Agreena wins SustainCERT verification for Scope 3 units

Agreena has secured SustainCERT verification for its Scope 3 project, triggering the issuance of 10,964 Verified Impact Units, including the first agricultural Verified Impact Units in Hungary and Poland.

The verification gives the Danish soil carbon company third-party assurance across two routes for corporate climate claims tied to agriculture. It can now offer both Verra-verified carbon credits and SustainCERT-verified units for emissions reductions and removals recorded within companies' own supply chains.

The newly issued VIUs cover 6,518 hectares across Hungary, Poland and the UK, representing 3,940 tonnes of verified CO2 emission reductions and 7,024 tonnes of CO2 removals linked to regenerative farming practices.

The distinction matters because VIUs differ from carbon credits in how companies use them. While carbon credits can be traded and used to compensate for residual emissions, VIUs are designed to reflect emissions reductions and removals generated within a company's own value chain for Scope 3 accounting.

This latest verification follows an earlier Verra verification for Agreena's AgreenaCarbon Project, which issued 2.3 million carbon credits across 1.6 million hectares. Together, the two verifications support the group's model for selling climate outcomes from agricultural land to companies with different reporting and decarbonisation needs.

The SustainCERT process verified the measurement, reporting and verification approach used in Agreena's Verra project. That approach combines satellite monitoring, soil sampling and modelling to assess outcomes at the field level.

Corporate interest in agricultural emissions has grown as companies face increasing pressure to address Scope 3 emissions, which often account for the largest share of their carbon footprint. Reporting frameworks cited by Agreena include the Science Based Targets initiative, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and climate disclosure requirements proposed in the United States.

Agreena works with farmers on regenerative agriculture practices intended to reduce emissions and increase soil carbon. It says it operates across about 5 million hectares of arable land in 20 markets and collaborates with thousands of farmers.

The issuance also expands the market footprint for agricultural verified impact accounting in Central and Eastern Europe. The Hungarian and Polish units are the first agricultural VIUs issued in those countries.

Soil carbon projects have drawn growing scrutiny of measurement standards, permanence, and double-counting, especially as more companies seek to include land-based interventions in their climate strategies. Agreena says VIUs can be transferred and co-claimed across value chain partners while preventing double-counting.

The company's market position rests partly on its ability to serve both offset buyers and companies seeking in-chain emissions accounting. That dual structure may broaden its appeal among food groups, processors and retailers seeking to demonstrate emissions reductions within supply networks rather than through external purchases alone.

Simon Haldrup, co-founder and CEO of Agreena, said the verification marked broader validation of that approach. "Agreena has built the largest verified soil carbon programmes globally. Whether a company needs compliance-ready carbon credits or Verified Impact Units for their supply chain, we have the verification credentials, the pioneering technology, and the farmer network to deliver. SustainCERT verification provides further confidence to corporates in the credibility of soil carbon as a climate tool and demonstrates our rigorous approach across multiple frameworks," he said.

Marion Verles, CEO of SustainCERT, said, "We are pleased to verify the Agreena Scope 3 project, enabling the issuance of Verified Impact Units on our Carbon Management Platform. The project supports farmers across Hungary, Poland, and the UK in adopting regenerative agriculture practices to reduce emissions and increase soil carbon, allowing for Scope 3 claims across the value chain."