What to know about carbon markets in 2026

More than 150 million credits from a diverse array of project types were retired annually from the voluntary carbon market in recent years. Even for experienced sustainability teams, navigating these offerings can be challenging.

To help buyers invest with confidence, Trellis asked leading experts from corporate sustainability teams, ratings companies and carbon credit registries for their advice on what buyers need to know. 

Among the insights they shared:

Buyers aren’t alone. The array of credit types on offer may feel overwhelming, but “new buyers don’t need to start from scratch,” said Lukas May, chief commercial officer at Isometric, a carbon credit registry. “There are publicly available resources that can jumpstart procurement processes and make it easier to navigate the market.” 

Maximize impact and minimize risk. Diversify your credit portfolios. “Just like any other investment strategy, it’s smart to spread your risk and build resilience into your portfolio,” said Greg FitzGerald, vice president for supply at Carbon Direct, a carbon management consultancy. “Climate science is a complex problem demanding varied and complex solutions; your portfolio should reflect that.”

Don’t delay. Supply of high-quality credits will tighten. “Over the past year, price differentiation for higher-quality credits has become even more entrenched,” said Spencer Meyer, chief ratings officer at BeZero Carbon. He cites the example of credits for restoring degraded forests and creating new ones: “We are seeing price premiums of almost 90 percent for every single notch up the rating scale.”

Balance speed with long-term strategy. With high-quality credits in short supply, sophisticated buyers are engaging early with project developers to secure the credits they want. “Companies looking to enter the market in 2026 should begin thinking about desired project attributes and engaging with suppliers, specialized intermediaries or buyer groups sooner rather than later,” said Tiffany Cheung, corporate engagement lead at AlliedOffsets, a carbon markets data provider.

Securing and retiring credits is not the end of the proc