Forestry and carbon removal projects developer FLS Group AG is joining forces with CO2 removal software and monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) provider Cula in a collaboration that aims to address a conflict of interest in the sampling of biochar carbon removal projects.
As shared in the announcement, currently, the weak point in biochar MRV is the anchor sample of biochar material that gets tested in a laboratory. The partnering companies highlight that despite relying on rigorous laboratory testing, the verification process for biochar projects is limited to depending on the physical biochar sample submitted to the lab.
Even though biochar crediting approaches require the sampling process to follow documented plans and to aim to be representative, they do not outline a requirement that an independent third party should physically collect the sample.
This enables a reality in which project developers commonly control which material is selected as the “anchor sample” for testing, which is then used to determine the anchor point for crediting accuracy, durability, environmental compliance, and MRV credibility, creating a conflict of interest that exposes the entire biochar sector to reputational risk.
To fill this gap, FLS Group and Cula are developing a practical and scalable protocol that introduces independent oversight at the biochar sampling stage. Under this protocol, independent third-party sample collection can happen at defined intervals, with unannounced on-site sampling with a minimal notice of approximately three hours.
The protocol also includes a digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (dMRV) record capturing who collected the sample and when, and a signed declaration attached to the lab report for audit-ready documentation from site to results.
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The debut of this novel protocol will take place at FLS’s Project Alfheim in Paraguay, which will be the first project to formalize the mandatory third-party sampling as a component within the project’s monitoring system, rather than as an occasional audit practice.
As a developer of biochar projects, FLS has committed to integrating this protocol across all its future projects, encouraging the adoption of similar best-in-class integrity measures by the broader market.
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