbon removal purchase agreement. The announcement does not establish that the credits have already been canceled for a CORSIA obligation. Still, the deal provides an early example of how carbon removals could move from the voluntary market into aviation’s regulated carbon market.

For carbon removal developers, the opportunity is to produce projects that meet increasingly detailed regulatory requirements. Airlines face the challenge of securing enough eligible units and the need to cut emissions. This can be done with more efficient aircraft, improved operations, and sustainable aviation fuel.

As CORSIA enters its second phase in 2027, these requirements could become an increasingly important source of demand for high-integrity carbon removal projects.

• READ MORE: IATA’s New Carbon Credit Alliance: Can Aviation Secure Enough Offsets for Net Zero?

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Meta and Apex Clean Energy have signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for a new 144-megawatt (MW) solar project in Gonzales County, Texas.

Called Starling Solar, the project is expected to begin commercial operations in 2027. Meta will receive the project’s environmental attributes, including its renewable energy certificates (RECs). Apex says Meta’s commitment will support new solar capacity that would not otherwise be built.

The deal is the seventh transaction between Meta and Apex, taking their combined clean energy portfolio to about 1.2 gigawatts (GW) across Texas, Virginia, Illinois, Kansas and Iowa.

The agreement comes as Texas prepares for major growth in electricity demand, driven by data centers, manufacturing and other large power users. Urvi Parekh, head of renewable energy at Meta, remarked:

“We appreciate Apex’s partnership in helping us bring a total of one gigawatt of new renewable energy to the grid across Texas, Virginia, Illinois, Kansas, and Iowa. This new solar project will support our commitment to 100% renewable energy and will help bring jobs and investment to the local community.”

Starling Solar Adds New Texas Capacity

Starling Solar will be built in Gonzales County, southeast of San Antonio. Apex expects the project to begin operating in 2027, although the ERCOT interconnection queue lists an anticipated commercial operation date of January 2028. The schedule can change as the project moves through the grid-connection process.

The financial terms of the PPA have not been disclosed.

Apex estimates the project could generate about $27 million in tax revenue over its lifetime, including $15.6 million for local schools. It also expects more than $26.3 million in payments to landowners and between 400 and 450 construction jobs.

The deal arrives as Texas faces a sharp increase in electricity demand. ERCOT’s preliminary 2026 long-term forecast puts potential electricity demand at about 367,790 MW by 2032.

For comparison, the state’s record peak demand was 85,508 MW in 2023. ERCOT says the forecast is preliminary and can change as large-load projects develop.

Data centers are a major driver. Meta is expanding its Texas data center footprint, including a planned 1-GW facility in El Paso. Meta expects to invest more than $10 billion in the project. That growth is creating more demand for new electricity generation. Solar is one of the fastest-growing power sources on the Texas grid.

Solar Is Set to Surpass Coal

The shift in Texas’s power mix is already visible. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects utility-scale solar generation in ERCOT to reach about 78 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026, compared with 60 billion kWh from coal.

• In 2027, EIA forecasts about 99 billion kWh from solar versus 66 billion kWh from coal.

Solar supplied about 12% of ERCOT electricity in 2025, up from 4% in 2021. Coal’s share fell from 19% to 13% over the same period. Natural gas remains the state’s largest power source.

Starling Solar, therefore, enters a market where renewable generation is expanding even as total electricity demand climbs.

Meta Keeps Building Its Clean Power Portfolio

The Starling agreement is part of Meta’s wider clean energy strategy. The tech giant says it has matched 100% of its electricity use with clean and renewable energy since 2020. Its projects have added more than 30 GW of new clean and renewable energy to electricity grids around the world.

The company aims to reach net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2030. It also targets a 42% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2031, compared with 2021, while keeping Scope 3 emissions at or below the 2021 level.

Renewable energy PPAs are an important part of that strategy as Meta’s data center demand grows. Yet, one important distinction is that Starling Solar is not a carbon credit project.

