Enviva, GreenTrees partner on carbon removal program in Southeastern U.S.

Enviva, the world’s leading producer of sustainably sourced woody biomass, and GreenTrees, the market leader in reforestation and carbon removal in the U.S., today announced a nine-year partnership agreement that will contribute towards Enviva’s net-zero goals for its Scope 1 carbon footprint, equating to approximately 10,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits annually, or 90,000 metric tons throughout the duration of the contract.

“We are excited to partner with GreenTrees to help minimize our net carbon emissions and implement local solutions to meet net-zero goals,” said Thomas Meth, president and CEO of Enviva. “As part of the forest products industry, it is important that we utilize a forest-based offset. While Enviva’s long-term focus is to reduce our Scope 1 emissions through energy-efficient projects and substitution of fossil fuels, this partnership will help reduce our net emissions in the short term and positively impact the health of the forests in Enviva’s operating footprint.”

The GreenTrees afforestation project with Enviva will take place in the rural U.S. Southeast, on land formerly used for agriculture but has been deemed no longer suitable for farming and crop growth due to soil erosion and water damage. The afforestation of this land will not compete with lands used for agricultural and food sources, but will revitalize the land and serve as permanent carbon removal. This partnership will also provide a new source of income for rural landowners in the GreenTrees program who are no longer able to use the land for agriculture.

“It’s an honour to partner with Enviva and work alongside a company on their path to net zero,” said Chandler Van Voorhis, co-founder and managing partner of GreenTrees. “We are equally thrilled that in addition to the environmental impact of reducing carbon emissions and restoring previously overworked land to its natural beauty, the landowners GreenTrees partners with will now have another sustainable source of income for their property.”

The path to achieving a net-zero future requires many tools, including third-party verified investments in reforestation and land equity. This partnership contributes to Enviva’s net-zero greenhouse gas emissions commitment and represents a ∼14 per cent reduction of Enviva’s 2021 Scope 1 footprint. Likewise, GreenTrees’ nature-based carbon removal credits align well with Enviva’s strict sustainability standards. Enviva is focused on high-quality carbon credit projects that promote afforestation and reforestation in the company’s region of operations, as well as projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere and enhance local carbon stocks.

All carbon credits in GreenTrees’ projects undergo a rigorous verification process by the American Carbon Registry. GreenTrees’ verified carbon credits are widely accepted today by major environmental markets, and Fortune 500 companies trust them to meet sustainability goals and mitigate climate change. In winter 2022/2023, GreenTrees’ credits will be the first reforestation credits to be auctioned by the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).