re.green has finalized its largest carbon removal (CDR) project to date. re.green will deliver approximately 3 million tons of carbon removal credits over a 15-year period through the restoration of forests using solely native species, encompassing the planting of at least 10.7 million seedlings. This offtake agreement will backstop the restoration of over 16,000 hectares across Brazil (over half of which is already acquired with restoration activities underway), including in the States of Maranhão and Bahia.
re.green’s project offers world-leading science and business solutions for ecological restoration at scale with significant benefits to biodiversity and local workforce development. Moreover, re.green leverages satellite imagery, drones, and cloud-based machine learning models to optimize and monitor land selection and carbon capture validation. Further, this announcement highlights Brazil’s leadership on the global stage as a host for high-quality nature-based solutions at scale.
Thiago Picolo, our CEO, stresses: “Our company has positioned itself to meet the demands of a market that requires stringent standards for quality. We consider Microsoft’s carbon removal program to be a global benchmark for high integrity carbon removal and a leader in scientific advancement, validating our trajectory. This collaboration serves as tangible evidence that this market not only exists but has significant potential for growth in Brazil. We are committed to forging additional partnerships of this caliber.”
“We value the science-led innovation and business execution that re.green brings to this agreement. High-quality, nature-based solutions are vital to addressing climate change and we are excited to pursue this offtake deal in Brazil with re.green,” stated Brian Marrs, Senior Director for Energy & Carbon Removal at Microsoft. “Projects like those undertaken by re.green are an important part of our carbon removal portfolio.”
“Microsoft’s offtake agreement reinforces re.green’s action-oriented core trait from its inception, with experts with over 30 years of hands-on research and implementation experience in the restoration cycle. We translate scientific knowledge into practical technology,” explains Thiago. “Our involvement spans managing native seed nurseries to engaging in meaningful dialogue and community outreach.”
The decision to focus on the Atlantic Forest, the most deforested biome in Brazil, underscores the importance of evidence-based decisions guided by spatial prioritization algorithms and ecological potential. “The exceptional biodiversity impacts in Southern Bahia attracted Microsoft’s attention to the Atlantic Forest,” notes Bernardo Strassburg, our founder and chief scientist. Over the past two years, multiple scientific research activities have commenced within project areas now encompassed by the agreement with Microsoft, advancing scientific knowledge for environmental restoration and conservation.
Acknowledging the importance of this biome, we has implemented innovative strategies, such as a cycle of planting and harvesting native timber, to facilitate restoration. Bernardo emphasizes: “The Atlantic Forest holds special significance for us; nowhere else on the planet does 1 ha of restored land prevent more species extinctions.”
Simultaneously, the Amazon Forest serves as the central pillar for scalability due to its vast potential to expand nature’s presence and deliver substantial environmental benefits to both ecosystems and local communities.