🌍 Bolivia wasn’t on most CDR maps. It is now.
Carbon removal financier Altitude has signed an agreement with Empacar S.A., one of Bolivia’s largest industrial companies, for the purchase of over 305,000 tonnes of biochar carbon dioxide removal. The credits will be generated via Empacar’s Bolivia-based biochar production facilities, issued under Puro.earth or equivalent methodologies, with the first credits expected in 2027.
Who Is Empacar?
Empacar isn’t a climate startup. It’s a major Bolivian industrial player with decades of experience in circular materials management — the kind of company that understands supply chains, feedstock logistics, and long-term operations. It’s now launching Carbon X, a dedicated business unit focused on climate innovation and voluntary carbon market participation.
The biochar production will be based in the Ascención de Guarayos region of Bolivia, converting forestry and agricultural residues into carbon-storing biochar. The facility is designed for approximately 70,000 tonnes of CO₂ removal annually at full capacity. The Altitude deal represents a multi-year offtake commitment that helps justify the capital investment.
This isn’t Bolivia’s first CDR move. Empacar recently partnered with Puro.earth, Cula, and Bioflux on a separate biochar initiative — the Altitude deal is a direct commercialization of that production capacity.
Altitude’s South American Strategy
Altitude is building a geographically diversified portfolio of high-quality CDR credits, with particular focus on South America, South East Asia, and West Africa — regions with abundant biomass feedstocks, lower production costs, and significant co-benefits for local communities and economies.
This isn’t their first South American bet. Last year, Altitude locked in 165,000 tonnes of biochar carbon removal in Argentina. Combined with the Bolivia deal, they’re building serious scale in the region.
CEO Daniel Benjamin Schulz framed the deal explicitly in terms of regional development: “by sourcing CORCs from high-quality biochar projects in Bolivia, the company contributes to critical waste management and growth in these highly important regions.”
Why This Matters Beyond the Numbers
The CDR market has a geographic concentration problem. Too much of the discussion — and too much of the capital — flows through North America and Northern Europe. The actual biomass feedstock potential, land availability, and cost competitiveness often points elsewhere.
Bolivia, specifically, has conditions that favour biochar at scale:
- Large-scale forestry and agricultural operations generating organic residues
- Lower land and labour costs than comparable operations in Europe or North America
- A growing policy interest in voluntary carbon markets — Empacar announced this deal at the 2026 Bolivia Carbon Forum, which signals government-level engagement
- Existing industrial infrastructure that can be repurposed
For buyers of CDR credits, geographic diversification is also valuable. Credits from Bolivia versus Sweden versus the US have different co-benefit profiles and different regulatory/political risk exposures. Portfolio-level thinking favours spreading across regions.
The 2027 Credit Timeline
First credit issuance in 2027 gives Empacar time to complete facility development and go through Puro.earth’s verification process. For Altitude and its eventual buyers, the 2027+ delivery timeline aligns with how most serious CDR buyers are thinking about their post-2030 removal requirements.
The voluntary market is building supply chains in parts of the world the industry barely noticed two years ago. That’s what genuine scale looks like.
Source: Carbon Herald | Altitude Carbon | Empacar