Biochar is an end-to-end value chain, not just a product

By Alastair Collier, Chief R&D Officer, A Healthier Earth

Too often, conversations around biochar have focused on the final output: a carbon credit, a tonne of carbon removed, or a single end-use application.

At A Healthier Earth, we believe this is a missed opportunity. The reality is that durable, high-integrity carbon removal depends on something much bigger. Biochar only works at scale when every part of the chain connects, from the local communities supplying garden waste for feedstock to the developers responsible for processing and standards, the buyers seeking high-integrity credits, and the farmers and foresters using the biochar.

Our recently announced integrated biochar platform is designed to help scale high-integrity carbon removal across the full value chain. Instead of treating it as a single product or a carbon credit end-point, the platform is built on the principle that durable carbon removal emerges from feedstock, production, verification and end use functioning as one system.

From feedstock sourcing and production through to monitoring, verification and end use, each step shapes the quality, integrity and scalability of the final carbon removal outcome. As the sector matures, success will hinge on how well these elements work together.

This systems approach is becoming increasingly important as demand for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) accelerates. Buyers, developers and investors need confidence that projects are not only removing carbon, but doing so in ways that are measurable, transparent and scalable.

Everything starts with feedstock

Understanding where feedstock comes from, how it’s sourced and whether it’s circular is fundamental to ensuring carbon removal integrity.

Done properly, feedstock sourcing creates value beyond carbon removal alone. Agricultural residues, forestry by-products and other waste materials can be transformed into long-term carbon storage, while supporting local supply chains and creating economic opportunities within communities. The quality of the feedstock ultimately shapes everything that follows, making provenance and transparency essential from the outset.

Our PureBiochar facility in Royal Wootton Bassett is the flagship site for A Healthier Earth’s integrated biochar platform, demonstrating how local waste streams can be transformed into high-integrity carbon removal at scale. The facility takes garden waste from Wiltshire Council that would otherwise decompose and re-emit methane and converts it into biochar. This circular system creates a durable carbon removal product while also delivering wider benefits for local soils, farms and communities.

From production to verification

While production technology is critical, scaling biochar will require more than simply building additional facilities.

Buyers increasingly want assurance that carbon removal is measurable, consistent and verifiable. That means robust monitoring, transparent reporting and clear governance throughout the production process.

At A Healthier Earth, this belief has shaped our approach to scaling carbon removal. Our goal is to help move biochar beyond fragmented projects and towards infrastructure-scale deployment that can meet growing global demand. 

Our platform ensures buyers can access a reliable, long-term supply of carbon credits through a single, managed system, rather than requiring them to contract across multiple individual projects. We undertake regular testing throughout production, combining routine operational checks with accredited laboratory analysis to verify biochar quality, carbon content and emissions, particularly where feedstock may vary over time. 

As a result, buyers have clear visibility of credit volumes, quality and permanence, supported by robust governance and audit-ready processes. All our credits are certified under the Isometric Standard and supported by Mangrove Systems’ digital monitoring, reporting and verification (dMRV) software, creating a transparent, scalable and automation-enabled carbon removal infrastructure.

End use drives long-term scale

The value chain does not end once biochar is produced. Whether applied in agriculture, incorporated into construction materials or used in environmental remediation, biochar’s long-term success depends on creating practical, scalable solutions that deliver measurable benefits alongside carbon removal.

For the industry to grow, biochar applications must solve genuine challenges for end users, improving performance and economics rather than relying solely on sustainability credentials. This is the approach A Healthier Earth is taking through its R&D programme: developing products that create clear value for industry and agriculture while also ensuring that carbon removal activity supports resilient environments alongside lasting value for communities.

That approach was recently recognised through a £1.34 million grant from The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)’s Farming Innovation Programme and Innovate UK, awarded to A Healthier Earth alongside Cefetra, and the UK AgriTech Centre and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), to accelerate the development of a biochar-based low-carbon fertiliser for UK agriculture. The project brings together expertise from across the value chain to develop a product that helps farmers reduce fertiliser inputs, lower emissions and improve soil health, while maintaining yields and creating new opportunities for on-farm revenue generation.

A systems approach to biochar

One of the biggest barriers to scale today is fragmentation. Projects often operate in isolation, with different standards, methodologies and approaches to verification. Our integrated biochar platform was designed to overcome these challenges by connecting the entire value chain, from waste feedstocks and biochar production to end-use applications and carbon removal. The industry’s next phase of growth will require this more integrated approach.

Feedstock, production, verification and end use are not separate challenges; they are interconnected parts of the same system. A weakness in one area affects the integrity of the whole value chain.

As demand for high-integrity carbon removal continues to grow, we need to think beyond individual projects and individual credits. With our integrated biochar platform, we are creating governed, transparent and auditable value chains, so we can deliver the scale, trust and consistency needed for long-term climate impact.

Because ultimately, the future of biochar will not be defined by a single product. It will be defined by the strength of the systems that support it.