UK’s leading automotive platform Auto Trader has partnered with enhanced rock weathering company UNDO on its first venture into carbon removal.
As part of the partnership, UNDO will spread 1,839 tonnes of mineral-rich basalt rock on agricultural land in the UK. Over time, this effort is expected to result in the permanent removal of approximately 340 tonnes of CO2.
To guarantee the carbon removal effectiveness, operations will follow the ICROA-approved Puro Standard methodology.
Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a method for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which boosts the naturally occurring weathering process.
This technology entails the spreading of silicate rocks like basalt across surfaces of land where the rocks are exposed to contact with rainwater. During the interaction, the CO2 from the rainwater forms bicarbonate ions that eventually make their way to the ocean, storing away the carbon emissions for long periods of time.
According to experts, if scaled, ERW technology could help remove up to 40% of the CO2 emissions that need to be tackled annually by 2050 in order to prevent the worst outcomes of climate change.
For Auto Trader, this deal with UNDO represents the company’s first carbon removal collaboration.
On its sustainability journey, Auto Trader has shared that the company plans to reach its net-zero by 2040 goal by reducing CO2 emissions by 90% and addressing the remaining amount of emissions through carbon removal projects.
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Having established partnerships with high-profile clients like Mircosoft and Stripe, for UNDO this partnership is part of their broader agenda to spread millions of tonnes of basalt rocks each year.
In the shorter term, UNDO is working on spreading enough rock by 2025 to remove one million tonnes of CO2, a milestone that would put them on the track towards billion-tonne scale operations.
Read more: Microsoft Inks New, Follow-on Carbon Removal Deal With UNDO
