The voluntary carbon market's rapid evolution has seen a surge of new registries. Buyers need to maintain a comprehensive overview of these options and understand what different standards represent. This month, CEEZER has integrated Isometric, a carbon removal standard and registry designed to ensure a rapid and responsible transition to carbon removal. 

Users can now seamlessly access credits from several of the first project developers active across different Isometric protocols on the CEEZER platform. Suppliers operating under Isometric that already partner with CEEZER include Charm Industrial, InPlanet, Rewind, Carbon Atlantis, and Carba.

‍"Trust is essential for effective carbon markets, and Isometric's approach addresses this critical need," says Magnus Drewellies, CEO of CEEZER. "It promises a faster feedback loop between scientific research and real-world application and thereby accelerates the development of high-integrity carbon removal solutions. Through this partnership, CEEZER now offers seamless access to carbon removal verified by Isometric, we are excited to offer this new option for corporates to complement robust negative emissions portfolios on our platform.”

A new registry to unlock carbon removal

Established in 2022, Isometric is based in London and New York. Their in-house science team and independent science network of >200 climate experts developed the Isometric standard and now has six protocols live, forming a novel framework for issuing credits for durable carbon removal activities (>1,000 years).

Its core principles are

• Scientific rigor: By building an internal science team and an extended network of scientists, Isometric is achieving a level of depth and quantifiable metrics that go beyond the monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) offered by traditional carbon registries.
• Transparency: On the Isometric registry, buyers can transparently view all the calculations and evidence that underpin each credit. Sharing underlying information in a manner that is accessible to individuals with various levels of familiarity with carbon removal, from the general public to sophisticated carbon removal buyers, and industry experts is key to rebuilding trust in carbon markets. 

• Collaboration: Partnering with scientists, academic institutions, startups, and other tech companies to advance the industry and consolidate measurement, verification, and credit purchases into one place for both suppliers and buyers.

Another distinguishing factor is Isometric's business model, which is designed to minimize conflicts of interest. As opposed to other registries, fees are charged to buyers (instead of project developers) and de-linked from the actual price of the carbon removal activity as well as the total number of credits issued. By charging buyers a fee and separating that payment from the verification results, Isometric ensures that they are not financially dependent on the suppliers whose operations they are verifying and therefore have no incentive to inflate credit quality.

The Isometric Standard has received conditional endorsement from the third-party quality framework ICROA, indicating that it meets all requirements for endorsement but the achievement of specific thresholds is still pending (registered projects and issued credits). In addition, Isometric has also submitted to the IC-VCM to become Core Carbon Principles (CCP) eligible and has filed its application to ICAO to seek eligibility to supply units to the CORSIA first phase (2024 – 2026 compliance period). Both are expected to be approved by the end of the year.

What project types does Isometric work with?

Isometric’s experienced team of scientists develops protocols (or methodologies), which are reviewed by the Science Network – an independent group of >200 climate scientists. Their peer review-style feedback is incorporated into the final draft, which then undergoes public consultation before publication. The process also applies to changes to existing protocols, which are reviewed at least every two years.

As of June 2024, Isometric has published the following protocols:

• Biomass Geological Storage
• Bio-oil Geological Storage
• Biogenic Carbon Capture and Sequestration Protocol
• Direct Air Capture 
• Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture
• Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement from Coastal Outfalls 

Isometric suppliers active on CEEZER

Isometric is already resonating with a range of different suppliers who focus on transparency, scientific rigor, and collaboration – values that align perfectly with CEEZER's mission. Among them is German start-up Carbon Atlantis, which is active on CEEZER. Malte Feucht, CEO of Carbon Atlantis said: “We're excited about this collaboration between two of our partners. Isometric’s Direct Air Capture Protocol will help ensure DAC credits meet the most rigorous standards. Buyers can make informed decisions and purchase with confidence as the industry operates and scales effectively. By featuring our carbon removal credits on CEEZER we can ensure transparency and empower buyers to contribute directly to scalable Direct Air Capture projects."

Rewind, another CEEZER supplier, is developing a new Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) module focused on anoxic marine environments. Modules are distinct parts of Isometric's protocols, each detailing a portion of a project's carbon removal. This modular structure makes it simple to quickly adjust protocols to appropriately describe the removal mechanism while maintaining their rigor and quality. “At Rewind, we harness the power of plants and anoxic marine environments for permanent carbon removal”, says Ram Amar, CEO at Rewind. “Partnering with industry leaders like CEEZER and Isometric ensures our carbon removal credits meet the highest durability and reliability standards. These collaborations allow transparent, high-quality solutions to deliver scalable and effective climate action.”

Several other innovative project developers across various carbon removal technologies are also collaborating with both Isometric and CEEZER, including Charm Industrial (bio-oil sequestration), InPlanet (enhanced rock weathering), and Carba (torrefied biomass burial, module still under development).

"At Carba, we’re excited to partner with Isometric for our permanent carbon removal project because of their commitment to high verifiability and a focus on permanent removals.” says Dr. Andrew Jones, Co-Founder and CEO at Carba  “Their rigorous scientific understanding, evaluation, and collaboration are critical for developing and maintaining trustworthy protocols.”

CEEZER and Isometric: A powerful partnership for durable carbon removal

Leading companies are already procuring Isometric-verified credits, including Frontier, Stripe, and Shopify. With the integration of Isometric on CEEZER, the platform now offers buyers streamlined access to a selection of nascent carbon removal technologies vetted against an ICROA-endorsed standard. 

This further bolsters CEEZER’s position as a one-stop shop for carbon credit procurement and management, streamlining the screening, purchasing, and managing of ambitious carbon credit portfolios.

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