In a bold step toward its climate goals, Microsoft has signed a landmark agreement to remove nearly 3 million tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere through a pioneering waste-to-energy carbon capture project in Denmark. Partnering with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Vestforbrænding, the deal supports the Gaia project, which will retrofit a waste incineration plant in Glostrup to capture over 95% of its CO₂ emissions starting in 2029. What sets this project apart is that a significant portion of the captured carbon comes from biogenic sources—like food and green waste—qualifying it as permanent carbon removal. Along with fighting climate change, the project will also expand district heating to 10,000 homes, showing how sustainability can go hand-in-hand with social impact.
This move is part of Microsoft’s broader ambition to go carbon negative by 2030. In parallel, the tech giant has also signed a 12-year deal with Vaulted Deep, aiming to lock away up to 4.9 million tons of CO₂ by turning organic waste—such as manure and crop leftovers—into a slurry that’s injected deep underground for permanent storage. These multi-year commitments show Microsoft isn’t just buying offsets—it’s investing in the future of the planet by helping scale innovative, science-backed carbon removal methods that also address waste and environmental justice. More