Europe’s soil carbon market gets a first: Gold Standard credits issued in France and Belgium

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on Carbon Credits or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The European Soil Revitalization Programme, spanning farms in France and Belgium, has issued the first carbon credits worldwide under Gold Standard’s Soil Organic Carbon Framework Methodology
• Developed by South Pole and agricultural technology company Gaïago, the programme combines soil revitalization with regenerative practices such as reduced tillage and year-round cover crops

🔭 The context: The initial issuance covers 6,000 verified hectares. The wider programme involves 727 farms and could expand to more than 39,282 hectares
• At full enrollment, developers forecast 264,174 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in removals over the first crediting period
• The exact number of credits issued initially has not been disclosed

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Soil-carbon projects can remove CO₂ while improving soil fertility, water retention, biodiversity and farm resilience
• But stored carbon can be released again if land management changes, making robust measurement, verification and long-term monitoring essential to ensure credits represent durable climate benefits

⏭️ What’s next: The challenge is to expand participation while proving that carbon gains are additional, measurable and lasting
• The programme’s Gold Standard framework operates separately from the EU’s own carbon-farming certification system, as Europe develops new ways to finance healthier soils and lower-emission agriculture

💬 One quote: Gold Standard Chief Growth Officer Sarah Leugers said the project demonstrates how “rigorous standards can unlock vital finance for sustainable land management”

📈 One stat: 264,174 tonnes of CO₂e — the projected removals during the programme’s first crediting period at full enrollment, not the amount already removed

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