First Climate and ZukunftMoor enter Exclusive Partnership
- FC-Newsteam
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 8 hours ago
Collaboration on Rewetted Peatlands Project in Lower Saxony
First Climate and the project developer ZukunftMoor have entered into a cooperation agreement to provide carbon credits from the Langenhausener Moor in Lower Saxony. The climate initiative, registered under the MoorFutures standard, supports the rewetting and long-term preservation of precious peatland areas, thereby making an important contribution to climate action. As part of the partnership, First Climate is providing exclusive access to carbon credits from a portion of the project, thereby supporting the implementation of the rewetting measures.
From left: Heike Natzet, Head of Portfoliomanagement, Sourcing & Backoffice; Julia Kasper, General Manager and Co-Founder of ZukunftMoor, Dr. Susanne Peindl, Managing Director First Climate Markets GmbH,
Olaf Bachert, CEO First Climate AG
Companies can now purchase high-quality carbon credits from the ZukunftMoor project, helping to restore peatland ecosystems and support local climate action. As an exclusive marketing partner, First Climate will support the further development and scaling of project activities.
“We are very pleased to be working with ZukunftMoor. Certified climate action projects in Germany remain rare – making this initiative, which directly contributes to the restoration of vital peatland ecosystems, all the more valuable. With strong commitment and deep technical expertise, ZukunftMoor is doing important pioneering work in this field. We are particularly pleased that our clients can support this project and, in doing so, contribute to the preservation of regional peatlands in Germany,” says First Climate CEO Olaf Bachert.
Effective climate action through rewetted peatlands
ZukunftMoor’s Langenhausen peatland project is actively working to rewet drained peatlands that were previously over-used intensively for agricultural purposes. The project covers a total peatland area of around 300,000 m2 in Langenhausen, a district of the municipality of Gnarrenburg in Lower Saxony. The site is part of the approximately 36,080-hectare Teufelsmoor, the largest peatland area in Lower Saxony, which was drained as early as the 18th century for agriculture and peat extraction. Rewetting prevents the release of carbon dioxide that would otherwise have entered the atmosphere over the next 400 years due to soil drainage.
Pictures 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9: ©ZukunftMoor, pictures 2, 5, 8: ©Kristina Steiner
A central component of the project is so-called full rewetting of the peatland areas. This means permanently raising the water table to just below the surface, ensuring the peat soils remain fully saturated, which also halts peat decomposition and the associated release of carbon dioxide. Simultaneously, typical peatland conditions are restored, enabling the long-term formation of new peat and the return of moorland plant and animal species.
Additional project activities include large-scale cultivation of sphagnum moss as part of sustainable wetland management, known as paludiculture. This approach helps preserve the peat layer and can even foster the formation of new peat over time. Sphagnum moss binds carbon, making it an effective natural carbon sink, and also improves the water retention capacity of restored areas.
Pictures 1-7: ©Kristina Steiner, picture 8: ©ZukunftMoor
Part of the cultivated moss remains on site to support peat formation, while another part is harvested and processed into peat-free growing substrates for horticulture. This creates sustainable alternatives to conventional peat-based soil products; their production releases greenhouse gases and extracting them destroys valuable peatlands.
Through these activities, the project also contributes to restoring biodiversity in the region. As more protected areas are returned to near-natural peatland conditions, rare and native species such as the moor frog and the northern lapwing are returning to the project area.
The exclusive partnership between First Climate and ZukunftMoor is intended to help scale project activities over the long term and promote targeted restoration efforts in the Langenhausen peatland.
“First Climate brings decades of expertise to the voluntary carbon market, and we are delighted to have them as a partner. Together, we will accelerate the development of our project and deepen our contribution to transforming drained peatlands into climate-friendly, biodiverse ecosystems through rewetting, while preserving the region's agricultural identity,” says Julia Kasper, General Manager and Co-Founder of ZukunftMoor.
Intact peatlands are important natural carbon sinks: worldwide, it is estimated that peatlands capture twice as much carbon as all forests combined. However, when peatlands are mismanaged and drained, the stored carbon gradually escapes, contributing to the exacerbation of climate change. In Germany, the drainage of peatlands accounts for 7.5% of national greenhouse gas emissions.
About ZukunftMoor
ZukunftMoor rewets drained peatlands and cultivates sphagnum moss in Northern Germany. Founded in 2022, the company combines effective climate action with sustainable agricultural use of fully rewetted peatland, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions while promoting biodiversity and improving water retention.
About First Climate
First Climate is a leading global provider of corporate climate and sustainability solutions with more than 25 years of experience. We develop, finance, and source verified emissions reductions and carbon removal projects worldwide. First Climate also develops tailored procurement strategies for renewable energy, offering a wide range of sourcing options to help our clients reduce their energy-related carbon footprint. Our experienced sustainability consultants also provide companies with cutting-edge solutions for their ESG strategy and reporting.
