Join the Crew - Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) has entered a long-term partnership with Crew Carbon to deploy a calcium carbonate-based process intensification technology at two wastewater treatment plants in Norfolk, Virginia following a successful pilot phase. Initial testing showed improved biological nutrient removal, lower operating costs, and verified permanent GHG removal. The combined use of Crew’s system and HRSD’s own technology is expected to further enhance plant performance, reduce reliance on conventional chemicals, and deliver both operational and capital cost savings. The approach works by optimising alkalinity through calcium carbonate dosing, improving treatment consistency, settleability, and effluent quality, while also lowering carbon emissions and supporting regulatory compliance. HRSD is positioning the project as a case study for aligning environmental benefits with cost efficiency, and becomes one of the first major US utilities to deploy wastewater alkalinity enhancement at scale.

Origen story - Climate-tech firm Origen has completed a pre-FEED engineering study, carried out by Hatch, for its first commercial-scale zero-emission lime facility, confirming the technical feasibility, cost profile, and scalability of its DAC technology. The company’s oxy-fuel kiln design captures all process CO2 as a pure stream during production, avoiding the need for post-combustion capture and enabling near-zero emissions. The study indicates the plant could produce up to 315,000 tonnes of lime annually, with costs competitive with conventional production and improving at larger scale. Engineering analysis, supported by prior demonstration testing, suggests lower execution risk due to the use of established industrial equipment and supply chains. A lifecycle assessment found the process can reduce emissions intensity by around 90% compared to traditional lime production. With pre-FEED complete, Origen will move to site selection and detailed FEED engineering, as demand for low-carbon industrial materials grows under increasing regulatory and corporate pressure.

India’s upcoming compliance-based carbon market will have built-in “stability mechanisms” to manage both credit shortages and oversupply, a senior government official said on Saturday.

India on Saturday formally launched its long-awaited carbon market portal, taking a step in rolling out the country’s domestic carbon credit trading scheme.

Insurance requirement repeal? - The Environment and Sustainable Development Committee of the Chamber of Deputies has approved a bill (2055/25) that would revoke a requirement under Brazil's national carbon market law that mandates insurance companies, open-ended supplementary pension entities, capitalisation companies, and reinsurers to invest at least 0.5% per year of their technical reserves in carbon credits or funds. Supports of the proposal say the provision in the carbon market law is unconstitutional, creates artificial demand that could encourage the generation of low-quality credits, and violates the 'polluters pay' principle. The proposal will be analysed by other committees and would still need the approval of both chambers of Congress. The carbon market law's requirement is also the subject of ongoing litigation.

Just 16% of European companies are pulling ahead on addressing environmental issues, according to a new report, which found they cut emissions about 60% faster than peers in the last year.

Offset your pharmaceuticals - Brazilian pharmaceutical distribution company Grupo Proformas has launched Compensa+, a programme it said supports certified carbon offset projects, neutralising the CO₂ generated by transportation carried out by Locafarma, the company’s logistics operator. The initiative is meant to promote more responsible logistics in line with best environmental practices, and the first five participant partners in the programme will receive training related to emissions inventories, Grupo Proforma said.

As governments tighten their grip on carbon credit supply to align developers with national climate strategies, analysts say this shift will drive a surge in Article 6 activity under the Paris Agreement.

Carbon credits cooperation - Taiwan and St. Kitts and Nevis announced plans to set up a technical working group to advance cooperation on carbon credits and renewable energy ahead of COP31, following ministerial talks last week. The two sides are also planning to sign a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation, with preliminary negotiations targeted for completion by end-2026, local media Rti reported.

India could emerge as a major global supplier of durable carbon removals (CDR), but it must first address policy gaps, weak demand, and high costs to scale the sector, a policy brief published this week said.

A London-based carbon removals registry has published a draft protocol for managing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and ozone-depleting substances (ODS), inviting comments until mid-April.

Blue credits - Japan’s Kansai Airports said it has obtained new J-Blue Credit certification for carbon absorbed by seaweed beds surrounding Kansai International Airport island. The certification reflects expanded blue carbon capacity, with seaweed coverage reaching 66 ha in Mar. 2025, up around 20% from 2022, the company said. The operator said 58 species of seaweed were identified, with improved monitoring and broader data collection indicating higher CO2 absorption than in previous certification.

A sustainable aviation trade body in the UK has committed to support the purchase of more than £2 million worth of carbon removals to help close the sector's net zero gap, as an industry taskforce urged for policy intervention to avoid a looming supply shortfall.