Faye Cornish, landscape photograph
Climate Cleanup

The journey

Climate Cleanup since 2018, in milestones. Each entry is a moment where something real changed: a method certified, a partnership closed, a policy moved.

Milestones

  1. 2026

    • The Life Box: a feedback loop for living systems

      AI can now improve its own code because it gets a fast, honest answer to the question 'did that work?'. Living nature has no such answer yet. The Life Box, a small solar-powered sensor on a post, is our attempt to give it one.

    • From momentum to scale: key insights from the National Summit on Nature-Based Carbon Removal

      On 16 June, more than 200 leaders from government, business, science and civil society gathered in Baarn for the National Summit on Nature-Based Carbon Removal. Organised by Climate Cleanup together with Oncra and the provinces of Gelderland, Utrecht, Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Noord-Brabant and Drenthe, the summit focused on one central question: how do we accelerate the…

    • EU carbon policies moving forward!

      Last week, our Construction Stored Carbon lead Sacha was in Brussels to attend the EU Expert Group on Carbon Removals. Under the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation, the EU will enforce certification methodologies for permanent carbon removals (1), carbon farming (2) and carbon storage in (building) products (3). These methodologies are developed in…

    • Carbon Storage Calculations Made Easier through New Bepalingsmethode (Calculation Method)

      To maximise the amount of carbon your store in a biobased building, it is key to calculate the carbon storage of different designs quickly, easily and accurately. Having an accurate and understandable calculation method also enables everyone in the value chain, from developer to tendering municipality, to set clear goals. These two worlds, of design and goal-setting,…

  2. 2025

    • a.s.r. real estate and Climate Cleanup Foundation launch partnership to certify CO₂ storage

      a.s.r. real estate and the Climate Cleanup Foundation announced their partnership for certifying CO₂ storage at the PROVADA real estate fair. The CubeHouse is the first building from the ASR Dutch Mobility Office Fund to receive carbon credits through the Open Natural Carbon Removal Accounting (Oncra) initiative. The partnership was signed today in the presence…

    • First at Provada: First Carbon Credit from Nature House auctioned by Ballast Nedam Development

      Ballast Nedam Development is once again taking a historic step towards making the construction sector more sustainable. After becoming the first developer in the Netherlands to financially value CO₂ storage from residential construction projects, the company is now offering the corresponding Carbon Credits on the market. A world first took place during the Provada 2025…

    • Pol Knops and Lieke van Zon Present Groundbreaking Protocol for CO₂ Removal at ERW Conference in Antwerp

      At the Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) conference held this week in Antwerp, colleagues Pol Knops and Lieke van Zon showcased a promising step forward in the field of carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Their poster, titled “Bridging Science and Practice: A Certification Protocol for CO₂ Uptake in Enhanced Rock Weathering,“ presents a novel approach to quantifying…

    • Report of a successful CDR Conference 28 May

      We are so grateful to have hosted our 7th annual event in Amsterdam, celebrating Nature Based Solutions, this year specifically on carbon removal finance and policy. We had over 150 representatives, bringing together entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and policymakers to explore how carbon finance can unlock the potential of CO₂ removal. We had a great keynote…

    • DERIX Enters Emissions Trading: 1,169 Carbon Credits in the Account

      We’re excited to announce a bold step forward for the timber construction industry: DERIX Group, one of the leading suppliers for the timber construction industry, has officially entered the world of emissions trading. Working with Oncra, our open framework for bio-based carbon removal, DERIX is now having CO₂ certificates created for considerable amounts of CO₂…

    • Whitepaper Construction Stored Carbon

      Supported by the municipality of Amsterdam and initiated by our colleagues at Copper8, we co-authored a whitepaper on carbon sequestration in construction materials for Dutch markets and policy makers. Key insights include: Read the full whitepaper here.

