Carbon Dioxide Removals

Despite growing global action, efforts remain insufficient to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve net‑zero goals in line with the Paris Agreement, carbon dioxide removals (CDR) will need to scale to billions of tonnes annually by mid-century alongside emissions reductions. Today, global CDR deployment remains far below what will be needed in the coming decades. At the same time, climate change, nature loss, and broader sustainability challenges continue to create growing risks for businesses and economies.

Companies face:

• Fragmented and complex markets
• Uncertainty on technologies, cost, and risk
• Limited supply and unclear demand signals

Without near‑term corporate engagement, the carbon removal space risks developing too slowly or in ways that do not deliver the environmental and social integrity required at scale.

In today's business landscape, addressing climate change is not just a matter of corporate responsibility; it is a strategic imperative. As governments, investors, consumers, and industry peers increasingly demand and reward sustainable operations, companies must make climate action a core part of their strategy.

Engaging early in CDR enables companies to:

• Secure future access to high-quality removals
• Reduce long-term cost and supply risks
• Build internal capabilities before scale is required
• Anticipate evolving standards and regulation
• Strengthens credibility with stakeholders on how residual emissions will be addressed

By testing governance, procurement, and portfolio approaches in the near term, companies can build internal capabilities, strengthen decision‑making, secure leadership buy‑in, and position themselves to participate in the carbon market effectively over time.

WBCSD works with businesses and partners to accelerate credible, high-integrity approaches to carbon removals and the voluntary carbon market. The goal of this workstream is to support companies in moving from ambition to action through a structured, collaborative approach focused on four pillars:

• Capability building through shared learning and practical education, including a webinar series and in‑person engagements, to establish a common understanding of CDR.
• Developing business tools that translate complex science, markets, and standards into actionable guidance for strategy, portfolio design, budgeting, procurement, governance, and internal decision‑making.
• Catalyzing action through carbon removal implementation, enabling companies to “learn by doing” via peer cohorts that support first purchases, demand aggregation, and real‑world purchases.
• Shaping the enabling environment by engaging with standard setters, policymakers, and market institutions to ensure that accounting, target‑setting, and policy frameworks incentivize early, high‑quality action.

By convening companies, solution providers, standard setters, and policymakers, the workstream helps accelerate the responsible scaling of carbon dioxide removals while ensuring they complement – not replace – deep emissions reductions.