14 May 2025 | Harris Cohn
Capgemini recently made a bold move: they signed a long-term offtake agreement with Charm Industrial to permanently remove 16,500 tons of CO₂. It wasn’t just a line item in their ESG report—it was a signal. A signal that the voluntary carbon market is maturing, and that companies are beginning to back carbon removal approaches with the durability, transparency, and policy-alignment needed for a climate-stable future.
Long-Term Goals Require Action Now
Capgemini’s approach is refreshingly pragmatic: they’re not just buying carbon credits to balance a ledger, they’re investing in the future carbon removal ecosystem. Their ESG policy commits to neutralizing residual emissions via high-quality carbon removal, while maintaining aggressive internal decarbonization goals. That’s the blueprint climate science demands: reduce emissions aggressively AND address what’s left through durable carbon removal.
Why does long-term commitment matter? Because the infrastructure for carbon removal—whether it’s bio-oil sequestration, direct air capture, or enhanced rock weathering—takes time to build. Offtakes help developers like us scale operations, lower costs, and increase deliverability, which benefits the entire ecosystem.
When we talk about “catalytic climate leaders”, we’re talking about the companies and brands that are committed to fighting climate change for the long haul. Capgemini’s support enables us to scale our Colorado production facility and bring on new partners that can help mitigate wildfire risk and create new jobs across America.
Aligning with Future Regulated Carbon Markets
Capgemini is also showing leadership by selecting projects that meet emerging standards of quality and permanence. Charm’s bio-oil sequestration pathway permanently removes carbon by converting agricultural and forestry waste into a viscous, carbon-rich liquid that’s injected into US EPA-regulated geologic storage. The result is a stable carbon sink that effectively locks away CO₂ for thousands of years. The net removal is then measured by Isometric, an independent registry, that Charm does not pay, removing the risk of over-crediting.
Importantly, this approach aligns with robust, high-integrity compliance frameworks. As regulatory pathways like the EU’s Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) and California’s SB 905 take shape, the market is shifting. Buyers want removal options that not only work today, but will align with future regulatory standards.
Tech and Nature: Not Either/Or
Capgemini’s carbon credit portfolio doesn’t rely solely on engineered removals. They continue to invest in nature-based solutions, too—from tropical reforestation through the LEAF Coalition to regenerative agriculture via the Mirova Climate Fund for Nature. But they also recognize the limitations of these approaches in terms of durability.
By including Charm alongside Neustark and Climeworks in their portfolio, Capgemini is building a diversified strategy of nature-based removals combined with long-lived technological solutions. That’s exactly the kind of portfolio that science says we need to limit warming to 1.5°C.
What We Need Now: More Bold Movers
Charm is building a mobile, mass-manufacturable fleet of pyrolyzers to scale up durable carbon removal. That vision depends on forward-looking customers willing to commit not just for today, but for the next decade. Capgemini gets that. They’re not just buying 16,500 tons of removal—they’re investing in the infrastructure of climate stability.
If you’re a company thinking about how to navigate the carbon removal space, take a page from Capgemini’s playbook:
Buy removal credits from developers building durable, verifiable, and policy-aligned pathways.
Support the market with long-term offtake agreements, not just spot purchases.
Treat carbon removal as a complement to—never a substitute for—deep decarbonization – and do both in parallel.
Diversify your strategy across both nature-based and engineered removals.
We’re thrilled to be working with Capgemini, and we hope their example encourages others.