• Mere Plantations will release 3.2m credits over the 20-year project period, backed by a first-of-its-kind insurance policy to be issued in favour of buyers. 
• Mere’s project is the first in Africa certified by Cercarbono, the only VCM standard with an SDG verification process. 
• Spread across 4,000 hectares in Ghana, the project has established over three million teak trees since 2011 alongside native species to promote wildlife and longevity.  
• Mere Plantations’ unique commercial forestry model benefits the ecosystem and local Ghanaian communities, whilst providing premium timber to industry. 

Bogotá, Colombia, 24 January 2024 – Mere Plantations (“Mere”), supported by ALLCOT, has today announced the issuance of 307,128 carbon credits generated from the largest privately funded tropical hardwood plantation in West Africa. The initial crediting period will run until 2031, during which 3,234,860 carbon credits will be made available for purchase. Over 32 million carbon credits are on track to be generated over the next 40 years, making this the biggest lifetime carbon credit project in Ghana by a significant magnitude. 

With the first planting of Mere’s Teak (Tectona grandis) commencing in early 2011, mature trees are being managed on a sustainable coppicing basis to ensure continuous forestry cover and regeneration of the forest for future generations. More than three million teak trees have been established alongside native species to date, with good forestry practices benefitting microorganisms and improving soil structure, prompting the recovery of wildlife in the area. Mere is offering high quality carbon credits that unusually bridge the requirements of durability, scale, social benefit, and environmental benefit, complimented by a unique full insurance policy that provides security for buyers. 

The carbon credits are verified by the Cercarbono standard, the only voluntary carbon certification program that assesses how projects fulfil the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This additional measure provides certainty for buyers that Cercarbono-verified projects are sustainably run and provide social and economic benefit to local communities. ALLCOT’s work has been to provide technical support to ensure that the credits issued are of the highest quality and guarantee buyers full transparency and tangible triple impact: social, environmental, and economic. 

During 2023, 3.74 kilograms of CO2e was sequestered every second by Mere’s plantation stands in the Afram Headwaters Forest Reserve of Ghana on fully degraded former forest land. The growing of these trees and sale of the resulting quality timber into long-term use industries, ensuring that carbon stored in the wood is locked up for generations, has funded significant social benefit. “Every £1 invested in rural Ghana brings £33 of benefits to the local community, whether through clean water and access to healthcare, improved roads and infrastructure, or through crucial education and training that provides resources for long-term social and economic development.” 

Mere combines tangible, needs-driven social impact with biodiversity improvement programs such as the planting of native tree species, protection of veteran trees and establishment of native riparian zones, to create a holistic project that benefits all stakeholders.   

For Mere, issuing carbon credits is an exciting opportunity. “Our goal has always been to transform degraded forest land into a thriving plantation that serves the needs of the community and the planet while supplying the highest quality timber,” said Mark Hogg, Founder and CEO of Mere Plantations. “We are very proud to bring these premium carbon credits to market which show the fruits of over two decades of labour, and we look forward to generating millions more that will aid companies and individuals in the transition to net zero.”  

“Rapid growth of the voluntary carbon market to over $2bn has created a paramount need for better assurance of the quality of carbon credits so that buyers can be certain their investment has genuine impact behind it,” said Alexis Leroy, Founder & CEO of ALLCOT. “We are delighted to support Mere Plantations on the journey to selling carbon credits which are rooted in a proven and effective carbon sequestration method that has a positive impact on the planet, society and economy.”  

Mere is grateful for the support of the Ghana Forestry Commission that has been a partner in the reafforestation program. Mere is extremely proud to be Cercarbono’s first certified project on the African continent, adhering well to the requirements of carbon quality assurance organisations such as ICROA and IETA. 

About ALLCOT 

ALLCOT works with communities, organizations and governments around the world on climate actions to accelerate the transition to Net Zero.  ALLCOT’s goal is to impact the 2030 Agenda, especially the Climate Action SDG through projects and solutions with triple impact: environmental, social and economic, using four lines of action:  Sustainability strategies, Project development & implementation, Capacity building, and Advocacy. 

ALLCOT is one of the companies with the longest track record in the fight against climate change in the world, with more than 14 years of experience (2009). ALLCOT has a pipeline of 163 projects, most of them located in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, but also in Europe and Asia.  

About Mere Plantations  

Mere Plantations owns and manages over 4,000 hectares of previously degraded forestland within the Afram Headwaters Forest Reserve in Ghana that has been transformed into a flourishing plantation of more than three million Teak (Tectona grandis) interspersed with other species. The company, founded in 2007, delivers high-quality teak hardwood products through a turnkey solution attractive for luxury industries including the yachting industry. Mere’s business model brings significant benefits both to the UK and Ghanaian economies, the environment, and the rural community local to the plantation. From 2024 the company is releasing 3.2m carbon credits to the voluntary carbon market over a 20-year project period based on carbon absorbed at the plantation, backed by a first-of-its-kind insurance policy.  

About Cercarbono 

Cercarbono is a standard with a voluntary carbon certification programme that facilitates and guarantees the registration of Climate Change Mitigation Programmes or Projects (CCMPs), the certification of emissions, and the registration of the carbon credits generated by these initiatives.