Isometric gains ICAO approval to supply carbon removal credits for airlines

“Expanding the global carbon removals market is essential for aviation to achieve net zero,” said Carrie Harris, Director of Sustainability at British Airways. ICAO’s approval of Isometric supports stronger integrity in aviation carbon credits. (Photo: iStock)

Carbon registry Isometric has received approval from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to issue carbon credits under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) on Nov. 10. The decision allows airlines to use Isometric-verified carbon removal credits to meet their CORSIA emissions offset requirements.

“Expanding the global carbon removals market is essential for aviation to achieve net zero emissions,” said Carrie Harris, Director of Sustainability at British Airways.

Rising demand puts spotlight on high-integrity carbon credits

Isometric’s carbon credits are considered among the most scientifically robust available, and it is the first and only registry to earn the approval from the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) across five carbon removal pathways.

Isometric is now among a select group of registries recognized under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), following an ICAO evaluation that found it met the program’s standards for transparency, scientific rigor, and integrity. 

CORSIA, a United Nations-backed framework, requires airlines to offset emissions from international flights that exceed 2019 levels using approved carbon credits. Carbon removal credits are considered higher in quality than avoidance or reduction credits because they physically extract CO₂ from the atmosphere, directly lowering atmospheric concentrations. In contrast, other credits typically offset emissions by preventing future releases, such as through renewable energy or forest preservation projects.

According to projections by Allied Offsets, demand for CORSIA-eligible carbon credits is expected to reach between 101 and 148 million tonnes (MtCO₂e) during Phase I (2024–2026) and could grow to 502 to 1,299 MtCO₂e cumulatively in Phase II (2027–2035). The projected surge presents both challenges and opportunities: airlines must secure sufficient credits to remain compliant, while developers and suppliers face pressure to expand the verified supply of eligible units.

ICAO’s approval of registries like Isometric is part of a broader effort to strengthen the integrity and supply of carbon credits across the global aviation sector.

Airlines lead early steps toward a functioning CORSIA market

Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) became the first carriers to publicly retire carbon credits under the CORSIA in October. The Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) registry confirmed that Japan’s two largest airlines canceled a batch of credits from the Guyana Jurisdictional REDD+ Project (ART102). These jurisdictional forestry carbon credits meet ICAO’s Emission Unit Criteria and include a corresponding adjustment from its host government.

The verified retirements mark a key milestone in putting CORSIA’s once-theoretical framework into a functioning carbon credit market for international aviation.

Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways became the first to retire carbon credits under CORSIA in October, marking the scheme’s move into operation. (Photo: iStock)

British Airways has also moved early, announcing in 2024 a plan to purchase more than £9 million (USD 12 million) worth of carbon removal credits in the UK and overseas through a six-year partnership with the carbon removal intelligence platform CUR8. The airline said the procurement of 33,000 tonnes of credits makes it both the largest carbon removals purchaser in the UK and the largest within the airline sector to date.

“While small in comparison to our total emissions, these projects are crucial in stimulating the carbon removals market,” said Harris.

Source: Carbon Credits, Carbon Herald (1) (2)