Isometric has announced the certification of updates to its BiocharBiochar is a carbon-rich material created from biomass decomposition in low-oxygen conditions. It has important applications in environmental remediation, soil improvement, agriculture, carbon sequestration, energy storage, and sustainable materials, promoting efficiency and reducing waste in various contexts while addressing climate change challenges. More Production and Storage Protocol and the Biochar Storage in Soil Environments Module, alongside the launch of two new production modules. These developments follow a 30-day public consultation period that incorporated feedback from buyers, suppliers, academics, and climate researchers. The updates are designed to align with the Isometric Standard, ensuring that expanded operational options for suppliers maintain strict adherence to scientific rigor and integrity.

The primary challenge addressed by this initiative is the restrictive nature of previous guidelines, which limited storage opportunities primarily to agricultural settings and lacked tailored pathways for diverse production methodologies. Suppliers faced difficulties in navigating complex requirements for project design, and there was a pressing need for clearer operational guidance to ensure consistent monitoring and reporting. Furthermore, the industry required a framework that could accommodate distinct production scales—such as small distributed projects—without compromising the validity of the generated carbon credits.

To address these gaps, Isometric released Version 1.2 of the Biochar Protocol, which features a comprehensive table of requirements structured around key lifecycle stages to streamline compliance. The renamed Biochar Storage in Soil Environments Module now permits application in forestry and recreational areas, allows for 12-month stockpiling, and enables mixing with other organic materials like compost.  Additionally, Isometric introduced two specific modules: the Biochar Production in Combustion Co-product Systems Module and the Biochar Production in Distributed and Small-Scale Projects Module, tailored to their respective operational realities.

The outcome of these updates is a more flexible yet rigorous certification landscape. Suppliers can now design projects across a broader range of soil environments and production techniques while adhering to strengthened safeguards, such as refined durability quantification that excludes reactive organic carbon from 1,000-year crediting. The new framework improves chain-of-custody tracking for third-party sales and ensures measurement requirements meet or exceed World Biochar Certificate guidelines.