Freiburg, October 17th , 2022 - The signing of a five-year purchase agreement between Indo-Danish cleantech company MASH Makes and MRV platform and carbon credit marketplace Carbonfuture to deliver 50,000 tonnes of CO₂e, is likely to be the biggest purchase agreement to date in the quickly growing carbon removal space. The partnership represents a major step forCarbonfuture’s mission of providing high-quality carbon removal in the gigatonne-range. MASH Makes’ unique technology platform has the scalability to substantially aid in reaching this ambitious target. The carbon stores created by MASH Makes’ biochar facility will be measured and monitored through Carbonfuture’s digital platform. After third-party verification by auditors accredited at Carbon Standards International, the resultant carbon removal credits will be sold via Carbonfuture‘s integrated marketplace.

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To reach the level of carbon removal the IPCC calls for – 1,000 gigatonnes of CO₂ removed from the atmosphere by 2030 - and to limit global warming to levels well below 1.5°C, the carbon removal market needs to scale. Along side substantial investment in existing and emerging carbon removal technologies, stringent standards, high-quality MRV (monitoring, reporting, verification) and accounting methods are needed to ensure the integrity of this growing market. Multi-year purchase agreements, such as the one between Carbonfuture and MASH Makes, allow for rapid industry growth through guaranteed long-term off take and a fixed price floor. This reduces friction both for suppliers and buyers in the market.

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“Our mission at Carbonfuture is gigatonne-scale climate impact”, says Hannes Junginger-Gestrich, CEO at Carbonfuture. “Not just because we want to, but because it is needed to reach the ambitious targets a just and liveable future requires. For us, and the nascent carbon removal sector, this deal with our trusted partner MASH Makes marks a big step. It represents all the values our company is built upon: transparent, science-based and trustworthy removal credits, delivering a new tier of quality to an emerging market we so desperately need. And all that not only without harming nature, people and planet, but by leaving them off a little better than we found them in the first place. It’s no longer only about reducing our fossil footsteps, it’s about actively leaving a massive handprint of positive change.”

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The drastic pictures of smog in India and the rising air pollution are a direct result of stubble burning, the open field incineration of crop residue that is leftpost-harvest. Over the past years, MASH Makes has been piloting a project inMaharashtra, that tackles this crucial issue with a novel strategy – utilizing crop residues as the feedstock for its fuel production process, with the goal of reaching a point where any type of biomass residue could be used as a feedstock (the modular and decentralized plant already has the capacity to deliver more than 20,000 tCO₂e every year). With the pyrolysis of biomass, MASH Makes has developed a state-of-the-art carbon negative solution that valorizes biomass residue that would have otherwise been burnt in an uncontrolled environment. Instead, it produces biochar and sequesters carbon for hundreds of years. MASH Makes works towards maximizing the co benefits that come alongside the use of biochar, such as improved water and nutrient retention to remediate depleted soils as well as increase of crop yield. On top of that, access to the Voluntary Carbon Market creates a new stream of revenue for local farmers.

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“Positive impact with decentralized carbon negative energy. It sounds like a contradiction in terms but this is what MASH Makes‘ technology produces, every day. Our unique concept elevates the importance of co-benefits to society, the environment, and the economy. Crucially, these should be local, regional and universal. We ensure this through our modular and decentralized approach to carbon removal - and thanks to Carbonfuture, we can be assured that the corresponding efforts are measured, monitored and third party certified by the highest standards out there.“ Jakob Andersen, CEO of MASH Makes.

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In their collaboration, MASH Makes will be applying Carbonfuture’s unique digital tracking system for carbon removal. Carbonfuture’s leading MRV platform builds the basis for the issuance of trustworthy CO₂-certificates, enabling the carbon preserving application of the biochar behind each removal credit to be granularly traced and known.