SIX leads the Series A funding round in Carbonfuture to jointly develop a reliable, scalable and integrity-driven durable Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) ecosystem. This strategic investment marks the entry of SIX into the growing carbon removal market and an expansion into a new asset class.

Carbonfuture specializes in managing the entire lifecycle of CDR credits, from initial project support and due diligence to comprehensive digital tracking and independent third-party verification. Using its data-driven digital infrastructure, Carbonfuture provides monitoring, reporting, and verification (Carbonfuture MRV+) services to ensure the integrity, transparency, and reliability of CDR credits. By offering de-risked  CDR credit portfolios through multi-year purchase agreements, Carbonfuture has gained the trust of both suppliers and buyers, including multiple major companies. Carbonfuture, founded in 2020, is headquartered in Freiburg, Germany, with offices in Zurich and San Francisco.

The expansion into the carbon removal market aligns with the broader strategy of SIX to expand into new asset classes and complements its recent ESG offerings. Through the strategic partnership with Carbonfuture, SIX aims to jointly develop the carbon removal ecosystem and supports Carbonfuture in scaling its infrastructure solutions. Furthermore, by providing high-quality, durable CDR credits through the Carbonfuture platform, we help our clients on their journey towards achieving „net zero“.

“Our investment in Carbonfuture represents a significant step into an emerging new asset class, reflecting our confidence in their ability to build the essential digital infrastructure for the carbon removal market with the highest standards of integrity and scalability. Carbonfuture is the ideal partner, thanks to their unique business model that spans the entire value chain and has earned the trust of both the suppliers and buyers,” stated Bjørn Sibbern, Global Head Exchanges and SIX Executive Board Member.

Hannes Junginger-Gestrich, CEO of Carbonfuture, added “With SIX’s support, we are expanding our Carbonfuture MRV+ solution to drive market maturity and make carbon removal more reliable, scalable, and tradable. With our future-proof and comprehensive approach, serving both the voluntary carbon market and compliance markets, Carbonfuture is uniquely positioned as the infrastructure backbone of the industry, delivering de-risked, high-quality CDR credits that companies can trust to meet their climate goals.”

Durable carbon removal refers to the technological process of permanently removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. This is achieved by locking carbon away for thousands of years in geological formations, deep ocean layers, soil, or certain other materials. It involves technologies such as Biochar Carbon Removal, Direct Air Capture and Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage, but does not include the natural absorption of CO₂ that occurs without human intervention. Project developers use established processes within the carbon removal market (such as independent MRV, third-party verification, and certification) to convert the CO₂ removed by their projects into carbon removal credits. Buyers can then purchase these credits and retire them to offset parts of their CO₂ footprint in order to meet their net-zero targets.

Carbonfuture will remain an independent venture with a significant minority investment from SIX. The Series A funding round was supported by follow-on investments from Carbonfuture’s current investors. Further terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

Source: SIX