Better Cotton Initiative and Planboo Launch Biochar Pilot on Indian Cotton Farms

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has partnered with climate-technology startup Planboo to pilot on-farm production and application of biochar across cotton farms in India. The pilot, due to begin in February, aims to generate measurable environmental benefits, create new revenue pathways for farmers and test whether the approach can be scaled across the cotton sector.

Project Details

At least 75 farmers will convert agricultural waste from the January cotton harvest into biochar, a coal-like, stable form of carbon that can improve soil health and store carbon in soil for decades to centuries. The field deployment includes three kilns to be installed in Gujarat and Maharashtra; together they can process about 375 metric tons of agricultural residue and are expected to yield an estimated 60–70 tonnes of biochar.

Why Biochar?

Biochar is valued both as a soil amendment that can improve water retention and fertility and as a durable carbon removal pathway. BCI describes biochar as one of the most promising on-farm carbon removal tools, and estimates suggest it could sequester a meaningful share of annual greenhouse gas emissions when adopted at scale.

Measurement, Reporting and Verification

Carbon reductions and removals from the pilot will be tracked and certified under Carbon Standard International’s Global Artisan C‑Sink Guidelines. Planboo will deploy its digital measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) platform to log inputs, biochar volumes and calculated carbon removals from production through to soil application, streamlining access to verified carbon data.

“Cotton farmers are sitting on an unrealized asset—their crop residues—currently going up in smoke,” said Freddie Catlow, founder of Planboo. “With Planboo’s MRV technology, farmers can learn, produce and earn by turning their waste into durable, accredited carbon removals that also build soil resilience.”

“Since announcing our partnership with Planboo in September, we have been working to identify the locations and partners required to test this promising solution,” said Lars van Doremalen, Director of Impact at Better Cotton Initiative. “Biochar holds the potential to unlock significant greenhouse-gas reductions and durable carbon removals while fortifying farming communities against the effects of climate change.”

Outcomes And Next Steps

The pilot is scheduled to conclude next year, after which BCI will publish results and lessons learned. Reported outcomes will include effects on crop yield and water retention, estimates of farm-level emissions reductions and carbon removal volumes. BCI and Planboo will also evaluate the pilot’s potential to scale—from field-level environmental and economic improvements to Scope 3 emissions reductions and the generation of carbon credits—an outcome that could be valuable to fashion and textile companies seeking to reduce supply-chain emissions.

This pilot complements BCI’s wider climate portfolio, including its role in the Unlock project (a collaboration of The Fashion Pact and 2050) and partnerships on soil-carbon initiatives such as the collaboration with Indigo Ag in the United States. In October, BCI also introduced a product label to help brands and retailers identify goods containing BCI cotton.