Google, Stripe, Shopify buy carbon removal from 44.01

Google, Stripe, and Shopify have committed to purchasing carbon removal credits from 44.01, a company that mineralises CO2 by converting it into rock. The offtake agreements were brokered through Frontier, a carbon removal buyer coalition that aggregates corporate demand for verified removal credits. This is not the first such deal – Frontier has previously signed removal agreements with other technology providers – but the scale of corporate commitment here signals growing appetite for permanent sequestration methods.

Carbon removal credits remain controversial in climate strategy. They are commonly used by organisations claiming net-zero targets, yet carry material risks: permanence is hard to verify independently, additionality claims are often weak, and prices remain volatile. 44.01's mineralisation approach – converting CO2 into inert rock – theoretically offers permanence that tree-planting or soil-based methods do not. But the startup's technology is unproven at scale, and independent audits of removal rates and durability are limited.

For Google, Stripe, and Shopify, these agreements sit alongside other climate commitments. The risk: framing carbon removal as a substitute for emissions reduction rather than a complement to it. Frontier's role is to create demand signals, but without transparent accounting standards – specifically, clarity on whether these credits count toward Scope 1, 2, or 3 targets, and under which standard (SBTi, GHG Protocol) – the line between genuine climate action and offsetting theatre blurs quickly.

The real question: will these organisations report the credits separately from emissions reductions in their sustainability disclosures, or will the removal purchase get bundled into their net-zero claim?

Google, Stripe, Shopify Sign Carbon Removal Deal with CO2-Into-Rock Startup 44.01

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