FLS Group AG, 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 the underlying evidence is captured, tracked, and verified.
The partnership focuses on a critical weak point in today's monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) chain: the anchor sample of biochar that gets tested in a laboratory.
While laboratory analysis itself is rigorous, the entire verification process depends on the physical sample submitted to the lab. Under current biochar crediting approaches, sampling must follow documented plans and aim to be representative. However, there is no requirement that an independent third party physically collect the sample.
In practice, project developers commonly control which material becomes the "anchor sample" for testing. Since this chosen sample sets the anchor point for crediting accuracy, durability, environmental compliance, and overall MRV credibility, the arrangement inherently creates a conflict of interest and, even in good-faith operations, exposes the entire category 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. This includes independent third-party collection of biochar samples at defined intervals, unannounced and randomised on-site sampling with minimal notice of approximately three hours, and a dMRV record capturing who collected the sample and when, alongside a signed declaration linked to the lab report for 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 at 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 showcase biochar carbon removal project. It will be the first project to formalise 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 best-in-class carbon removal programme built for scale and scrutiny.
The project is designed 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 is encouraging the broader market to adopt similar best-in-class integrity measures.
FLS Group and Cula Partner to close biochar sampling loophole
