Insurance instead of buffer: Isometric lets reforestation developers cut pool contributions. Key takeaways Isometric's new insurance framework, built with Marsh, lets reforestation developers replace part of their buffer pool contribution with cover. What it means. CarbonMeld Editorial Isometric has launched an insurance framework that lets reforestation project developers use insurance to reduce their buffer pool contributions, according to Carbon Pulse. For developers, the aim is better project economics. For buyers and investors, the question is whether insurance can sit beside buffer pools without weakening the guarantee that each retired certificate represents a tonne of carbon removed. What Isometric announced. Isometric published the announcement on 20 October 2026, describing a framework that was co-developed with global insurance broker Marsh. Reforestation developers can now insure against reversals and use that cover in place of a portion of their buffer pool contribution. Five providers have been approved under the framework: Artio, CarbonPool, CFC, Kita and Oka. They can now offer insurance to Reforestation projects certified by Isometric. Other insurers can apply to be added over time. How buffer pools and insurance fit together. Buffer pools are reserves of carbon removal certificates that projects contribute to as a safeguard against reversals. A reversal happens when removed carbon is released back into the atmosphere, for example through fire or disease. The pool lets losses be covered without affecting certificates already delivered to buyers. Under the new framework, insurance replaces only a portion of that contribution, not the mechanism itself. Isometric describes this as using insurance alongside buffer mechanisms. In practice, a developer holds less of its own output in reserve and relies partly on a third-party insurer to absorb a reversal. Why early-year revenue is the point. Isometric says the main benefit is a valuable increase in take-home revenue in the early years of a project. Reforestation projects carry heavy upfront costs, while their credits accumulate gradually as trees grow. Every certificate set aside in a buffer is a certificate that cannot be sold at that point. Reducing the contribution frees part of that volume for sale sooner. That can ease cash flow for developers and make financing easier to structure. Isometric says this gives developers more flexibility without compromising the safeguards that back each certificate. What market participants said. Bruno Figueiredo, VP of Finance at reforestation developer Mombak, called the initiative an important step toward a more mature carbon market. He said it brings proven risk-management solutions from established markets into the industry, and that insurance could give buyers greater certainty and predictability while making reversal risk management more efficient. Hema Mistry, CEO of FINPRO UK at Marsh Risk, said the framework sets a clear pathway for using insurance alongside buffer mechanisms. She said it is part of Marsh's strategy to embed carbon insurance into core carbon market infrastructure, giving buyers, lenders and investors greater confidence. Implications for buyers, developers and investors. For developers, the framework offers a new lever on project economics, but only through insurance that meets Isometric's requirements. Developers interested in the framework can contact Isometric directly. The practical work will be comparing cover from the five approved providers against the buffer contribution they would otherwise make. For buyers, the central point is that Isometric presents the change as neutral on integrity. The pool still exists, and insurance replaces only part of it. The strength of that claim will depend on the insurance requirements themselves and on how claims would be paid after a reversal. The announcement does not give the percentage of the contribution that insurance can replace, so buyers should look for that detail in the framework documentation. For investors and lenders, the Marsh involvement signals an effort to bring a familiar risk-transfer tool into carbon removal. Insurance can turn an uncertain reversal risk into a priced, transferable one, which is easier to underwrite. What to watch. Several markers will show how far the framework travels: * Whether additional insurers apply and are added to the approved list beyond the initial five. * How many Reforestation projects certified by Isometric take up insurance in place of part of their buffer contribution. * Whether Isometric extends the approach to other pathways. It says it is exploring this beyond Reforestation. * Whether buyers treat insured certificates differently from those backed by a full buffer contribution. The launch establishes a route, not yet a track record. The test will come when a reversal event occurs and the insurance and the buffer pool have to work together as designed. Show sources (2). Don't miss the next analyses Weekly analysis and data report, every Monday

EAC edition | october 2026. Welcome to this edition of Carbon Guide, where Anthesis Group turn its attention to Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) and the rapidly evolving expectations around renewable electricity procurement. For years, purchasing EACs has been one of the simplest ways for companies to substantiate their renewable electricity consumption. But the market is changing. Increasingly, the question is no longer simply 'Did you buy enough certificates?' but rather 'What did you buy, where did it come from, when was it generated, and can you substantiate the claim?' This shift is being driven by tighter expectations around the quality, traceability, and impact of renewable electricity procurement. The SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard v2.0, published in June 2026, introduces new requirements around geographic deliverability, certificate integrity, and transparency, while placing greater