Carbon Compass

Carbon tax offsets, or CTOs, can help South African emitters reduce their carbon tax liability while creating an additional revenue opportunity for eligible climate projects. But how do they actually work — and what sets CTOs apart from standard carbon credits?

In this episode, Emma Reinecke, Sustainability Consultant at Brundtland, speaks with Henk Sa, Partner and Head of Carbon Finance at Brundtland, to unpack South Africa’s carbon tax offset system from both sides of the market.
Together, they explore how CTOs fit into the carbon tax, when they may be worth pursuing for emitters, what…

In this episode, we discuss Verra’s recently released VCS Standard 5.0 and what it means for carbon project developers.

The carbon credit rulebook is changing. VCS 5 introduces important updates to how carbon projects are developed, registered, renewed, and verified — with a stronger focus on integrity, clearer rights, earlier planning, and more meaningful stakeholder engagement.

Hosted by Emma Reinecke, this roundtable discussion brings together Henk Sa, Partner and Head of Carbon Finance at Brundtland, Nimesha, Sustainability Consultant at Brundtland, and Dylan, Sustainability Consultant…

In this episode, we sit down with one of our clients, TransEnergy Global, to explore the incredible work they’re doing. We unpack their journey in implementing a first-of-its-kind project, hear their perspective on South Africa’s Just Energy Transition, and discuss the role carbon credits can play in accelerating it. We also dive into the progress made so far in developing their methodology and we wrap up with a quick conversation on the Global Citizen Now event held on 21 November 2025.

Key takeaways of discussion:
• How carbon credits can be reinvested for even greater impact
• What a…

Carbon credits play a critical role in global climate action, yet their complexity often makes them challenging to understand.

In this episode, Joseph Freimond, Sustainability Consultant at Brundtland, speaks with Henk Sa, Partner and Head of Carbon Finance at Brundtland, who brings over 20 years of experience in the global carbon industry. Together, they unpack the full carbon credit journey, from conception to commercialisation. Henk explains what carbon credits are, how they’re created and verified, and why concepts like additionality are key to ensuring real climate impact. He also…

South Africa’s draft carbon budget regulations are here – and they could reshape how companies manage and report greenhouse gas emissions.

In this episode, Emma Reinecke speaks with Jan Willem Timmer, Principal Consultant at Brundtland, who played a key role in drafting the regulations, to unpack what they mean for businesses, policymakers, and South Africa’s climate commitments.

We cover the basics: what a carbon budget is, who will be affected, and how the system links to the existing carbon tax. With mandatory budgets planned to take effect in 2026, understanding the phased rollout,…

In this episode, we explore the practical realities of complying with the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). We look at what South African exporters need to do to comply, what it might cost, and why it’s critical for maintaining access to European markets. We also unpack the risks of non-compliance, including heavy fines and reduced competitiveness, and discuss how decarbonisation and carbon pricing reforms can help mitigate CBAM impacts.

Key points of discussion:
• What is required to be CBAM-compliant
• Whether companies in South Africa and abroad are ready for CBAM-compliance…

In this episode, we unpack the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and what it means for South African exporters. We explain how CBAM works, why it’s being implemented, and which local industries are most exposed. We also explore the expected costs, the impact of the South African carbon tax, and why Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems are now essential for exporters to the EU.

Key points of discussion:
• What CBAM is and why it matters
• Sectors and countries most affected
• Cost impacts for South African exporters
• How CBAM interacts with the EU’s carbon market…

In Part 2 of The State of the Carbon Market, Dumo Shezi and Henk SA dive deeper into the numbers, modelling how carbon credit supply and demand could evolve in South Africa through 2035. They unpack three possible futures for the market, and the where the potential supply gaps may occur, and explore the policy and private sector actions needed to close them.

Key points of discussion:
• Forecasting demand and supply for the South Africa Carbon Market
• Scenario analysis: business as usual, green South Africa, grey South Africa
• The implications of a supply-demand gap for the market
• Policy…

In the first instalment of this two-part series, Emma Reinecke and Henk Sa lay the groundwork for understanding South Africa’s carbon market. They explore what carbon credits are, how the country’s carbon tax works, and the role of the Carbon Offset Administration System (COAS) in managing credit supply and retirements. This episode sets the stage for a deeper dive into how we see the market evolving in Part 2.
Key points of discussion:
• What a carbon credit is and how it functions
• Overview of South Africa’s carbon tax and its trajectory to 2030
• Introduction to the COAS registry:…