    • Agro Building Carbon (ABC) European project with Gelderland approved

      The Agro Building Carbon (ABC) project receives a European INTERREG grant. The project is about sequestering CO2 (carbon dioxide) in crops and trees, which are then used as building materials. The project contributes to achieving our climate goals. ABC stands for Agro Building Carbon. This is the combination of agriculture, construction and carbon in the…

    • Dutch carbon removal Roadmap and Provincial market exploration

      We are happy that Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), the removal and storage of CO₂ from air and oceans, is gaining increasing global attention, and recently also in the Netherlands. The Ministry of Climate and Green Growth of Sophie Hermans recently presented a comprehensive National Roadmap, while Province Gelderland conducted a market surveywith other provinces, carried out by…

  3. 2024

    • Dutch Government Launches Innovative Carbon Certificate Program for Farmers Growing Construction Crops

      The National Approach to Biobased Building (NABB) is launching an innovative pilot program that offers farmers additional income for growing crops used in construction. This groundbreaking initiative, implemented through the National Green Fund, allows the Dutch government to directly reward farmers and builders for carbon storage in biobased materials. Sacha Brons, carbon certificate specialist at…

    • News from Europe (CRCF Update)

      Council greenlights EU certification framework for permanent carbon removals, carbon farming and carbon storage in products On 19 November, the Council gave the final green light to a regulation establishing the first EU-level certification framework for permanent carbon removals, carbon farming and carbon storage in products. This voluntary framework will facilitate and encourage high-quality carbon…

    • Into the Great Wide Open to clean up residual emissions with natural carbon removal

      Into the Great Wide Open (ITGWO) is one of the most sustainable music festival in Europe. For one, they are the first in the world to replace all of their equipment with electrified versions. And even better; they have decided to clean up all their residual emissions with natural carbon removal. With Climate Cleanup they…

  4. 2023

    • Letter to Wopke Hoekstra

      This weekend at COP28, European Climate Commissioner Mr. Wopke Hoekstra accepted our letter on how carbon sequestration with nature is the basis for the circular biobased economy (in other words: a future for our kids). It is about entrepreneurial people restoring carbon in soils and materials, and about what our lives will look like when…

    • Revolution in the Housing Market: Financing for CO2 Storage Makes Its Debut

      Ballast Nedam Development and Climate Cleanup Foundation jointly open the internationalmarket for CO2 storage in construction and real estate projects. Ballast Nedam Development is taking the step as the first construction and development company to market CO2 storage in its housing projects, a historic moment for the real estate and construction sector. The company is…

    • Double Nature: climate, nitrogen and biodiversity plan

      Investors, policy makers, companies and scientists present plan to restore CO2 balance May 25, the Double Nature Plan was presented at the Double Nature Summit in the Netherlands, a four-day event that has brought together a wide range of stakeholders. The plan sets out a number of actions for the sequestration of CO2 from the atmosphere by…

  5. 2022

    • Launch ONCRA at the COP27 in Egypt

      ONCRA is out in the world. We launched ONCRA live from COP27 with co-founders and removers, from Bamboologic, The Seaweed Company, Scave, Boer in Natuur and greenSand. Take a look at the recording of the launch on our You Tube Channel. Join the ecosystem at oncra.org, and buy regenerative removal credits at onsets.org.

    • Book launch: Dutch translation Regeneration, ending the climate crisis in one generation

      We’re very happy and proud the conversation between Lynn Zebeda and Paul Hawken at Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam, is online on our channel. Together with publisher Lemniscaat and partners we presented the Dutch translation of the book Regeneration, ending the climate crisis in one generation: Regeneration, de klimaatcrisis opgelost in één generatie, October 1 in Pakhuis…

    • Input for European Commission carbon removal certification framework

      In December 2021, the European Commission adopted the Communication “Sustainable Carbon Cycles” which sets out an action plan on how to develop sustainable solutions to increase carbon removals. Climate Cleanup with ecosystem partners ASN Bank, Gideon Building Tribes and others advised the Commission on this carbon removal certification framework. This advise can be found here….

