Financial institution Standard Chartered collaborates with Acre on purchasing Amazon rainforest carbon credits
The financial giant, Standard Chartered, has formed a groundbreaking partnership with the state of Acre, located in western Brazil. This region, known for its forested landscape and shared borders with Peru and Bolivia, contains a significant portion of the world's largest tropical forest - the Amazon.
Under this agreement, Standard Chartered will sell high-integrity, jurisdictional forest carbon credits, registered under the ART-TREES standard. These credits are independently assessed by third parties like Sylvera to guarantee their quality and environmental integrity.
The carbon credits will be generated by evaluating the volume of CO2 absorbed by the forest when it is preserved. The partnership aims to generate concrete profits for Acre while protecting the environment instead of contributing to its destruction.
This initiative not only helps Acre strengthen its educational system, improve healthcare services, and create new jobs but also supports local communities, particularly indigenous groups who live in the forest and preserve it daily.
Seventy-two percent of net proceeds from carbon credit sales will return directly to local and indigenous communities, incentivizing sustainable forest stewardship and providing economic benefits linked to conservation. The remaining funds support project governance, including forest monitoring, emergency response, and adherence to environmental standards.
Extensive consultation with local and indigenous communities since May 2025 ensures their rights and participation are integral to the project. The partnership will last for five years, during which Standard Chartered will participate in the commercialization of carbon credits generated by preserving the forest.
This partnership represents a new model for scaling forest conservation finance. It balances rigorous science-based carbon credit certification with equitable economic benefits for forest communities, helping preserve the Amazon as a vital carbon sink and biodiversity hotspot.
By choosing to invest in this partnership, Standard Chartered declares its commitment to upholding rigorous, science-based standards to ensure that every credit sold generates real benefits for the climate. This move demonstrates that preserving our planet can also improve people's living conditions.
If successful, other tropical forest regions could adopt a similar approach, offering a promising path for preserving these critical ecosystems. The loss of the Amazon could have severe consequences for global climate and weather, making initiatives like this one essential for our future.
[1] Standard Chartered Press Release, "Standard Chartered to sell high-integrity, jurisdictional forest carbon credits from the State of Acre, Brazil", 2022. [2] Sylvera, "Standard Chartered Partners with the State of Acre, Brazil, to Sell High-Integrity Forest Carbon Credits", 2022. [3] The Nature Conservancy, "Standard Chartered and Acre, Brazil, Partner to Protect the Amazon Rainforest", 2022. [4] Carbon Pulse, "Standard Chartered to sell ART-TREES forest carbon credits from Acre, Brazil", 2022.
- This partnership between Standard Chartered and Acre, Brazil, marks a significant step in environmental-science and finance, as it aims to sell high-integrity forest carbon credits, thereby supporting the protection of the Amazon and combating climate-change.
- The initiative not only contributes to the conservation of the Amazon as a vital carbon sink and biodiversity hotspot but also supports local communities, including indigenous groups, by providing economic benefits linked to conservation, thereby improving their living conditions.
- The successful implementation of this partnership could serve as a model for other tropical forest regions, offering a promising path for preserving these critical ecosystems and ensuring their role in mitigating the effects of climate-change.
