Isometric has announced the certification of its Improved Soil Management Protocol, a framework designed to measure, certify and monitor carbon removal and reduction through improved land management practices.

Soil is one of the largest terrestrial carbon stores on Earth, holding nearly 3 trillion tonnes of carbon, which is around three times the amount stored in the atmosphere. According to Isometric, improved management of croplands and grasslands could remove up to 430 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

The protocol outlines methods for assessing carbon removal through improved land management. It requires carbon removal to be measured through direct soil sampling, either independently or combined with validated modelling approaches, while requiring projects to account for associated greenhouse gas emissions. The protocol also includes environmental and social safeguards, including a minimum 20% revenue share for enrolled landowners.

“Soil has enormous potential as a climate solution, and quality is the way to unlock it. When buyers can trust what they're paying for, demand and investment follow. That's why Isometric set out to raise the bar for soil carbon, to increase demand and to help this pathway scale,” said Stacy Kauk, Chief Science Officer of Isometric.

Isometric’s certification platform, Certify, supports soil projects using the protocol. The platform uses AI agents to assist project developers and independent verifiers involved in auditing projects, helping manage data-related processes during certification.

Three project developers have registered to generate carbon removal certificates under the protocol. Great Yellow is working on landscape regeneration projects across the UK, with a portfolio covering more than 300,000 hectares. Cultivo is working on grassland restoration projects in the US, with more than 1,500,000 acres or 600,000 hectares contracted and a financing partnership with Octopus Energy Generation to deploy up to $100 million into its projects. HGX is working with more than 1,000 farmers across the US to restore soil health and support carbon sequestration across 3 million acres of farmland.

Ed Dick, CEO of Great Yellow, said: “Soil carbon has real potential, but buyers have been cautious for good reason. The standards haven't always allowed for projects to scale at the rate needed to make this a credible business investment. Isometric's new protocol changes this, and as one of the first development partners, Great Yellow can now bring credible soil carbon credits to market, and fast.”

Dr. Manuel Piñuela, Cultivo CEO & Co-Founder, said: “Grasslands cover 40% of the Earth’s land and store 34% of the world’s terrestrial carbon. Isometric’s Improved Soil Management Protocol provides a vital trust layer buyers need to confidently commit to soil carbon removal as a dual solution for corporate offsetting and supply chain in setting. We look forward to partnering with Isometric to scale this protocol with predictable and timely credit issuances by leveraging excellence in science, land management, and both ground truthed and remote data collection, to continue raising the bar for soil carbon.”

Radhika Moolgavkar, VP of Product at HGX, said: “Soil carbon has enormous potential, but realizing that potential requires scientific rigor that buyers can trust. Isometric's approach helps move the market in that direction. We're proud to be among the first project developers participating and to represent more than 1,000 growers managing over 3 million acres who are demonstrating that soil can be a scalable climate solution.”