emphasis on hourly matching for companies with significant electricity consumption. Meanwhile, the GHG Protocol is progressing its revision of Scope 2 guidance, with proposals pointing towards more granular temporal and geographic matching of market-based electricity claims. At the same time, EAC markets themselves are becoming more dynamic. Price volatility, changing regulatory frameworks, growing demand for higher-quality certificates, and increasing scrutiny from auditors and stakeholders are making procurement strategies more important than ever. In this edition, Anthesis Group explore what makes an EAC credible, the differences between 'bundled' and 'unbundled' renewable electricity procurement, and how corporates can navigate increasingly complex global certificate markets. Anthesis Group also look at what the SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard v2.0 means for renewable electricity procurement, the latest direction of travel for the GHG Protocol's Scope 2 Guidance, and the practical implications for companies planning their EAC strategies. In the news: key recent developments. Isometric launches REDD+ methodology to rebuild confidence in forest credits. Carbon standard Isometric has announced a new REDD+ methodology designed to increase transparency and credibility in forest conservation projects, potentially expanding the supply of high-integrity, nature-based credits. SARA makes first carbon credit payments to South American farmers. The South American Regenerative Agriculture (SARA) programme has made its first payments to farmers from carbon credit revenues. This is an important milestone for regenerative agriculture in the region, and it shows how carbon markets can directly reward sustainable farming practices. Ecuador opens the door to Article 6 carbon trading. New legislation formally recognises carbon markets in Ecuador and enables participation in Article 6 mechanisms. This could unlock new supply from one of Latin America's most important nature-based carbon markets. Verra launches Scope 3 Standard to tackle value chain emissions. Verra has launched its new Scope 3 Standard, enabling companies to invest in mitigation activities within their supply chains and generate verified Scope 3 Units. This marks an important step towards helping businesses address the emissions that are often hardest to reduce and account for. Unbundled Energy Attribute Certificates. Know exactly what renewable electricity you're claiming, anywhere in the world. Most companies with a renewable electricity target will, at some point, buy Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs). An EAC is proof that one megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable electricity has been generated and fed into the grid. Under the GHG Protocol's market-based method, it is the instrument that allows you to claim renewable electricity and report lower Scope 2 emissions, provided it is retired in your name. In this edition, Anthesis Group explain unbundled EACs: what they are, how the global market fits together, and what makes a certificate credible. Bundled or unbundled: what are you actually buying? There are two ways to buy the renewable attributes of electricity: * Bundled EACs come as part of your electricity supply contract, typically a green tariff. Your supplier sources and cancels the certificates on your behalf. * Unbundled EACs let you keep your existing power contract and buy certificates separately. You choose the source yourself and have them retired in your name. Both routes are valid under the GHG Protocol. The difference lies in transparency and control. With a green tariff, you often don't know exactly which certificates are being used. The technology, country, plant age, or vintage may not be disclosed, and the supplier may switch sources from year to year. With unbundled EACs, you choose the technology, the country, and even the specific project. You receive the cancellation statement yourself, so you can tell a clear, concrete story to auditors, CDP, and your stakeholders. Unbundled certificates are also flexible: they can cover sites where you can't change supplier, such as leased offices or shared buildings. On a green tariff? Four questions to ask your supplier. * Which certificates? Which tracking system and registry are used, and in which country were the certificates issued? * Which plants? What technology is used, and when was the plant commissioned or repowered? * Which period? Does the production date fall within the eligible window for your reporting year? * Whose name? Do you receive a cancellation statement in your company's name for your volume? If the answers are unclear, unbundled EACs give you that certainty in writing. One target, many markets. EACs are not a single global product. Each market has its own certificate and registry, and a certificate generally only counts if it was issued in the same market as your consumption. * Europe: Guarantees of Origin (GOs) under the AIB system. The UK (REGOs) and Poland run their own registries. * USA and Canada: Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), often Green-e certified. * Rest of the world: I-RECs, issued in dozens of countries across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, and TIGRs in parts of South-East Asia. * National systems: China (GEC), Japan (NFC), South Korea (K-REC), Taiwan (T-REC), Australia (LGC), and New Zealand (NZEC). For multinationals, this means a patchwork of registries, prices, lead times, and rules. Anthesis holds accounts with registries worldwide and has access to every major EAC type, so a single partner can cover your entire footprint and deliver one consolidated set of cancellation statements. Quality criteria: what makes an EAC count for RE100? Not all certificates are equal. RE100 sets five criteria for credible renewable electricity claims: * Sustainable production: Wind, solar and geothermal. Biomass and hydro only when sustainably sourced. * Tracking