Microsoft committed to purchase 60,000 additional soil carbon credits after an initial purchase last year.

Indigo announced that Microsoft will purchase the soil carbon credits from the company’s fourth and largest carbon crop, which were issued in April by the Climate Action Reserve. This builds on Microsoft’s initial purchase of 40,000 credits last June.

The carbon program from Indigo generated nearly a megaton of carbon impact and prevented over 64B gallons of surface water runoff. 

The company’s latest carbon crop will channel tens of millions of dollars from private buyers to support regenerative farmers across the U.S., with 75% of carbon sales directly paying farmers per Indigo’s standard program. This helps farmers accelerate their adoption of regenerative agriculture. The project design and adherence to stringent registry requirements ensure that carbon stays in the soil for many decades, delivering a long-term solution for carbon credit buyers.

This purchase marks a critical step forward in establishing a market for high-quality removals in soils. Indigo’s peer-reviewed research and measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) tools; the scale Indigo’s program reached in its latest issuance; and Microsoft’s transaction provide strong evidence of the contribution of soil carbon credits to high-integrity climate action portfolios.

“Indigo’s work to create resilient farms and secure watersheds across the U.S. delivers measurable climate benefits as well as improved soil and water health and new economic development opportunities in rural communities,” said Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy and Carbon Removal, Microsoft, in a statement. “We conduct extensive due diligence when choosing projects for our portfolio, and are pleased to support this project as part of Microsoft’s broader portfolio of high-quality carbon removal solutions. The collaboration aims to protect the economic security of our agri-food system with a measurable and scalable approach to nature-based carbon removal.”