Carbon180 Launches CORE Framework for Community-Informed CDR

TrustVal Team  |  23 April 2026

Carbon180 launched the Community-Informed, Open Access, Reviewed, and Evaluated (CORE) Carbon Removal Framework — a new standard for responsible CDR deployment that arrives as the sector scales rapidly, backed by $1.2 billion in reinstated U.S. federal funding and a growing IPCC methodology process.

The CORE framework establishes principles for community engagement, methodological transparency, independent review, and equitable benefit distribution across CDR projects. It covers direct air capture (DAC), enhanced weathering, biochar, and marine CDR — the four highest-volume engineered and hybrid removal pathways currently scaling toward commercial deployment.

The CDR Scaling Context

The framework launches at a moment of unusual momentum for engineered carbon removal. The U.S. Department of Energy confirmed in April 2026 that both major DAC hub projects — the South Texas Hub ($500M, 1PointFive/Occidental) and Louisiana's Project Cypress ($550M, Heirloom/Climeworks/Battelle) — retain their combined $1.2 billion in federal funding. At full operation, these hubs are designed to remove more than 2 million tonnes of CO₂ annually from the atmosphere.

The U.S. EPA also issued its second-ever Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act permit in April 2026, authorising a marine CDR pilot in Louisiana — confirming that the U.S. regulatory framework for engineered ocean-based carbon removal is advancing beyond the experimental stage.

IPCC Methodology Work Begins

The CORE framework complements a parallel international process: more than 150 IPCC experts convened in Rome from 14–16 April 2026 for the first lead author meeting of the 2027 IPCC Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage. This report will provide governments with a standardised scientific foundation for estimating CO₂ emissions and removals from DAC, soil and biomass removals, coastal ecosystems, and CO₂-derived materials.

The IPCC process runs in parallel with private-sector frameworks like CORE, but carries government approval weight that will eventually shape national inventory accounting and compliance market eligibility for CDR credits. Projects that implement CORE principles now are likely better positioned for IPCC methodology alignment in 2027.

Microsoft Reaffirms CDR Commitment

Microsoft clarified in April 2026 that it is not exiting the carbon removal market, characterising its approach as a "disciplined procurement pace" rather than a withdrawal. The company's portfolio continues to combine emissions reductions, energy efficiency, and engineered CDR — signalling that large corporate buyers remain committed to the segment even as purchase timing is optimised.

TrustVal Perspective

Every CDR pathway addressed by the CORE framework — DAC, enhanced weathering, biochar, marine CDR — requires continuous, sensor-integrated MRV to generate the data quality that community trust, market credibility, and regulatory acceptance all demand. The gap between what these frameworks require and what periodic manual auditing can deliver is where TrustVal operates. As CDR scales from pilot projects to strategic infrastructure, dMRV is the enabling layer that makes scaling credible.