Governance & Policy
Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF)
Definition
The Carbon Removal Certification Framework, Regulation (EU) 2024/3012, creates an EU-wide voluntary system for certifying permanent carbon removals, carbon farming activities and carbon storage in long-lasting products. It defines quality criteria — quantification, additionality, long-term storage and sustainability — and provides for certification schemes and a Union registry.
References
Legal text and quality criteria
Policy context
Overview
What it means
The EU gains a common quality standard intended to distinguish credible removals from weak offsets and to channel finance toward genuine removal activities.
How it is used
Project developers seek certification under approved schemes; buyers look to CRCF-certified units as the EU benchmark for removal quality.
Why it matters
As net-zero claims proliferate, a public certification standard is the EU's answer to integrity concerns in voluntary carbon markets.