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Selection

While no channel is inherently better than another, each one is more favorable for certain buyer profiles:

OTC brokers / retailers​

Suited for small, fast, low-effort purchases or first-time buyers exploring the market.

Case Study: A curated overview of leading OTC brokers is available on the CDR.fyi Leaderboard under the "Services" tab, where buyers can find major brokers such as ACT and Southpole.

Marketplaces​

Work well for buyers wanting variety, transparency, and convenience without heavy internal effort. Marketplaces often offer integrated tools that support the full lifecycle of a CDR portfolio.

Case Study: Otrium, an Amsterdam-based fashion outlet platform, decided to compensate its carbon footprint after measuring its scope 1–3 emissions and committing to set science-based targets. It uses Patch to "cut through the complexity of the carbon removal market," working with Patch to select trusted carbon credit projects. In its first year of compensation, Otrium purchased credits from the ruumi Farmland Regeneration project in the UK. A broader set of leading CDR marketplaces can also be found on the CDR.fyi Leaderboard under the "Services" tab, including Carbonfuture, Patch, ClimeFi, and Klimate.

Buyer coalitions​

Ideal for organizations seeking curated, high-integrity credits and collective vetting, especially with high volumes (see How Much?)

Case Study: NextGen CDR Facility is a joint venture between South Pole and Mitsubishi Corporation, backed by founding buyers Boston Consulting Group, LGT, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Swiss Re and UBS. It aims to purchase over one million tonnes of certified technological carbon removals by 2025, focusing on projects that are independently certified and are verified under ICROA-endorsed standards. In 2023, NextGen announced an advance purchase of almost 200,000 tonnes of CDRs from three large-scale projects developed by Summit Carbon Solutions, 1PointFive, and Carbo Culture.

Competitive sourcing (RFPs)​

Fits buyers with larger volumes or specific requirements, who want to compare suppliers and negotiate competitive terms.

Case Study: Microsoft issued a global RFPs to procure 1 million tonnes of carbon removal in 2020. The RFP received proposals from 189 projects across more than 40 countries, submitted by 79 applicants. They eventually selected 26 suppliers representing more than 1.3 million tonnes of carbon removal.

Project-development​

Best for large, long-term buyers with the capacity to invest in new CDR infrastructure and shape future supply directly.

Case Study: SEFE has signed an investment agreement with Kazakhstan-based developer SAFC "to co-develop an afforestation project and generate carbon-removal credits under Verra's VCS standard." The project restores 1,500 hectares of degraded land near the Kapshagai reservoir with native tree species, and is expected to generate about 1.2 million carbon credits over its lifetime. SAFC handles the on-ground forestry, while SEFE, as project partner, provides capital plus "project design, monitoring, reporting and verification expertise, and marketing services," and will use the credits to help meet its own and its customers' sustainability goals.