1. The basics

What the framework is, what it produces, and how the rules are made.

What CRCF is

CRCF is the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework, Regulation (EU) 2024/3012. It is a voluntary EU-wide framework that sets quality and certification rules for carbon removals and carbon farming. It entered into force on 26 December 2024. The detailed rules per activity come as delegated acts.

The four CRCF unit types

1. Permanent carbon removal units, from DACCS, BioCCS and biochar, lasting centuries, do not expire.
2. Carbon farming sequestration units, from soil and biomass, temporary, at least 5 years.
3. Soil emission reduction units.
4. Carbon storage in products units, at least 35 years.

How a methodology becomes law

Each methodology runs through the same path. This matters for reading the tracker below, because a methodology that is adopted is not yet in force.

1. Expert group draft
2. Public consultation
3. Opinion
4. Adoption by the Commission as a delegated act
5. Two months scrutiny by Parliament and Council
6. Publication in the Official Journal
7. Entry into force 20 days later

2. Where it stands today As of Aug 2026

A CRCF unit is only as sound as the chain behind it. Four links have to hold, and today the chain is not green end to end. That is why almost nothing is certified yet, and it reflects timing, not weak demand.

1. 1 Methodology in force Partly there
2. 2 Certification scheme recognised In assessment
3. 3 Verifier accredited Starting
4. 4 Project certified Expected end 2026

Each link is tracked below, from the primary sources. Movements land on the feed.

Link 1. Methodologies

Where each CRCF method sits, from early exploration to in force. Permanent removals are in force. The carbon farming methodologies were adopted on 10 July 2026 and enter into force once scrutiny and publication are complete.

Link 2. Certification schemes

Schemes are the standards that certify projects against the CRCF methodologies. A project cannot be certified until the Commission recognises the scheme behind it. Five have applied, all are under technical assessment.

Source: European Commission, Certification schemes. Last checked 2026-08-03. The Commission's table lists "Plant First Registry"; the registry itself is Planet First Registry.

Link 3. Verifiers

The independent bodies (VVBs) that audit projects must be accredited to EN ISO/IEC 17065 for the CRCF scope, under Regulation 765/2008 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2358, and operate under a recognised scheme. Accreditation is only starting, so we do not list any CRCF-accredited verifiers yet. We will add them here as accreditations are published.

Link 4. Certified projects

The first CRCF-certified units are expected from the end of 2026. Until a scheme is recognised and verifiers are accredited, no project can complete certification. Our directory shows where each European developer stands today, labelled honestly as developer-stated, registry-verified or CRCF-certified.

3. Demand and the compliance question

The easiest thing to overstate, so we keep the levels strictly apart.

Decided. The 2040 climate law (Council decision 5 March 2026) sets a binding 90 percent net reduction by 2040 and gives a directional role to domestic permanent removals under the ETS. The operative mechanism is not yet legislated.

Proposed. On 17 July 2026 the Commission proposed integrating permanent removals into the EU ETS: 250 million allowances over 2031 to 2040, auctioned to centrally buy CRCF-certified BioCCS and DACCS. It is a proposal, heading into Parliament and Council with a likely conclusion around Q1 2027, and the clearest step yet toward compliance-linked demand.

One nuance the headlines miss: the 250 million is allowances, not tonnes of removals. The EU commits to auctioning them and spending the revenue on an equivalent amount of permanent removals, not to a fixed tonnage. How much CDR that buys depends on the price gap between allowances and removals in the 2030s, and could be materially less than 250 Mt. A 10 million allowance contingency reserve is meant to bridge part of that gap.

In discussion. Linking CRCF units to the allowance price, a separate Union target for permanent removals, and a possible future CRCF facility. None of these is decided.

Bottom line. There is no adopted compliance demand for CRCF units today, but the 17 July ETS proposal is the first concrete route to it. For the voluntary route already running, see the EU Buyers' Club.

4. Key dates

The milestones that decide when CRCF units exist and what they are worth.

• 27 November 2024, CRCF adopted. 26 December 2024, in force.
• November 2025, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2358 on schemes, certification bodies and audits.
• 3 February 2026, first delegated act for permanent removals. 7 May 2026, in force.
• June 2026, EU Buyers' Club platform live, initial purchases of permanent removals targeted by December 2026.
• 10 July 2026, carbon farming act adopted (C(2026)4666), in force once scrutiny and publication are done.
• 17 July 2026, Commission proposes integrating permanent removals into the ETS.
• Q4 2026, carbon storage in products act expected. First scheme recognitions expected.
• End of 2026 into 2027, first certified units.
• 27 December 2028, EU Union Registry.

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