EP Carbon's Drawn Carbon Platform Puts Forest Project Quality First

The voluntary carbon market has spent the last few years reckoning with a hard truth: not all carbon credits are created equal. Price differentiation between high- and low-quality carbon credits widened sharply in 2025, with credits rated in the highest integrity tiers trading at prices nearly 50% higher than those at the lowest end, forcing developers to either prove their projects' credibility or lose buyers entirely.

Minneapolis-based EP Carbon is betting that solving this problem starts before a single credit is issued. The company has launched Drawn Carbon, a digital platform designed to help early-stage nature-based carbon projects demonstrate quality and attract investment well before they reach the crediting stage.

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As scrutiny of carbon credits intensifies and buyers increasingly prioritize integrity, many early-stage ARR and REDD+ projects struggle to demonstrate quality, navigate complex requirements, and secure financing. Drawn Carbon aims to close that gap.

How Drawn Carbon Works

The platform digitizes project design, structures implementation processes, and enables real-time measurement to help developers establish credible, investment-ready projects earlier in their lifecycle. It builds on EP Carbon's 16 years of operational experience in forest carbon, as well as its earlier Forest Carbon Works platform.

A standout feature is the platform's direct integration with three independent carbon credit rating agencies: BeZero Carbon, Calyx Global, and Sylvera. Developers can request assessments at any stage of project development, so integrity risks get flagged and fixed during design rather than after credits are already on the market.

Allister Furey, CEO of Sylvera, said the approach is well-timed. "Identifying risks earlier allows projects to take corrective action sooner, which ultimately accelerates the market's shift toward higher-quality carbon credits."

Donna Lee, CEO of Calyx Global, added that the partnership helps "identify key integrity issues early in their customer's design process."

A Market Ready for This

Industry analysts now describe 2024-2025 as the integrity reset, with 2026 expected to be the professionalization phase, characterized by more data, more regulation, and clearer segmentation between high- and low-quality assets. Well-rated ARR projects have gained ground as buyers show a clear preference for projects with stronger monitoring, permanence, and land tenure controls.

Drawn Carbon is positioned squarely for this moment. Early feedback from the field is encouraging. Michael Ackerman of the La Tigra ARR Project in Honduras said the platform "eliminates a huge amount of complexity," with expert project documentation achievable in weeks rather than years.

About EP Carbon

EP Carbon has supported more than 70 projects worldwide. Its prior platform, Forest Carbon Works, is now part of Chestnut Carbon. EP Carbon CEO Dr. Kyle Holland said Drawn Carbon reflects lessons learned across those years in the field. "It elevates accountability and proves quality in ways that haven't been possible before. Investors want transparency and line of sight into how projects perform. This platform delivers that digitally."

Drawn Carbon is now onboarding projects globally.