Puro.earth released an update to the Biochar Methodology Edition 2025 that brings retail biochar into CORC-eligible use pathways under strict conditions. The change reflects a growing market reality and a more mature understanding of risk.

Key points

• Retail biochar was initially excluded from CORCs because reversal and traceability risks were not addressed.
• A technical working group reviewed the issue after Edition 2025 was published.
• The Advisory Board has now approved a rule change that allows retail use when safeguards are in place.

Conditions include

• Product-level controls, including size and moisture limits.
• Clear consumer guidance and labelling.
• Contractual clarity with the last tracked intermediary.
• Country-level reversal-risk discount factors.
• Conservative treatment of transport emissions.

Why it matters

• Retail channels are expanding fast in several regions.
• They help diversify applications and strengthen project economics.
• They also represent a different risk profile, which required a technical fix before CORCs could be issued.

What this signals

• Standards evolve when markets evolve.
• Governance, evidence, and practical experience must align.
• Methodologies are living documents that change as science and market conditions change.

This update is a good example of how carbon-removal standards mature: tighter rules where confidence grows, refinements where complexity appears, and continuous improvement to keep integrity high.