Table 1 Quality criteria for carbon removal activities

Quantification (Article 4 CRCF)

 • For baseline setting, operators shall refer to the standard carbon removal performance of comparable activities under similar social, economic, environmental, and technological conditions, taking into account the geographical context

 • Derogation may be justified in single cases

 • The baseline is updated periodically (no further details on period length)

 • Statistical approaches have to be used to account for uncertainties in carbon removal quantification

Additionality (Article 5 CRCF)

 • Carbon removal activity has to be additional, i.e. it goes beyond EU and national statutory requirements and is incentivised by the certification

 • Additionality is automatically considered to be complied with if the baseline is established according to the standard carbon removal performance of comparable activities in similar social, economic, environmental, and technological circumstances, taking into account the geographical context (pursuant to Article 4 para. 5)

 • Otherwise, if the baseline is based on individual carbon removal performance (pursuant to Article 4 para. 6, additionality has to be demonstrated through specific tests

Long-term storage (Article 6 CRCF)

 • Operators or operator groups have to demonstrate that carbon removal activity aims at ensuring long-term carbon storage

 • To this end, they have to monitor and mitigate any release risk of stored carbon occurring during the monitoring period, while being subject to appropriate liability mechanisms to address any release of carbon during this period

 • For carbon farming and carbon storage in products, stored carbon by a carbon removal activity is considered to be released at the end of the monitoring period

Sustainability (Article 7 CRCF)

 • Carbon removal activity has to have a neutral or positive impact on

 • Climate change mitigation (beyond the net carbon removal benefit);

 • Climate change adaption;

 • Sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources;

 • Transition to circular economy;

  • Pollution prevention and control:

 • Protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems

 • Minimum sustainability requirements according to certification methodologies of the delegated acts are to be complied with

 • Certification methodologies have to incentivise co-benefits