Meta will receive the project’s environmental attributes, including RECs. Those certificates represent the environmental benefits of renewable electricity generation. A REC is different from a carbon credit.

A carbon credit generally represents one tonne of greenhouse gas emissions reduced, avoided or removed under a specific methodology.

The Starling project will instead support Meta’s clean electricity strategy by adding new solar generation to the Texas grid. The Facebook owner will not physically receive every megawatt-hour generated by the project. The solar electricity will flow into the grid, while Meta receives the contracted environmental attributes.

• SEE MORE: Meta Q2 2026 Earnings: AI Drives 28% Revenue Growth as Clean Energy Investments Expand

New Projects and Additionality Matter

Meta has increasingly focused on agreements that help bring new clean energy projects onto power grids. That approach is important because simply buying certificates from existing renewable plants does not necessarily add new generation.

Long-term PPAs can help developers secure financing by providing greater certainty about future revenue. That can make it easier to build new solar, wind, and storage projects.

Starling fits this model. Meta’s long-term commitment gives Apex a major corporate buyer while helping support new generation in Texas. The approach also shows how corporate climate demand is becoming closely linked to physical power markets.

Meta Already Has a Large Texas Pipeline

The new agreement builds on Meta’s existing relationship with Apex. In 2023, Meta signed a deal for the full output of the 195-MW Angelo Solar project in Texas. Apex said its portfolio with Meta had then exceeded 1 GW across several states.

Meta has also signed large agreements with other developers. In 2025, Meta agreed to purchase 100% of the output from ENGIE’s 600-MW Swenson Ranch Solar project in Texas. That deal brought the Meta-ENGIE partnership to more than 1.3 GW across four Texas projects.

The company’s strategy is therefore spread across multiple developers and projects rather than relying on one source of renewable electricity.

The Starling deal also highlights the role of corporate PPAs in financing new renewable power. Large solar projects require significant upfront capital. A long-term buyer can provide revenue visibility, making the project more attractive to banks and investors.

This is increasingly important in Texas, where electricity demand is rising quickly but grid connections and transmission remain challenges.

ERCOT has introduced a new Batch Zero process for large electricity users requiring at least 75 MW. The system groups major projects for grid studies so ERCOT can better assess their combined impact and needed transmission upgrades.

The changes show how quickly Texas’s electricity market is evolving.

Meta Stock Moves Sharply Higher

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) shares rose sharply around the time of the Apex announcement, but the move was not tied specifically to the Starling Solar deal. On September 21, Meta stock jumped 11.4%, adding about $192 billion to the company’s market value.

The rally was driven largely by investor enthusiasm surrounding Meta’s AI strategy and its Muse AI assistant, which became the most-downloaded free app on Apple’s App Store.

The Bigger Carbon Market Connection

Starling Solar is not a carbon credit project, but it still connects to the broader climate market. Data centers and AI are driving electricity demand higher, while companies such as Meta face growing pressure to reduce the emissions linked to that power use.

Texas shows both trends at once. Solar generation is expected to overtake coal in 2026, while ERCOT is preparing for much higher future demand.

For Meta, the 144-MW Starling Solar deal adds another source of clean electricity and renewable attributes. For Apex, it provides a major corporate buyer for a new solar project. And for Texas, it adds renewable capacity as the grid prepares for a much larger electricity market.

The wider trend is this: large technology companies are increasingly using long-term renewable energy contracts to help finance new power capacity as AI, data centers, and electrification drive electricity demand higher.

• READ MORE: Meta’s AI Power Surge Drives $1.2 Billion Solar Megaproject with Enbridge

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Apple’s newest iPhone arrives with more than a new camera and faster performance. Behind the glossy launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max is another story: how much carbon it takes to make, ship, and use a smartphone.

At the same time, Apple is pushing recycled materials deeper into the device, using renewable electricity across manufacturing and eliminating landfill waste at established final assembly supplier sites.

iPhone 18 Pro’s Carbon Footprint Starts at 63 kg

Apple calculates the iPhone 18 Pro’s footprint using a life-cycle assessment covering the device, components, packaging, and in-box accessories.

