Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) market infrastructure provider Puro.earth has announced the launch of its CRCF Programme and formally submitted an application to the European Commission for recognition as an official certification scheme under the EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation.
The application follows the final procedural guidance delivered during a European Commission briefing on 1 June. Upon receiving regulatory approval, the Puro.earth CRCF Programme will allow project developers to issue, and corporate compliance buyers to procure, CRCF-certified carbon removal units through the provider’s existing digital infrastructure.
The introduction of the CRCF Programme transitions Puro.earth into a multi-programme standard and registry operator. The platform will run three distinct certification frameworks in parallel:
- The Puro Standard: The company’s established voluntary market framework, which will continue issuing CO2 Removal Certificates (CORCs) globally.
- The CRCF Programme: A specialised, EU-focused framework dedicated to generating CRCF Certified Units aligned with European statutory definitions.
- The CCS+ Programme: A methodology framework integrated in October 2025 to certify industrial carbon capture and storage assets.
By consolidating these frameworks under a single registry architecture, the company aims to reduce administrative friction for suppliers and market participants who must navigate varying regional compliance requirements and voluntary corporate buyer mandates.
The newly created CRCF Programme is designed for European project developers and international corporations managing emissions liabilities within the EU. The framework initially encompasses the three engineered removal pathways approved under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/285:
- Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS / bioCCS)
- Direct air capture with carbon storage (DACCS)
- Biochar carbon removal
The programme structures commercial offtake ahead of the potential future integration of CDR credits into the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).
The underlying EU CRCF Regulation establishes common quality baselines to standardise environmental integrity and reduce market fragmentation across member states. Under the statutory framework, once the European Commission grants formal recognition to an independent certification scheme, individual validation and verification bodies (VVBs) must still secure formal accreditation before any eligible CRCF credits can be officially issued to the market.
