Funding supports expansion of a global standard for high-integrity conservation and restoration projects

Paris-based carbon standards platform Equitable Earth has raised €12.6 million (approximately USD 14.7 million) in a new financing round, strengthening its efforts to expand certification for nature-based carbon projects. The funding will be used to scale the company’s certification programme and accelerate the deployment of trusted standards across global carbon markets.

Founded in 2020, Equitable Earth was established to create a globally consistent certification framework for conservation and restoration projects. Its standard is designed to ensure that certified projects deliver verifiable climate benefits alongside positive outcomes for biodiversity and local livelihoods. The programme has received formal approval under the Core Carbon Principles of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market, positioning it among a limited group of high-integrity frameworks recognised in voluntary carbon markets.

Technology-Driven Certification Model

Equitable Earth operates a fully digital certification platform intended to reduce development costs and administrative delays for project developers. The platform centralises carbon accounting methodologies to improve consistency across projects, while advanced remote sensing tools are used to support transparent, cost-effective monitoring and reporting.

Beyond technical verification, the standard requires projects to demonstrate measurable benefits for climate mitigation, ecosystem protection, and local communities. This includes defined criteria for participation, safeguards, and equitable benefit sharing with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, embedding social integrity alongside environmental outcomes.

According to the company, the objective is to enable climate finance to reach threatened ecosystems more efficiently by making carbon markets more credible, transparent, and scalable.

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Use of Proceeds and Growth Plans

The newly raised capital will be directed toward strengthening Equitable Earth’s data systems, modelling capabilities, and user-focused tools. The company also plans to expand its research and development, engineering, commercial, and certification teams, while increasing the volume of certified nature-based carbon credits available to the market.

In addition, Equitable Earth intends to broaden its geographic and ecological reach by developing new methodologies covering a wider range of at-risk ecosystems.

Chief Executive Officer Thibault Sorret said the funding supports the company’s ambition to establish itself as a global benchmark for nature-based projects, enabling organisations to protect and restore ecosystems through a certification system that is both trusted and scalable.

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Investor Backing and Market Context

The funding round was led by a U.S.-based family office, with participation from existing investors including AENU, noa, and LocalGlobe. With this round, Equitable Earth’s total funding to date exceeds €25 million.

Commenting on the investment, noa principal Arjun Jairaj highlighted the growing demand for carbon market projects that deliver credible climate, ecological, and social outcomes, noting that the financing strengthens Equitable Earth’s position in high-integrity nature-based certification.

As scrutiny of voluntary carbon markets increases, the company’s focus on technology-enabled transparency and robust social and environmental safeguards reflects a broader shift toward quality-driven growth in nature-based climate solutions.

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