Press release
81% of high-quality biochar is already committed, three months earlier than 2025
Buyers are locking in larger volumes earlier in the year, leaving less available on the spot market.
LONDON, Sept 8, 2026—Eighty-one percent of high-quality biochar supply was committed by July 2026, three months earlier than the same threshold was reached in 2025, according to new market data published today by Supercritical. The report, The biochar supply crunch: Market intelligence for H2 2026, covers what's left, what counts as high-quality, and what pricing looks like for buyers entering the H2 spot market.
Key findings:
- Excluding Microsoft, buyers purchased more biochar in H1 2026 than in all of 2025. Non-Microsoft offtake volume grew tenfold from 176,000 tonnes in H1 2025 to 1.81 million tonnes in H1 2026, leaving less available for the spot market.
- Spot prices rise through H2. Credits that sold at $155 per tonne last July reached $185 by November for the same project. Buyers who move earlier pay less and have more choice.
- Nearly half of remaining high-quality supply is available exclusively through Supercritical. Active enterprise RFPs could claim 70% of unsold high-quality credits.
Biochar has delivered more than twice the volume of all other permanent carbon removal methods combined and is the only method with a liquid spot market. As the market matures, larger buyers are moving from ad hoc spot purchases to structured, multi-year procurement. Total deals fell from 624 to 280 year-over-year while volume nearly doubled, meaning average deal size has more than quadrupled.
"The shift from one-off purchases to multi-year deals is accelerating. Buyers are learning not to wait, and the ones entering the market now are leading with offtakes, not spot. For anyone buying in-year biochar, the window to secure quality supply gets shorter each year."
"Every biochar project on the market claims to be high-quality. Most aren't. We've failed projects on additionality, methane, delivery risk, safety, and reputation risk. Enterprise buyers should layer rigorous due diligence on top of registry certification and a credit rating to ensure a project actually delivers on its quality claims."
About Supercritical
Supercritical is the leading carbon removal marketplace. It builds the commercial architecture that turns carbon removal promises into delivered tonnes, sourcing, creating, and guaranteeing supply for 200+ corporate buyers through exclusive partnerships, three-layer delivery protection, and a science team that advises SBTi on CDR standards. Nearly 2M tonnes facilitated. 600+ suppliers tracked across 80% of the global durable carbon removal market. gosupercritical.com
Contact
Pat Adams, pat@gosupercritical.com