IBI Beginnings
As we celebrate our 20th anniversary (2006–2026), we’re diving into the legacy of our organization. Read our origin story below, and engage with our year-long campaign of biochar content and more!
In July 2006, a small but determined group gathered around a shared conviction during the World Soil Science Congress: biochar held extraordinary promise.
The room represented a rare convergence of soil scientists, academic researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, NGO leaders, federal agency representatives, and policy advocates. Though they came from different sectors and continents, they aligned around a common goal: to promote the research, development, demonstration, deployment, and commercialization of biochar technology.
That meeting marked the beginning of what would become the International Biochar Initiative (IBI).
Laying the Foundation (2007–2010)
In 2007, momentum quickly translated into action. IBI organized the first international biochar conference — the International Agrichar Initiative — in Australia. What began as a conversation the year prior was now a growing international community with 107 participants from 13 countries gathering to explore the science and promise of Biochar. It signaled that biochar was no longer an isolated research interest, but the spark of a global movement. By unanimous consent at that gathering, IBI was formally established as a U.S.-based nonprofit 501(c)(3).
The following year, the second international conference —Biochar, Sustainability and Security in a Changing Climate — convened more than 225 attendees from 31 countries in the United Kingdom, featuring over 70 presentations. Biochar was rapidly entering the global climate and soil conversation.
By 2009, the co-founders, Johannes Lehmann and Stephen Joseph, published Biochar for Environmental Management, a foundational text that would shape research and practice worldwide. (This book is considered a staple in the industry, and has been updated multiple times — we recommend everyone has a copy on their shelf!)
Edited by two leading figures in the field, Biochar for Environmental Management is essential reading for students, scholars, practitioners, and policymakers interested in biochar and the role it can play in environmental sustainability and global sustainable development.
That same year, IBI brought biochar to the global climate stage, hosting a side event at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP conference in Copenhagen — beginning what would become consistent engagement with international climate negotiations.
In 2010, IBI’s third international conference in Brazil drew approximately 200 attendees and 85 presentations, reinforcing biochar’s relevance across continents and agricultural systems.
In an exciting commitment to the community, and to the growth of the organization, IBI began offering membership options in 2011. Our membership today spans more than 70 countries.
Building Standards, Credibility, and Education (2012–2016)
As interest grew, so did the need for clarity and quality.
In 2012, IBI published the first version of the IBI Biochar Standards (retired as of 2024) — delivering the first global framework to define and verify biochar quality. One of the consistent struggles of the industry, even today, is regarding the variability of biochars. With the start of the standards initiative, IBI signaled to the world that biochar was transitioning from an emerging idea to a credible, measurable climate change solution.
By 2014, the second version of the Standards was released, and a formal Biochar Certification Program was launched. IBI collaborated with leading research institutions, including Cornell University and the Fraunhofer Institute, to advance laboratory standards and technical alignment. These efforts ensured that as the industry expanded, integrity and scientific rigor grew alongside it.
During this period, education became central to IBI’s mission. The organization hosted its first in-person course, Biochar Training for Environmental Sustainability and Economic Development, which later evolved into IBI’s flagship online course offered from 2012 through 2023.
Alongside global training, strategic partnerships deepened. The Biochar for Sustainable Soils (B4SS) project — funded by the Global Environment Facility and implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme — launched in 2015 under the leadership of IBI Board member Annette Cowie, linking biochar directly to land restoration and climate change resilience. While the project is retired, the website and all of its resources are still live and used as a tool across the industry today.
Global Presence and Industry Growth (2018–2022)
As biochar entered broader climate and carbon removal discussions, IBI saw the need to train more of the industry to meet the demands of the polycrisis moment we are in..
In 2018, the inaugural IBI Study Tour — created by Board member Kathleen Draper — brought participants from 15 countries to Austria to see commercial-scale biochar operations firsthand. The Study Tours would become a hallmark program, later hosted in Finland, Switzerland, and Italy.
IBI maintained an active presence at major climate negotiations, attending COP21 in Paris, COP24 in Poland, COP26 in Scotland, COP27 in Egypt, and COP28 in the United Arab Emirates — ensuring biochar remained part of international climate dialogue under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process.
In 2021, IBI hosted its first virtual Annual Symposium, The Business of Biochar, reflecting a major shift. Biochar was now an emerging industry, with companies ranging from start-ups to international scale putting their stake in the market.
In 2022, IBI hosted more than 10 webinars and connected with over 2,500 stakeholders globally through its second virtual Symposium.
Scaling a Global Movement (2023–2025)
With a strong network and foundation, the past several years have marked a rapid acceleration.
In 2023, IBI launched the inaugural Biochar Academy in New York, welcoming 37 professionals from 20 countries. That same year, the organization unveiled a refreshed brand and logo — aligning its identity with a modern, vibrant, and fast-scaling global community.
IBI also played an active role in the development of biochar protocols under the UNFCCC’s Article 6.4 mechanism, helping shape the policy frameworks that will guide high-integrity carbon markets.
The third Annual Symposium, Scaling the Biochar Industry to Cool a Boiling Planet, reflected the urgency of the climate moment — and biochar’s role within it. By 2024, the Biochar Academy expanded to Thailand in partnership with ECHO Asia, bringing together 70 practitioners from 18 countries. IBI co-hosted international conferences in Malaysia and Germany, released the Manual for Biochar Carbon Removal in partnership with HAMERKOP, and collaborated with the U.S. Biochar Initiative on the 2023 Global Biochar Market Survey and Report.
A Legacy Rooted in Collaboration
From its earliest days, IBI has been supported by visionary philanthropic partners, including the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Blue Moon Fund, The Climate Trust, The Wellspring Foundation, and the Woka Foundation, whose five-year grant beginning in 2021 strengthened IBI’s long-term capacity.
The foundation of IBI has also always lied in its community (researchers, farmers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, and educators) who see the possibility in biochar.
What began as a side meeting in 2006 has become a global network shaping standards, influencing policy, educating practitioners, and scaling solutions across continents.
Twenty years later, the mission remains clear; empower communities and inspire industries to integrate biochar-based solutions towards healthier ecosystems and economies worldwide.
Biochar is no longer a fringe idea discussed in a side meeting, it is a global movement shaping science, policy and climate solutions.
And IBI continues to serve as the platform where the movement connects, collaborates and grows.
