9 Dec. 2024: The European Council has given the green light to the certification framework for carbon removals which includes carbon storage activities that capture & store carbon in long-lasting products for at least 35 years such as wood-based construction products.

It is the first EU-level certification framework for permanent carbon removals, carbon farming and carbon storage in products. This voluntary framework will facilitate and encourage high-quality carbon removal and soil emission reduction activities in the EU, as a complement to sustained emission reductions.

The regulation covers the following activities across the EU:

• Permanent carbon removals that capture and store atmospheric or biogenic carbon for several centuries (e.g. bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, direct air capture with storage)

• carbon storage activities that capture and store carbon in long-lasting products for at least 35 years (such as wood-based construction products)

• carbon farming activities that enhance carbon sequestration and storage in forests and soils, or that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from soils, carried out over a period of at least five years

Carbon removal activities will have to meet overarching criteria in order to be certified: they must bring about a quantified net carbon removal benefit, they must be additional (go beyond statutory requirements at the level of an individual operator), they must aim to ensure long-term storage of carbon while minimising the risk of carbon release and do no significant harm to the environment.

In addition, activities eligible for certification will need to be independently verified by third-party certification bodies.

Four years after the entry into force of the regulation, the Commission will establish an electronic EU-wide registry to ensure transparency and full traceability of the so-called certified units.