As of today, we have issued Asia’s largest audited Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) credits via a highly durable and permanent pathway called Enhanced Rock Weathering. This is a big deal for us. In a little over 2 years of forming Alt Carbon, we have issued CDR credits.
But, what does this all mean? What is delivery? What are CDR credits? Why does this matter? Here's an ELI5 (Explain Like I'm 5) to simplify the significance of this moment.
Strap in.
The significance of Carbon dioxide emissions
Imagine you have a giant bathtub filling up with water for centuries. The water represents Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere. The problem? The tub is overflowing, and if we don’t remove some of the water, we risk flooding the entire house — that's our planet; overheating due to climate change.
Climate efforts focus on turning off the tap entirely — reducing emissions from factories, cars, and power plants. But even if we stop adding more water, the tub is already too full. We need to start draining it. In essence, we need to attack carbon emissions from all sides. It’s critical we do so, because we can’t ask companies to stop operations entirely. That means removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. So, how can we do more to cut carbon emissions? That’s where CDR comes in. That’s what we do.
What is Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)?
CDR is a way to pull CO₂ out of the air and store it somewhere safe, preventing it from contributing to global warming. Removing CO₂ from the air is critical, because excess carbon pollution has already warmed the planet by 1.2°c. This pushes us toward extreme weather and climate instability. To stay below the critical 1.5°c threshold, we need to remove billions of tons of CO₂ every year, by 2050.
There are many ways to remove CO₂ — some use machines to capture CO₂ directly from the air, and some use natural rocks to remove carbon. (that would be us)
Once carbon is removed, companies that do this work generate something called a “Carbon Dioxide removal credit.” Each credit represents a verified amount of CO₂ taken out of the atmosphere. These credits can then be bought by businesses that want to balance out their own carbon emissions.
Why Carbon Credit Delivery is a Big Deal
Creating a carbon credit isn’t as simple as saying, “We removed carbon, trust us.” It has to be Measured, Reported, Verified (MRV) and approved by independent experts. Think of it like making a claim that you cleaned a giant swimming pool. You need proof, not just a promise.
Delivering a carbon credit means that the removal process is complete, verified, and officially recognized. It’s a major milestone because it proves that real carbon has been taken out of the air. In an industry where many solutions are still in development, actually delivering credits is a sign that the process works. ‘Delivering’, in this context means, selling the CDR credit to an organisation. We sold ours to Japanese Shipping Giant, Mitsui. O.S.K. Lines (MOL Group). You can read all about it here:
Speed Matters
Most carbon removal projects take years to get off the ground. Trees take decades to grow. High-tech machines require expensive infrastructure. But the climate crisis isn’t waiting. Every ton of carbon removed today matters. That’s why delivering carbon credits quickly matters. It shows that real, scalable, climate action is happening now, not in the distant future.
If you want to know all about Enhanced Rock Weathering, and how we remove carbon via this pathway, check out this ELI5: https://www.alt-carbon.com/blog/what-is-enhanced-rock-weathering-eli5
The Bigger Picture
The more carbon credits that get delivered, the more businesses can invest in real carbon removal. This creates a market that can funds solutions for businesses. It helps increase Research & Development. It offers a chance for scientists to learn and share more novel ways to remove CO₂. It gives everyone a chance to reverse decades of poor climate actions.
A carbon credit delivery means we aren’t just talking about the problem. We’re actually doing something to fix it. It's also the most important milestone in our business. Everything we do culminates into us generating carbon credits and ultimately delivering them to customers. Here's Shrey Agarwal talking about our first ever delivery. Onwards and upwards.