VOLUNTARY CDR TARGETS

Companies have used voluntary commitments to renewable electricity to give their investment and purchasing teams a shared goal and deadline. A voluntary CDR target applies this approach to carbon removal. An organisation’s leadership commits to removing a specified quantity of CO₂ by a stated date, or to balancing defined emissions through removals. The goal can guide budgets, supplier discussions and purchasing plans, while public reporting makes progress visible. It may address emissions remaining after deep reductions, historical emissions or an additional climate contribution. Interim milestones and named responsibilities help turn the commitment into action. Suppliers receive actual business when the organisation follows through with funded purchases or its own removal projects.

The target should state how much CO₂ will be removed, by when, how long it must remain stored and which activities or emissions it covers. A separate emissions-reduction plan should explain how the organisation will cut its footprint. Historical emissions and additional contributions need distinct accounting so the same removals are not counted twice. Interim milestones should reflect credible supply, expected costs and the organisation’s ability to fund delivery. Independent assessment can test whether the target and plan are credible; verification must separately establish whether the promised removals actually occur.

A clear target can give finance and procurement teams a reason to prepare for CDR before purchases are legally required. Public commitments reveal potential customers to removal providers and can encourage other organisations to act. Early planning allows buyers to learn about methods, quality and contracting before larger purchases become necessary. Targets can also create a practical route for taking responsibility for historical emissions or making an additional climate contribution, with progress open to scrutiny by staff, investors and customers.

A distant target may remain unfunded or depend on unrealistic assumptions about future removal prices and supply. Organisations could use the pledge to justify slower emissions cuts or make climate claims before removals are delivered. Unclear definitions may allow avoided-emission credits to count toward a removal goal. Changes in leadership or finances can weaken follow-through. Even a credible target can fail if projects deliver late or stored carbon is released.

Annual reporting should distinguish emissions reductions, planned spending, contracted purchases, delivered removals and credits retired. Progress against interim milestones should prompt changes to budgets, suppliers or delivery plans where necessary. Independent reviews can assess assumptions and explain shortfalls. Project verification provides evidence of removal quantities and storage; approval of the target itself does not establish either.

Company leadership, finance, operations and procurement teams should agree who delivers the target and how spending decisions will be made. Removal providers can test supply and timing assumptions, while independent experts assess quality and the emissions-reduction plan. Employees, investors, customers and civil society can scrutinise progress and help identify claims that overstate what has been achieved.

Organisations at every level can adopt voluntary targets for their own activities. This includes public institutions, companies, industry associations and foundations. Public bodies must act within their mandates and budget powers. Here, a public institution’s target concerns its own operations and responsibilities; setting a removal target for an entire country or jurisdiction involves a wider policy decision. Industry associations can encourage member commitments, but each organisation needs authority over its own delivery plan.