We’re proud to share that the Tachibana Biochar Project in Ghana has received a Sylvera Estimated Rating of AA–BBB as of 11/09/2025. The project, led by Tachibana International Ghana & Co., Ltd in collaboration with Planboo and local partners, turns unused cocoa pod husks into biochar, helping cacao farmers improve soil health while removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. 

This recognition shows that high-integrity carbon removal can be so much more than cutting CO₂. With the right technology, tools, and training, it can help build resilience and restore balance in sectors and communities long affected by unsustainable practices and a changing climate.

What is a Sylvera Estimation Rating?

Sylvera is one of the world’s leading carbon data platforms that independently evaluates carbon projects. Its Sylvera Estimated Rating is designed to identify high-potential projects worthy of further due diligence.

Projects are assessed across four key pillars:

  • Carbon Score: Measures actual carbon reductions or removals a project can deliver.
  • Additionality: Confirms that the project’s impact extends beyond what would occur without it.
  • Permanence: Assesses the long-term sustainability of carbon benefits.
  • Co-Benefits: Recognises added social, economic, or environmental benefits.

Ranging between AA–BBB, this rating positions the project in the upper half of Sylvera’s scale (D to AAA), signalling credible carbon impact and co-benefits for the cacao community and sector.

For information on how to see the live Sylvera rating, please see here.

About the project

In Ghana’s Central Region, Tachibana International Ghana & Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of a Japanese cacao trading company, is working with Planboo and local partners to transform unused cocoa pod husks into biochar. The biochar is given to local cacao farmers for free, helping reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers. This, in turn, restores long-term soil health, making crops more resilient and better able to withstand the effects of climate change. At the same time, the process removes CO₂ from the atmosphere and prevents agricultural waste from decomposing in the field, which can attract pests and fungus diseases such as black pod disease, further threatening farmers’ livelihoods.

The project is now entering an exciting growth phase in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), introducing biochar to 300 more farming households, increasing from 4 production sites in 2024 to 14 in 2025. This expansion aims to future-proof Ghana’s increasingly vulnerable cacao sector. Biochar creates green jobs, makes cacao production more sustainable and resilient to climate shocks, and helps curb the growing trend of young workers turning to illegal mining as the future of cacao remains uncertain.