A contractual commitment between a carbon project developer and a buyer to purchase a specified volume of carbon credits at an agreed price, typically entered into before the credits have been issued or the underlying project is fully operational. The agreement provides the developer with revenue certainty, enabling them to secure financing and proceed with project construction or scaling.

Offtake agreements are particularly prevalent in carbon removal, including engineered solutions such as direct air capture and biochar, and nature-based approaches such as reforestation and soil carbon where supply remains constrained, costs are high, and many projects are still in development. By committing to purchase future credits, buyers help bring new supply to market while locking in availability ahead of what are expected to be increasingly competitive conditions.