system: Attributes must be reliably tracked from generator to consumer to prevent double counting. Accepted systems include RECs, I-RECs, AIB GOs, REGOs, and national systems such as Japan's NFC, China's GEC, Australia's LGC and Polish GOs. * Market boundaries: Certificates must be sourced within the same market as consumption, with a grid connection. For RECs, that means the US and Canada; for AIB GOs, European single-market countries on an interconnected grid. Where supply is insufficient, an adjacent, connected country may be used. * Commercial operation date: The plant must have been commissioned or repowered no more than 15 years before the consumption period, so 2026 consumption requires a plant from 2011 or later. Up to 15% of total electricity consumption may be exempt where this isn't feasible. * Production period: Production must be reasonably close to consumption. Green-e allows a 21-month eligibility window, so 2026 consumption can be matched with certificates produced from the second half of 2025 to the first quarter of 2027. Vintage window for 2026 consumption (21 months) Looking ahead. Standards are evolving. The GHG Protocol Scope 2 revision and version 2.0 of the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard are both considering tighter market boundaries and more granular matching. The criteria above remain current market practice, and buying transparently now, with full attribute data, will make it much easier to adapt when the rules change. How can Anthesis support you? * Global access: GOs, RECs, I-RECs, TIGRs, and national certificates from a single supplier. * Full transparency: project-specific certificates, with technology, location, commissioning date, and vintage disclosed upfront. * Quality assurance: every purchase checked against RE100, the GHG Protocol, and your own criteria. * Strategy and reporting: multi-year sourcing, combining EACs with power purchase agreements (PPAs), and cancellation statements ready for CDP and RE100 reporting. Webinars on demand. Did you miss one of its recent webinars? * Renewable Electricity Procurement: From Green Retail to Verifiable Proof. View here. * Navigating Renewable Energy Procurement: PPAs in a Shifting Regulatory Landscape. View here. * Evolving Scope 2 Regulation - The Changing Role of RECs and EACs. View here. * The Updated SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0. View here. Portfolio. Explore its projects. Its carbon projects are created to avoid, reduce or remove CO2. They align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and support your organisation on its pathway to Net Zero. Please visit its carbon project page to explore the full range of opportunities available.

(R) Azerbazalt and Isometric launch South Caucasus' first international carbon certification project based on ERW. Azerbaijan's Azerbazalt and UK-based Isometric, a company specializing in the certification of carbon dioxide removal projects, have signed a cooperation agreement. Azerbazalt told AZERTAC that the partnership aims to develop long-term carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere using Azerbaijan's domestic basalt resources through Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), while enabling the resulting carbon removals to be certified in accordance with international standards. According to the company, the initiative is the first project in the South Caucasus aimed at international carbon certification based on ERW technology. Cooperation with an international carbon certification platform such as Isometric marks an important step towards establishing a new technological pathway for carbon dioxide removal in Azerbaijan. ERW is a carbon removal technology based on accelerating the natural process of rock weathering. Mineral-rich rocks such as basalt are crushed and applied to soil, where natural geochemical reactions convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into more stable forms. One of the advantages of the technology is that, alongside removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, basalt may also serve as a source of minerals when applied to agricultural soils. The project is expected to use basalt resources from the Chaykend area of Azerbaijan's Goygol district. Mineralogical and chemical analyses carried out to date indicate that the local basalt has promising characteristics for application in ERW. Azerbazalt's production infrastructure provides an important foundation for the potential future scale-up of the project. At the initial stage, the company is expected to have an annual production capacity of 360,000 tonnes. This capacity could broaden the use of basalt beyond its conventional applications and create opportunities for its deployment in carbon dioxide removal technologies. The next stage of the cooperation is expected to include pilot applications, further characterization of basalt and soil properties, establishment of monitoring systems, and submission of the resulting data for international certification. Isometric is a UK-based company operating in the carbon dioxide removal sector, with an approach based on scientific methodologies, monitoring, reporting, and independent verification. The company provides certification infrastructure for a range of carbon removal technologies, including Enhanced Rock Weathering. The cooperation between Azerbazalt and Isometric is expected to contribute to expanding economic ties between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom into new areas, including green technologies, carbon dioxide removal, and climate innovation. Successful implementation of the project could support the use of Azerbaijan's mineral resources in new, higher-value technological applications, contribute to the development of scientific and technical expertise in carbon removal, and expand the country's opportunities to participate in the international carbon market as a project developer. Follow us on social network