Tencent, CATL Join 10 Million-Ton Carbon Credit Push

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

Tencent Holdings (TCEHY) and Contemporary Amperex Technology (CYATY) are stepping into a new carbon-credit coalition at a moment when corporate demand for offsets is losing momentum. The two Chinese giants will join firms including Mitsubishi, Vale and Osaka Gas under the Action for a Resilient Climate Coalition, a Singapore-based nonprofit launched Tuesday. The group is aiming to support demand for high-quality credits, with members targeting joint purchases of at least 10 million metric tons by 2030.

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That timing matters. Corporate carbon-credit purchases totaled about 153.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent last year, the lowest level since 2020, according to BloombergNEF. Demand has weakened further this year as energy companies focus on the impact of the Iran war, while reputational risk from greenwashing claims continues to weigh on buyer participation. Frederick Teo, chief executive officer of GenZero, said limited demand commitments for credits from high-quality decarbonization projects are holding back investment into those projects.

For investors, the key question is whether heavyweight corporate buyers could help rebuild trust in a market that has faced scrutiny after some projects were found to have overstated their climate benefits. The coalition will work with the Symbiosis Coalition, which is backed by companies including Google, Meta Platforms and Microsoft and is targeting collective purchases of 20 million tons of high-quality nature restoration credits by 2030. Tencent vice president Xu Hao said the carbon market has significant potential to drive climate finance, but needs trust and scientific rigor as its foundation.

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