As the year comes to a close, one word keeps coming up when we reflect on 2025: clarifying.

It wasn’t an easy year. It wasn’t meant to be. But it was an important one — for CUR8, for the carbon removal market, and for climate more broadly.

Coming into 2025, there was no shortage of noise. Political shifts, market uncertainty, headlines declaring the end of sustainability as we knew it. And yet, something else happened quietly but decisively: the market grew up.

The companies, investors and institutions still showing up by the end of this year are the ones serious about turning climate risk iunto business opportunity — and embedding it into how their organisations actually operate.

Carbon removal is professionalising — fast

From our vantage point, carbon removal crossed a threshold in 2025.

The level of literacy, scrutiny and ambition we saw — particularly during moments like New York Climate Week and Decarb Tokyo — was unlike anything we’ve experienced before. Buyers are asking better questions. Scientists are being listened to. Financial institutions are no longer circling the space — they’re stepping in.

At the same time, the challenges are real.

Most buyers are still in the planning phase. Turning ambition into budget remains hard. Navigating over 20 removal methods and thousands of projects is overwhelming. Managing delivery risk, permanence, replacement credits and liabilities is now front of mind — especially for the most sophisticated actors in the market. And access to capital remains the biggest bottleneck for scaling high-quality supply.

None of this is surprising. This is what early market formation looks like.

What we built — and what we learned

At CUR8, 2025 was about focus.

We deepened our work with leading corporates, banks and project developers across aviation, financial services, consumer goods and heavy industry. We launched new tools to help organisations plan, buy, manage and finance carbon removals with confidence. And we took meaningful steps toward making carbon removal an investable, scalable asset class.

We also learned some humbling lessons.

Clarity beats complexity. Outcomes matter more than output. Culture isn’t something you write down once — it’s something you practice every day, especially when things get hard.

Most importantly, we were reminded that infrastructure matters. Markets don’t scale on good intentions alone. They scale when trust, data, risk management and capital come together in a way that works for everyone involved.

Looking ahead to 2026

If 2025 was about professionalisation, 2026 will be about execution.

Carbon removal is no longer a question of if — it’s a question of how well. Who will deliver? Who will manage risk properly? Who will unlock capital without compromising integrity?

We’re entering next year with more conviction than ever about CUR8’s role: to sit in the middle of this ecosystem — between buyers, suppliers and capital providers — and help the market do what it needs to do to scale, credibly.

To our customers, partners, investors and the incredible CUR8 team: thank you for leaning into the complexity with us. Thank you for asking hard questions. And thank you for staying ambitious in a year that tested everyone.

2025, it’s a wrap.
2026, let’s get to work.

— Marta & Gabrielle