What’s the Worth of Meta’s Massive Carbon Credit Deal with BTG Pactual?

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has entered a significant carbon offset agreement with Brazilian investment bank BTG Pactual’s forestry arm, Timberland Investment Group (TIG). The contract involves the purchase of up to 3.9 million carbon credits through 2038. 

The deal is Meta’s largest carbon removal initiative from a single project. Though the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, the scope suggests a considerable investment. 

Meta’s Mega Move: Investing in Carbon Offsets

According to Allied Offsets, the average price of forestry carbon offsets was $4.22 per credit last week. Based on this pricing, the deal could be valued at around $16 million. The agreement allows Meta to purchase 1.3 million carbon credits initially, with options for an additional 2.6 million credits over the contract’s duration.

Each carbon credit represents a reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide emissions, offering companies a way to offset their carbon footprint. For Meta, this move aligns with its commitment to achieve net-zero emissions across its entire value chain by 2030. This poses a major challenge, as 99% of the company’s carbon footprint in 2022 came from Scope 3 emissions.

The tech giant’s Scope 3 emissions, also known as value chain emissions, are rising due to the growing global demand for its services. And one of the key strategies that Meta employs to tackle this emissions source is carbon removal solutions. 

Meta has supported various nature-based carbon removal projects worldwide since 2021. These initiatives include boosting forest carbon stock in community ejido forests in Oaxaca and safeguarding forests in California.

Now the company is investing millions of dollars again to protect forestland in Latin America through forest carbon offset projects.

How BTG Pactual’s Reforestation Powers Meta’s Carbon Goals

BTG Pactual TIG’s forest restoration projects across Latin America will generate the carbon credits that Meta will purchase. TIG has planted more than 7 million seedlings as part of its reforestation efforts, contributing to carbon capture and emission reduction in the region. This deal underscores the growing focus on forestry-based carbon offsets as a method for mitigating climate change.  

Another big tech company, Microsoft, has also signed a carbon removal credit agreement with BTG Pactual TIG in June. Under their deal, Microsoft will receive up to 8 million carbon credits from TIG, making it the biggest carbon removal transaction ever. 

• RELATED: Microsoft Strikes 2 Record-Breaking Carbon Credit Deals

These deals highlight a trend of major tech companies investing in large-scale carbon offset projects despite skepticism in the market.

Demand for Carbon Offsets: Challenges and Market Skepticism

While Meta’s and Microsoft’s significant offset purchases illustrate ongoing investment in climate mitigation efforts, the overall demand for carbon offsets has faced hurdles. 

Last year, demand stalled as companies like Nestlé and Gucci reduced their credit purchases. This downturn is partially attributed to concerns over the effectiveness of offsets in genuinely reducing emissions. 

Critics argue that offsetting can sometimes serve as a loophole. This allows companies to continue emitting while relying on external projects for carbon reduction.

In 2023, entities retired approximately 180 million MtCO2e in carbon offsets to counterbalance their emissions as shown below.

The debate over carbon offsets has intensified as efforts grow to normalize their use in climate finance. Recently, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) endorsed the use of credits for offsetting supply chain emissions, sparking criticism. 

• READ MORE: Will This Be The End of Carbon Offsets?

Opponents argue that this move undermines emission reduction goals by allowing companies to offset their largest emissions sources instead of directly eliminating them.

Despite these market challenges, Meta’s long-term agreement with BTG Pactual reflects its strategy to support credible offset projects that contribute to meaningful carbon removal. 

Tech Giants Commitment to Forest Carbon Credits

On the other side of the debate, industry reports indicate that companies, especially large ones using carbon credits, are more effective in reducing their emissions. Data from Ecosystem Marketplace research reveals several key findings about the use of voluntary carbon credits. The results show that companies supporting carbon credits are:

• 1.8 times more likely to actively decarbonize year-over-year,
• 1.3 times more likely to have supplier engagement strategies and involve employees and customers in climate action, 
• 3.4 times more likely to have approved science-based climate targets, 
• 1.2 times more likely to have board oversight of their climate transition plans,
• 3 times more likely to include Scope 3 emissions in their climate targets, despite the control challenges, and
• Investing 3 times more in emission reduction within their value chain.

Meta’s 3.9 million carbon credit deal with BTG Pactual signals confidence in forestry-based carbon offset projects. It shows how large companies are still willing to support this carbon market initiative to help mitigate climate change.

• SEE MORE: Meta’s Bold Bet on Geothermal Energy and Carbon Footprint Reduction