Microsoft signs deal to remove carbon using wastewater technology

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

🗞️ Driving the news: Yale spinout Crew Carbon signed an offtake deal with Microsoft to supply up to 23,602 carbon removal units generated via wastewater alkalinity enhancement
• The technique accelerates mineral weathering inside existing treatment plants to permanently store atmospheric CO2

🔭 The context: The deal adds Microsoft to a growing list of corporate buyers pushing into novel, infrastructure-integrated carbon removal pathways
• It builds on wastewater-based removal's appeal for high measurement, reporting and verification certainty

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Using existing wastewater infrastructure for carbon removal avoids the land and energy footprint of building new dedicated facilities
• Scaling such pathways could diversify the carbon removal market beyond direct air capture and afforestation

⏭️ What's next: Crew Carbon will need to prove the approach can scale across more treatment plants to meet growing corporate demand

💬 One quote: "CREW has shown that carbon removal in the wastewater sector is implementable and scalable with high MRV certainty." — Philip Goodman, Carbon Removal Portfolio Director, Microsoft

📈 One stat: Up to 23,602 carbon removal units are covered under the Microsoft-Crew Carbon offtake agreement

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