The CRCF framework
The European Union has set up a framework to certify high-quality carbon removals and support carbon farming, as part of its goal to reach climate neutrality by 2050. The Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation (EU 2024/3012) was published in the Official Journal of the EU on 6 December 2024. It is the first EU-wide voluntary framework for certifying carbon removals, carbon farming, and carbon storage in products.
The regulation sets common EU rules for quality, monitoring, and reporting. The aim is to direct investment towards carbon removal technologies and sustainable farming, and to keep unreliable claims out of the market. CRCF-compliant credits could be used in both regulatory and voluntary settings, which gives them a role in corporate climate commitments and in compliance with EU climate law.
What this hub is for
A single place to exchange knowledge, find resources, and explore Earth observation data for the CRCF.
Exchange the latest insights and connect with key players in the field.
Access valuable resources, training materials, and real-world use cases.
Explore interactive maps with rich data layers and receive tailored guidance.
What the CRCF covers
The regulation covers three types of activity.
Carbon farming and soil emission reductions
Land management practices that increase carbon stored in soils and vegetation, or that lower emissions from farmed land.
Permanent carbon removals
Capture and durable storage of atmospheric or biogenic carbon over several centuries, including geological storage.
Carbon storage in long-lasting products
Carbon held in products such as wood-based construction materials for at least 35 years.
Why Earth observation matters
A certification framework is only as good as the monitoring behind it. The CRCF asks for monitoring that reflects real changes on the ground, and the regulation states that it should be based on a combination of on-site measurement with remote sensing or modelling, making use of advanced technologies such as the Copernicus component of the EU Space Programme.
Earth observation gives the CRCF a way to measure and check carbon activities at scale, across whole regions and over time.
Area-wide measurement
Satellites cover large areas at regular intervals, so monitoring does not depend on field visits alone.
Change over time
Repeat observations track how carbon stocks and land use change between years, which is what certification needs to show.
Independent verification
Satellite-based estimates offer a check on reported figures that does not rely on the party being certified.
Lower monitoring cost
Open Copernicus data lowers the cost of monitoring many sites, which matters for a voluntary scheme to reach scale.
How CRCF credits could be used
CRCF-compliant credits could support compliance under several EU and international instruments (as listed below). How this works has not yet been decided.
