UK's Shoosmiths Signs Five-Year Agreement to Pre-Purchase HUSK Biochar Carbon Credits

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Shoosmiths law firm has signed a five-year pre-purchase forward offtake agreement with Carbonaires to purchase carbon dioxide removals (CDR) produced by biochar manufacturer HUSK, thereby securing long-term supply to support its strategic goal of achieving net-zero operational emissions.

These CDRs will be generated by HUSK, a women-led biochar producer with operations in Cambodia and Vietnam. To produce carbon removals, HUSK uses agricultural residues such as rice husks to manufacture biochar products, which can sequester carbon dioxide for over 1,000 years and help improve soil health, increase crop yields, and enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. HUSK's operations have restored over 6,400 hectares of farmland, with third-party trials showing farmer income increases of more than 20%. The company's biochar carbon credits have been certified under the Global Biochar C-Sink Standard for six consecutive years.

In this collaboration, Carbonaires is responsible for screening CDR projects, conducting institutional-level technical and commercial due diligence, and structuring the agreement framework, and will manage these carbon dioxide removals on behalf of Shoosmiths until their retirement.

Max Finney, Senior Sustainability Manager at Shoosmiths, stated that the firm's vision is to become a low-carbon law firm, creating a sustainable future for clients, communities, and employees. Therefore, it chose to pre-purchase future carbon removals through a five-year forward offtake agreement, locking in long-term supply and pricing to address the accelerating demand for high-integrity removals. The biochar removals generated by this agreement, combined with a more than 70% reduction in its operational footprint from Scope 1 and market-based Scope 2 emissions, will bring the firm's net operational emissions to zero. The firm has not yet claimed net-zero status, as it still needs to meet the 90% emissions reduction threshold, but it is committed to taking responsibility for its current residual emissions while working towards its 2040 net-zero target.