Its latest product environmental report puts a number on that footprint. Depending on the storage configuration, an iPhone 18 Pro generates between 63 kg and 109 kg of gross greenhouse gas emissions over its modeled life. For the Pro Max, the range is 69 kg to 114 kg.

The footprint rises with storage capacity.

They say production is the biggest source of emissions, accounting for 46% of the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro footprint. Non-electricity-related production, including materials and processes, accounts for 17%, while electricity contributes 29%.

Transportation represents 3%, customer use 13%, infrastructure for renewable energy generation 1%, and end-of-life processing less than 1%.

That breakdown shows why Apple is focusing so heavily on materials and supplier electricity rather than just making the phone itself more energy efficient.

40% Recycled Content Goes Inside the New iPhone

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max contain 40% recycled content by mass, excluding packaging and accessories. This time, the company has also increased the use of recycled materials across individual components:

Apple says recycled materials generally have a lower carbon footprint than newly mined materials, making material recovery an important part of its product decarbonization strategy. Here’s the snapshot of the sustainable materials packed inside its latest gadget:

50% of Manufacturing Electricity Comes From Renewables

Apple says 50% of the manufacturing electricity allocated to the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max comes from renewable energy.

That includes electricity procured by Apple or its suppliers through Apple’s Supplier Clean Energy Program. The company is ultimately working toward moving suppliers to 100% renewable electricity.

• The phones also use 60% less energy than the applicable U.S. Department of Energy efficiency standard, according to Apple.

The 20W USB-C power adapter used for the models has measured efficiency of 87.4% at 100V, 88.0% at 115V and 87.8% at 230V. Its no-load power consumption is 0.04W across all three voltage levels.

Less Waste, More Fiber

Apple says all established final assembly supplier sites for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max have been independently validated as Zero Waste to Landfill.

Under UL’s standard, suppliers need to divert at least 90% of waste away from landfill, with higher diversion rates qualifying for Gold and Platinum designations.

Packaging is also 100% fiber-based and uses recycled or responsibly sourced fibers.

The company is pairing that with stricter chemical controls. Final assembly suppliers must use safer cleaners and degreasers based on methodologies such as ChemFORWARD, GreenScreen and the U.S. EPA Safer Choice program.

Apple also says its materials, accessories and packaging are covered by its Regulated Substances Specification and that it conducts toxicological assessments of materials that have prolonged skin contact.

Apple’s Bigger Emissions Problem

The iPhone footprint is only one piece of Apple’s climate story.

According to Apple’s 2026 Environmental Progress Report, the company’s 2025 gross greenhouse gas emissions were about 15.3 million metric tons of CO2e, while net emissions after offsets were 14.5 million tons. It estimated that its environmental programs avoided 43 million metric tons of emissions in 2025.

Notably, product manufacturing accounted for 53% of Apple’s gross footprint

Apple says its gross emissions are down more than 60% from 2015, even though revenue has increased 78% over the same period. Its 2030 goal is to reduce value-chain emissions by 75% from the 2015 baseline before addressing the remaining emissions.

The company’s environmental programs avoided an estimated 43 million tons of emissions in 2025, including:

• 26 million tons from supplier clean energy
• 7 million tons from direct emissions abatement
• 6 million tons from low-carbon materials
• 2 million tons from supplier energy efficiency.

                                          Apple’s Emissions Data

• SEE MORE: Apple’s 2026 Environmental Report: 30% Recycled Materials Shows a Milestone in Circular Manufacturing

Apple Stock (AAPL) Rises as the iPhone 18 Pro Hits Stores

Apple shares closed at about $315.34 on September 9, according to market data reported after the launch. By September 11, shares had reached $332.27, representing a roughly 5.4% increase from the September 9 close.

On September 17, Apple shares closed at $337, according to market reporting, after gaining 1.4% that day as the phones approached their retail launch.

As trading began on September 18, AAPL was around $337, putting the stock roughly 7% above its September 9 closing level.

