Can Biochar Finally Go Mainstream? Gold Standard Thinks So

Gold Standard launched public consultation on its PARC biochar carbon removal methodology, targeting smallholders to industrial producers globally.

19 Jun 2026

New carbon methodology aims to connect artisanal farmers in developing nations to voluntary markets previously out of reach.

Gold Standard, the Geneva-based carbon crediting body, opened a public consultation in April 2026 on its first methodology for biochar carbon removal. The framework, named PARC, ran for consultation between 22 April and 22 May 2026.

Biochar is charred organic matter produced under low-oxygen conditions. When applied to soil, it can store carbon for centuries. Scientists have long recognised its potential; converting that potential into verified, tradeable credits has proved harder.

PARC addresses that gap through what Gold Standard calls a Modular Tiered Architecture, three compliance tracks calibrated to different scales of production. A smallholder farmer in sub-Saharan Africa and an industrial facility in Europe can each seek certification under the same framework, without applying identical accounting rules.

That design choice carries practical weight. Carbon finance has historically favoured large, well-capitalised producers. Artisanal operators in the Global South have rarely had the resources to meet complex verification requirements. Tiered pathways lower that barrier without relaxing the permanence and net-negative accounting standards that apply across all tracks.

Gold Standard described the framework as its attempt to resolve what it called biochar's trilemma: scientific precision, equitable access for smallholders, and guaranteed permanence. Other standards bodies have struggled to balance all three.

For corporate buyers, PARC offers a credible avenue to procure carbon removals with traceable permanence claims spanning centuries to millennia. Such claims are increasingly scrutinised as voluntary carbon markets face pressure over quality and transparency.

With the consultation period closed, Gold Standard is expected to incorporate feedback before finalising the methodology. No publication date has been confirmed. The voluntary carbon market, still searching for a globally trusted biochar standard, will watch the revision process closely.