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How Much?

In order to decide how much CDR to purchase, organizations need to make two related decisions:

a. Clarify the use case for purchasing CDR — that is, the purpose CDR serves within their overall climate strategy.

b. For each use case, they must determine how capital is deployed toward carbon removal, which influences whether purchases are tied to quantified removal outcomes or to broader market-enabling activities.

This second dimension is commonly described through Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM)–aligned approaches, as articulated by the Science Based Targets initiative. BVCM approaches distinguish between:

(i) ton-for-ton purchases of verified CO₂ removal outcomes

(ii) money-for-ton financing of removal activities with an expectation of future quantified outcomes, and

(iii) money-for-money financial support for the development and scale-up of carbon removal without claiming specific tonnes

These approaches do not define why CDR is purchased, but rather how organizations choose to support carbon removal in line with a given use case.

The sections below present the four CDR use cases together with the BVCM-aligned approach that most naturally supports its objective, and explain how this combination informs the volume of CDR purchased.

1. Neutralizing Residual Emissions at Net-Zero (Required Use)​

Primary approach: Ton-for-ton

This applies to companies with a science-aligned net-zero target. Both CSRD and SBTi require that, at the point of net-zero, only permanent CDR is used to neutralize residual emissions that cannot be eliminated (see definition of permanence in CDR Characteristics).

Amount needed

Typically 5–10% of baseline emissions at the target year.

Calculated as: baseline emissions × expected residual share (5–10%).

Example:

A company with a 100,000 tCO₂e baseline reduces 90–95% of emissions.

Residual emissions = 5,000–10,000 tCO₂e.

Required CDR at net-zero = 5,000–10,000 tonnes of permanent CDR.

2. Mitigating Ongoing Emissions Before Net-Zero (Optional, Emerging Practice)​

Primary approach: Money-for-ton

As companies work to decarbonize, they continue to generate ongoing emissions. The SBTi draft introduces a framework to formally recognize companies that voluntarily compensate part of these emissions during the transition to net-zero, as part of Beyond the Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM).

Amount needed

There is no prescribed amount. Organizations can determine this volume based on their climate ambition, stakeholder expectations, and internal strategy.

Organizations that wish to explore how much CDR would be needed to address a share of their ongoing emissions can estimate CDR volumes based on their current Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.

Example:

A company may decide to compensate 10% of its annual emissions during the transition, using verified, high-quality CDR.

3. Taking Accountability for Underperformance Against Targets (Optional – Corrective Action)​

Primary approach: Ton-for-ton

If a company underperforms against its near-term or interim science-based targets, this creates an excess accumulation of emissions relative to its Paris-aligned trajectory. The SBTi introduces a framework to recognize voluntary actions — including the use of carbon removals — to take accountability for this excess, while making clear that such actions do not count toward meeting targets and do not replace the requirement to realign emissions reductions with a science-based pathway.

Amount needed

The volume corresponds to the difference between planned and actual emissions reductions over the relevant target period.

Companies define this amount based on their chosen corrective pathway and the size of the underperformance gap

Example:

If a company planned to reduce emissions to 60,000 tCO₂e by 2030 but achieved 65,000 tCO₂e instead, it may choose to purchase permanent removals corresponding to the 5,000 tCO₂e gap as part of its accountability strategy.

4. Climate Contributions (Optional – Supporting Early-Stage CDR Solutions)​

Primary approach: Money-for-money

Companies may also purchase CDR as part of broader climate contributions, which are not linked to their own emissions footprint. These actions support the scale-up of emerging CDR methods, ecosystem development, and early-stage innovation

Amount needed

Volumes are typically determined by budget allocations, innovation goals, or market-development strategies, rather than a direct connection to corporate emissions.

Example:

A company may allocate funding toward early-stage CDR projects — for instance, by dedicating a portion of its climate budget to the purchase of durable removals from emerging technologies.

In addition to internal strategic considerations, organizations can also look at current market practices to help set realistic and credible volume expectations for CDR purchases.

Buyer Coalitions​

Commitments required to participate in leading buyer coalitions offer useful reference points for what constitutes "meaningful scale" in today's early market:

  • Frontier: Frontier's large corporate buyers typically join with multi-year commitments of around $10 million or more. Smaller buyers can participate at lower thresholds through Frontier's open procurement programs

  • First Movers Coalition: Members are expected to contract between 10,000 and 50,000 tons of CDR by 2030

  • NextGen: NextGen aims to procure over 1 million tonnes of high-quality CDR by 2030, through multi-year contracts signed by its buyer consortium. While NextGen does not impose a fixed per-buyer minimum, participating organizations typically contract more than 20,000 CDR tonnes

  • AirMiners Buyers Club: Airminers aims to remove 1 billion tons of CO2 by 2030. However, unlike some buyer coalitions that set minimum volume or financial commitments, the AirMiners Buyers Club does not impose participation requirements. Instead, it provides a lower-barrier entry point for organizations seeking to begin purchasing CDR at smaller volumes or at earlier stages of market development.

Transaction Size and Pricing​

Market data indicates that larger transactions tend to achieve lower prices per tonne for durable carbon removals, reflecting both scale efficiencies and reduced commercial risk for suppliers. In practice, this means that aggregating demand—rather than purchasing individually—can be a powerful lever for buyers seeking improved pricing and access to higher-quality supply. Buyer clubs (e.g., AirMiners) and similar aggregation mechanisms allow smaller or first-time buyers to pool demand, reach transaction sizes that would otherwise be out of reach, and benefit from pricing typically available only to larger purchasers. From a supplier perspective, aggregated purchases also provide a stronger demand signal, enabling developers to present larger pre-purchases or offtake commitments to investors, lenders, and other capital providers—supporting project financing and accelerating scale-up.

Positioning Considerations​

Ambitious companies aiming to position themselves among the world's top 50 carbon removal buyers typically commit to purchasing at least 10,000 tonnes of CDR (see CDR.fyi leaderboard). Clearly defining your ambition level upfront helps align internal stakeholders and set realistic budget expectations.