The market reaction, however, is being driven primarily by expectations around demand, pricing, and the premium iPhone mix rather than Apple’s environmental credentials. Early reports said carrier trade-in offers of as much as $1,200 were helping support demand for the new Pro models.

The Bigger Sustainability Test Is the Supply Chain

Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro shows how sustainability is becoming embedded in product design rather than treated as a separate corporate initiative.

More recycled metals, renewable electricity, fiber packaging, lower energy use, and supplier waste controls can all reduce the footprint of each device.

But Apple’s own numbers also show the scale of the challenge. Manufacturing remains the largest part of the iPhone’s carbon footprint, while product manufacturing and product use together account for 80% of Apple’s broader gross footprint.

The iPhone 18 Pro may therefore be greener by design, but Apple’s bigger climate challenge is making those improvements meaningful across hundreds of millions of devices and a global supply chain.

That is where the company’s 2030 target will ultimately be tested.

• FURTHER READING: Apple (AAPL Stock) Revenue Hits Record as Carbon-Neutral Goal Moves Closer

The post Apple (AAPL) Stock Climbs as iPhone 18 Pro Goes Greener. Can 40% Recycled Content Reduce Its Carbon Footprint? appeared first on Carbon Credits.

Global healthcare company GSK has signed an eight-year deal with Indian climate company Varaha to cut emissions and enhance carbon removal. It will support regenerative agriculture on 50,000 hectares of smallholder farmland in Punjab and Haryana.

The deal was structured by climate investment platform Earthly and covers more than 500,000 carbon credits. The project is expected to deliver about 100,000 tonnes of removal credits a year between 2028 and 2033. The wider agreement runs for eight years.

The project will help farmers move away from crop residue burning, intensive tillage and flood-irrigated rice farming. Instead, farmers will use practices such as direct-seeded rice, reduced tillage and crop-residue incorporation.

The deal is notable because it links carbon finance with three major issues in northern India: climate change, farm income and air pollution.

Adele Cheli, VP Environmental Sustainability at GSK, said:

“For GSK, environmental sustainability is core to business resilience and human health. This investment demonstrates how we’re progressing in our net-zero journey, whilst also delivering co-benefits for human health, nature and local communities.”

Carbon Finance Targets India’s Crop Burning Problem

Farmers in Punjab and Haryana often burn rice residue after harvest because they have only a short period to prepare fields for the next crop. India has been working to reduce the practice, and the number of farm fires has fallen sharply.

During the 2025 paddy season, Punjab recorded 5,114 farm-fire incidents, down 53% from 2024. Haryana recorded 662, also a 53% fall. Together, the two states recorded about a 90% reduction from 2022 levels.

Despite that progress, the government continues to identify crop-residue burning as an important source of seasonal air pollution in northern India.                                                                                            

The carbon project aims to address the economic reasons farmers burn the residue. Farmers will receive subsidized access to machinery and a share of carbon credit revenue.

That can help cover the extra cost and labour needed to manage crop residues without burning them. This makes the carbon market part of the solution rather than simply paying for an emissions calculation after the fact.

Regenerative Farming Targets Carbon, Water and Farm Income

The Varaha project is designed to generate both emissions reductions and soil carbon removals.

Reduced tillage can lower fuel use and soil disturbance. Direct-seeded rice can reduce the need for intensive field preparation and flooding. Incorporating crop residues into the soil can also return organic matter to farmland.

Varaha’s project has already reported results from an earlier monitoring period covering 42,000 hectares. The project estimated it avoided about 4,574 tonnes of PM2.5 emissions from crop burning. It also saved around 59.5 billion litres of water.

Moreover, participating households saw an average 12% to 16% increase in income. This rise came from higher yields, lower fertilizer costs, and carbon revenue.

The water figure is particularly notable. Across the 42,000-hectare monitoring area, the reported savings work out to roughly 1.4 million litres per hectare.

These figures are project results, not a guarantee for the full 50,000-hectare expansion. Future performance will depend on farmer adoption, weather, crop yields and verification.

