Microsoft Purchases 60,000 Soil Carbon Credits from Sustainable Farming Solutions Provider Indigo – ESG Today

Sustainable agriculture and organic options supplier Indigo Ag and Microsoft introduced their second carbon elimination settlement, with a brand new dedication from Microsoft to buy 60,000 soil carbon credit generated via the promotion of regenerative agriculture practices by U.S. farmers.

The brand new transaction follows an preliminary 40,000 carbon credit score buy settlement by the businesses final 12 months.

Based in 2013, Indigo Ag offers nature-based and digital applied sciences geared toward serving to farmers enhance profitability and environmental sustainability. The corporate launched its carbon program in 2019, serving to farmers undertake regenerative agriculture practices together with cowl crops, diversified crop rotation, lowered tillage and improved nitrogen timing, that enrich soil whereas sequestering carbon dioxide. Below this system, farmers add the brand new practices with agronomic help from Indigo, whereas the corporate additionally calculates the carbon credit via using soil samples and on-farm information, validates the findings with a verifier, with outcomes submitted to a carbon registry, for issuance of the credit, which may be offered to company patrons.

The brand new transaction is sourced from Indigo’s fourth carbon crop, consisting of over half 1,000,000 independently verified carbon credit issued via the Local weather Motion Reserve. Up to now, Indigo’s carbon program has generated over 900,000 tons of carbon elimination throughout 28 states, and has prevented over 64 billion gallons of floor water runoff.

Indigo Ag CEO Dean Banks stated:

“When Microsoft, acknowledged as the foremost driver behind the carbon removals market, invests in Indigo’s carbon credit, it affirms their confidence in our science, crew, and know-how. Our microbial and sustainability portfolio spans 20 million acres throughout 15 international locations, and this deal underscores the belief in farmers’ exhausting work to create a wholesome and resilient agri-food system.”

Microsoft is by far the biggest company purchaser of carbon elimination credit globally, with the corporate lately reporting that it contracted almost 22 million tons of carbon elimination final 12 months alone as a part of its efforts to grow to be carbon damaging by 2030. In simply the previous few weeks, the corporate has introduced a collection of large-scale carbon elimination purchases throughout a broad vary of applied sciences together with biochar, forest administration, bio-energy carbon seize and storage (BECCS), and reforestation, amongst others.

Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Vitality and Carbon Removing at Microsoft, stated:

“Indigo’s work to create resilient farms and safe watersheds throughout the U.S. delivers measurable local weather advantages in addition to improved soil and water well being and new financial improvement alternatives in rural communities. We conduct in depth due diligence when selecting initiatives for our portfolio, and are happy to help this venture as a part of Microsoft’s broader portfolio of high-quality carbon elimination options. The collaboration goals to guard the financial safety of our agri-food system with a measurable and scalable method to nature-based carbon elimination.”