Switzerland may need to significantly expand its purchases of international carbon credits in the next decade to stay aligned with its long-term environmental goals, according to the KliK Foundation, which manages the country’s carbon offset acquisitions.
Close-up of a man planting a young tree sapling in Chile, with volunteers and mountains visible in the background, highlighting active reforestation efforts. AI generated picture.
Marco Berg, Managing Director of the foundation, said preliminary estimates suggest Switzerland will require at least 80 million Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) between 2031 and 2040 to meet its 2035 and 2040 emission reduction milestones. ‘(The ITMOs will need to be) roughly evenly spread over the years’, Berg noted.
Currently, KliK is mandated to buy 20 million ITMOs to support Switzerland’s target of cutting emissions by 50% from 1990 levels by 2030. The country has been among the most active participants in the emerging Article 6 carbon market, established under the Paris Agreement at COP29 in Baku. However, global demand for ITMOs remains limited, with few countries having issued clear purchasing signals so far.
A decision on Switzerland’s post-2030 credit strategy has yet to be finalised. ‘The governmental draft legislation for the period 2031–40 is expected to be sent to the parliament for debate in the fall of 2027’, Berg said. ‘A final decision on the legislation will happen at the end of 2029 at the earliest.’
Read more: Carbon offtake deals reach new records in Q3 of 2025
Switzerland’s environmental law sets the country on a path to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, with interim targets of 65% reduction by 2035 and 75% by 2040. To meet these milestones, the government has signed bilateral agreements with 14 countries, including Chile and Ghana, and continues to seek ITMOs from projects dated 2021–2030.
To date, KliK has contracted 24 projects expected to deliver around 17 million ITMOs, though deliveries have been slow. ‘So far, only 13,376 ITMOs were delivered to us’, Berg said. The total cost for the 20 million ITMOs is projected at CHF 600 million ($753 million), or roughly $37.65 per credit.
Under Swiss law, only energy-related projects qualify toward national targets, excluding nature-based solutions. This limitation, alongside the requirement for 2021–2030 vintages, has been a sticking point for several partner countries, including Chile, which argues that extending the eligibility period to 2035 would boost credit availability.
For now, Berg said, KliK cannot make commitments beyond 2030. ‘It is too early right now to tell under what circumstances the KliK Foundation would be able to extend its contracts to 2035’, he explained, adding that further bilateral deals may be in negotiation.
Despite these efforts, Switzerland’s emissions remain 19.8% below 1990 levels, at 42.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in 2023—well short of its current trajectory. Independent analysts have deemed its targets ‘insufficient’, suggesting that even KliK’s forecast of 80 million ITMOs may prove conservative if the country maintains its present pace of reductions.
Read more: Balancing portfolios: Nature-based vs renewable carbon credits
As nations like Switzerland ramp up demand for verified carbon credits to meet increasingly ambitious environmental targets, the importance of quality and accountability in the carbon market has never been clearer. This growing reliance on credible, transparent mitigation outcomes mirrors a broader global shift—from pledges to measurable progress. At Green Earth, we drive this transformation by connecting businesses with premium, nature-based carbon projects that deliver real environmental and social impact. Through our verified credits, companies can accelerate decarbonisation, and take tangible steps toward a more sustainable future.
