FLS Group AG, a global developer of investment-grade forestry and carbon removal projects, and Cula, a provider of MRV software and digital infrastructure for carbon removal projects, have announced a partnership to strengthen trust in biochar carbon removals by improving how underlying evidence is captured, tracked, and verified.
The partnership focuses on what the companies describe as a critical weak point in today’s monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) chain: the anchor sample of biochar that is tested in a laboratory.
While laboratory analysis itself is rigorous, the entire verification process depends on the physical sample submitted for testing. Under current biochar crediting approaches, sampling must follow documented plans and aim to be representative. However, there is no requirement for an independent third party to physically collect the sample.
In practice, project developers often control which material becomes the “anchor sample” for testing. Since this chosen sample establishes the basis for crediting accuracy, durability, environmental compliance, and overall MRV credibility, the arrangement creates an inherent conflict of interest and — even in good-faith operations — exposes the sector to reputational risk.
FLS and Cula are working to close this integrity gap by implementing a practical and scalable protocol that introduces independent oversight at the sampling stage. The protocol includes independent third-party collection of biochar samples at defined intervals; unannounced, randomized on-site sampling with minimal notice (approximately three hours); and a digital MRV (dMRV) record that captures who collected the sample and when, along with a signed declaration, linking it to the lab report to create an audit-ready trail from site to results.
Giovanni Marastoni, Head of Analytics at FLS Group AG, said, “Carbon removals only work as an asset class if they’re durable in the real world and durable under scrutiny. Strengthening MRV at the foundations makes these projects more investable, lowers the risk of future challenges, and supports a healthier market over time.”
Moritz Spranger, Co-Founder of Cula, said, “When claims are backed by traceable evidence, everyone benefits: buyers gain confidence, regulators and auditors gain clarity, and project developers receive recognition for doing the hard parts properly. Independent collection combined with digital traceability ensures that MRV begins with a representative sample and a provable chain of custody.”
First Deployment: Project Alfheim, Paraguay
The protocol will debut at FLS’s Project Alfheim in Paraguay, the developer’s flagship biochar carbon removal project. It will be the first project to formalize mandatory independent sampling as a standing protocol within the project’s monitoring system, rather than as an occasional audit activity.
Project Alfheim brings together pyrolysis technology developed by Haiqi Environmental Energy Group, DecarboEngineering’s technical expertise across the carbon value chain, Cula’s digital infrastructure for advanced monitoring and verification, and FLS Group’s project development and structuring capabilities to establish a high-integrity carbon removal programme designed for scale and scrutiny.
The project aims to convert approximately 30,000 tonnes of waste biomass annually into around 13,000 tonnes of high-quality biochar, delivering an estimated 25,000 tonnes of CO₂e removals per year.
FLS has committed to embedding this safeguard across all future biochar projects and has encouraged the broader market to adopt similar integrity measures.