    • Construction Stored Carbon: a world first, and a motion in Dutch parliament

      The first building-level methodology for carbon storage in buildings, developed with ASN Bank, and a motion adopted by the Dutch House of Representatives that put construction stored carbon on the policy agenda.

    • Factsheet Double Nature Netherlands

      Based on work by Griscom, WWF and others Climate Cleanup investigated how much carbon can be restored in NatureTech approaches in The Netherlands. Find the full factsheet here.

  6. 2021

    • Metric enables financial sector to account construction stored carbon

      ASN Bank with Climate Cleanup created a metric enabling the financial sector to account for construction stored carbon. This carbon removal metric enables financial institutions worldwide to measure the carbon stored in biobased buildings. In the Netherlands alone, this may add up to around 50 megaton carbon sequestered this decade. Take a look at the…

    • Sign this soil manifesto

      Together with 50+ Dutch organizations, we’ve written a manifesto for regeneration of the soil in the Netherlands. It would be great if you would also sign this manifest. Take a look on the website of Aardpeer. 21 baby’s and their parents are asking for

    • Budget neutraal naar een Nederland met 50% natuur

      Doubling Nature in the Netherlands is doable by combining more issues in the same time: the lack of housing, the lack of successors in farming, the loss of biodiversity, the excesses of nitrogen and CO2, the need to retain water and the need for nature in a very densely populated country. We’re delighted two Dutchmen…

    • ONCRA full carbon accounting biobased building

      Since the ONCRA kick-off on September 9th 2020, a lot has happened. We’re delighted to have told you more about our progress at the Double Nature Talk Wednesday February 17 at 8 pm CET. Together with our partners Province of South-Holland, Holland Houtland and NIBE, we’re developing a tool to account for the carbon stored in bio-based buildings….

  7. 2020

  8. 2019

    • Drawdown Europe under design

      With partner Climate-KIC and a growing group of association board members, we have set off to design a brand new Drawdown Europe Research Association.

    • Dutch Drawdown programme of Urgenda

      Climate Cleanup collaborated with the Dutch Climate & Nature organisation Urgenda in the 40 solutions Drawdown plan,

    • Young and old working together on climate solutions

      We invited a group of Dutch climate strikers to join us in the first Drawdown Academy in the world.

    • Natuurnoodtoestand

      Today we launched a petition to ask the Dutch government to declare a Climate en Ecological Emergency, like the UK government did on May 1st 2019, and because solutions are there.

    • Seaweed Scaling Lab opened in Port of Amsterdam

      Our seaweed lab is growing and growing. We started growing Ulva Lactuca (sea lettuce) with one basin from Hortimare (thanks!) and we completed our lab with 6 basins this week. Together with the port of Amsterdam, we’re aiming to scale up the growth of seaweed in Dutch waters and abroad. The Climate Cleanup Capacity of…

    • CO2 Open is open

      It’s no joke. Today we launch, in public beta, CO2 Open. An open invitation to entrepreneurs (companies, organisations) and initiatives that remove CO2 with nature-inspired methods to come together. Our first collective action is to secure funding from the Dutch government (SDE++, klimaat enveloppe). Next we will open up towards a global scale, as the…

  9. 2018

    • Climate Cleanup Expo launched

      Together with Port of Amsterdam CEO Koen Overtoom (left), today we opened the Climate Cleanup Expo. Our ‘museum of the future’ in Prodock, the innovation hub of the port of Amsterdam, shows all kinds of natural Climate Cleanup methods like olivine, seaweed and trees-growing methods.

    • Dutch translation of Drawdown

      Together with publisher Maurits Groen we’ve presented the Dutch translation of Drawdown. At the Dutch Sustainability Congres in Den Bosch Drawdowns head of research Chad Frischmann presented the 100 climate solutions of Project Drawdown. All the sponsors we’re invited on stage to celebrate the translation into Dutch. The Dutch translation can be ordered here.