Biochar Standards
For a sustainable biochar industry to succeed, it must provide certainty to consumers and markets about biochar and its safe use as a soil amendment.
About the World Biochar Certificate
In 2024, IBI and Carbon Standards International (CSI) announced a new partnership to create stronger standards and certifications to meet the needs of a rapidly scaling biochar industry.
As the core part of this partnership, the IBI Biochar Standard — the industry’s first material standard — will merge with CSI’s World Biochar Certificate.
An expert group led by the biochar researcher and IBI Founding Member Dr. Johannes Lehmann of Cornell University will be installed to be consulted in the future on further developments of the standard, including consideration of elements of the legacy IBI Standard.
To further support this work, IBI will develop a suite of education materials to increase understanding for CSI certification applicants about how to prepare for certification, and how to best prepare for future recertification. These education materials will include online courses and cover all of CSI’s certifications, including the World Biochar Certificate, the Global Artisan C-Sink, among others.
Ensuring the highest quality and safest biochar has been the hallmark of the IBI Standard since its launch in 2015. Through merging this legacy with CSI’s updated World Biochar Certificate, the industry will create increased assurance regarding the reliability and safety of biochar, both as part of carbon markets and for the physical biochar itself.
A Brief History of the IBI Biochar Standards
IBI began work on the now-merged IBI Biochar Standards in May 2009.
The IBI Biochar Standards provided the tools needed to universally and consistently define what biochar is, and to confirm that a product intended for sale or use as biochar possesses the necessary characteristics for safe use. The IBI Biochar Standards also provided common reporting requirements for biochar that will aid researchers in their ongoing efforts to link specific functions of biochar to its beneficial soil and crop impacts.