Firm introduces industrial-scale carbon removal credits
Climate and agriculture technology company Releaf Earth said it has successfully issued an initial verified tranche of 190 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent through its biochar production facility in Iwuru,
Climate and agriculture technology company Releaf Earth said it has successfully issued an initial verified tranche of 190 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent through its biochar production facility in Iwuru, Cross River State. The credits have already been purchased by major global corporations, including Salesforce, through Milkywire, a platform dedicated to funding high-impact climate initiatives.
The development comes at a strategic moment for the Federal Government’s economic diversification efforts. President Tinubu recently approved a framework targeting $3 billion annually in carbon market revenue by 2030, positioning climate solutions as a new export alongside the country’s traditional oil and agricultural products.
“It’s a landmark moment for us at Releaf Earth, but more importantly, it’s a landmark moment for Nigeria and the continent.It represents a fundamental shift in how Africa participates in the global climate economy. “
With this issuance, we are sending a clear signal that Africa is ready to lead this new era of climate action. We are removing carbon dioxide more cost-effectively than anywhere else,” Chief Executive/Co-founder, Releaf Earth, Ikenna Nzewi said.
The potential scale of the opportunity is substantial. Africa currently produces over a billion tonnes of biomass annually, providing raw material that could be transformed into carbon removal credits as the global economy accelerates its decarbonization efforts.
Releaf Earth’s approach centers on converting agricultural waste into biochar through pyrolysis, a process that uses heat in a low-oxygen environment to thermally stabilize organic material. Unlike traditional forestry carbon offsets, which face risks of reversal through wildfires or logging, biochar offers what the company describes as a “physics-based” guarantee of permanence. Once integrated into soil, the carbon becomes chemically resistant to decay, remaining locked away for centuries.
Read Also: Nigeria backs AU reforms on peace, security, democracy
The company has secured Inertinite Gold Certification, demonstrating the highest quality standards for carbon storage security. Credits are issued through the Rainbow Standard, a data-first registry for high-durability removals built on established frameworks including ICROA, CRCF, and ICVCM. Releaf Earth’s SITE geospatial tool, layered with the Rainbow Protocol, tracks each ton of carbon from its specific farm source to final soil application, providing industrial-scale verification for buyers.
Beyond carbon sequestration, the initiative creates economic benefits for smallholder farmers. The biochar produced serves as a soil amendment that can boost crop yields by up to 23 percent, offering critical relief as synthetic fertiliser costs surge. When combined with new revenue streams from monetizing previously discarded agricultural waste, Releaf Earth projects it can increase smallholder farmer incomes by over 50 per cent.
This dual-impact model, which the company calls its “Circular Wealth Engine,” demonstrates how climate solutions can simultaneously address environmental goals and rural economic development, potentially offering a template for similar initiatives across the continent as Africa positions itself in the emerging global carbon removal sector.
