What kind of carbon credits do new buyers purchase?
In 2025, first-time carbon buyers based in Asia and Europe accounted for the largest purchase volumes among new buyers.
These new buyers had unique project type preferences, according to data from AlliedOffsets. The chart below shows what types of credits they purchased or signed offtakes for; the thickness of the bars represents credit volumes (not number of buyers).
Carbon project demand from new buyers by buyer location:
Asia – NBS
First-time buyers based in Asia overwhelmingly purchased credits from land-based project types (including nature-based projects and BECCS).
This may have been driven by a few large nature-based carbon removal offtakes announced in early 2025.
Europe – Renewable Energy and BECCS
Nearly two-thirds of carbon purchases from European-based first-time carbon buyers were from renewable energy projects. European-based new buyers also purchased carbon credits from BECCS projects, as well as a basket of other project types.
N America – Renewable Energy and Agriculture
In 2025, first-time buyers based in North America made relatively small purchases compared to their counterparts in Asia and Europe.
About half of purchases from these new buyers were from renewable energy projects.
N. America-based new buyers were also more likely to purchase credits from agriculture projects than new buyers in other regions.
Chart and data source:
VCM 2025 Review, Allied Offsets, https://alliedoffsets.com/reports/