The Project Uses Verra’s Agricultural Carbon Methodology

The project is registered under the Verra Verified Carbon Standard, using VM0042 Improved Agricultural Land Management. Earthly says it is also upgrading the project to version 2.2 of the methodology. The project is listed on the Verra system as Project 3346.

VM0042 covers greenhouse gas reductions and soil organic carbon removals from improved farming practices. These include reduced tillage, better fertilizer use, and residue and water management.

The updated VM0042 v2.2 is approved by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market as meeting its Core Carbon Principles (CCP) requirements. However, that does not automatically give every project or credit a CCP label. Projects must meet additional conditions at verification.

Those rules are important for agricultural carbon because soil carbon can be difficult to measure and can change over time. The updated methodology includes stronger requirements around baselines, additionality, leakage, and soil carbon measurement.

GSK Is Building a Larger Carbon Removal Portfolio

The Varaha deal fits directly into GSK’s broader climate strategy. The pharma giant plans to reduce 80% of greenhouse gas emissions from all scopes by 2030, using a 2020 baseline. Nature-based solutions will address the final 20%.

It also targets net zero across its full value chain by 2045, including a 90% absolute emissions reduction and neutralization of residual emissions. GSK says it prioritizes carbon removals for its 2030 target and plans to use only carbon removals for its 2045 net-zero target.

The company announced that by the end of 2025, it had secured carbon credits for 8% of its expected residual emissions. This is 40% of the credits it anticipates needing.

The Varaha agreement, therefore, adds to a growing pipeline of nature-based carbon projects that GSK is developing ahead of its future residual emissions needs. Importantly, GSK says carbon credits are being used alongside direct emissions cuts, rather than as a replacement for them.

Agriculture Is Becoming a Larger Carbon Market

The deal also shows why agriculture is becoming an important part of the carbon removal market. Verra said in 2025 that around 200 projects were listed under earlier versions of VM0042. Together, those projects had the potential to issue an estimated 126 million tonnes of emissions reductions and removals annually.

That is potential supply, not actual issuance. Still, it shows the size of the pipeline being developed around improved farming practices.

Agricultural projects can also offer benefits that are difficult to obtain from some industrial carbon removal technologies. These include improved soil health, lower water use, better farm resilience, and additional income for farmers.

At the same time, they face measurement challenges. Soil carbon changes slowly and can vary between fields. Weather and farming practices can also affect results. That makes strong measurement and independent verification essential for buyers such as GSK.

A Long-Term Deal Gives Farmers More Certainty

One of the most important parts of the agreement is its length. Many voluntary carbon transactions are relatively short-term purchases. An eight-year commitment helps Varaha see future demand better. This can support investments in farm equipment, field support, and measurement systems.

That matters because farmers need to change practices before carbon benefits can be measured.

The project also includes ongoing reporting. Earthly says the agreement includes quarterly reporting covering carbon, water, farmer income, and community engagement through the project period. This wider reporting is becoming more important as buyers look beyond the number of tonnes generated.

The Deal Is a Test for High-Quality Farm Carbon

The GSK-Varaha agreement is significant because it moves beyond a small demonstration project. The planned 50,000 hectares represent a large expansion of regenerative farming in a region where crop burning, water use, and soil management remain major challenges.

However, the more important test will be delivery. The project must show that farmers maintain the new practices, that soil carbon gains are measured accurately, and that the claimed emissions reductions are independently verified.

For GSK, the deal adds a significant source of future removals as it works toward its 2030 and 2045 climate targets. For Varaha, it provides long-term demand to scale regenerative agriculture. And for India’s farmers, the model could create another source of income while reducing burning and improving soil management.

For the carbon market, long-term corporate commitments can help turn agricultural carbon projects into real investments in climate, farming, and public health.

• READ MORE: Microsoft (MSFT) Signs 2.85 Million Soil Carbon Credit Deal With Indigo in Landmark Regenerative Agriculture Move

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