April 8, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 PM EST

Scaling biochar and carbon credits: Finance opportunities and challenges

Featuring

Berend de Haas: Director Carboneers

Berend is co-founder of Carboneers, a startup with a simple conviction: biochar can help the world remove carbon from the atmosphere, but only if you do it right. Together with his team, he works on projects in Ghana and India, pushing to set the highest standard in the voluntary carbon market. Carboneers proves that carbon removal isn't just possible, it can also be transparent and measurable whilst having a very positive impact for smallholder farming communities. 

Shefaza Esmail: Program Manager – SME Solutions, IDEAWORKS /EPIC

Shefaza is the R&D lead for EPIC’s Low Carbon Readiness Program, which provides applied research and technical expertise to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) transition to the low carbon economy. Shefaza brings a strong background in climate change and systems thinking, with technical expertise in energy & carbon emissions accounting, product carbon footprint and lifecycle analyses. Through the program, she engages SMEs across various sectors with increased attention on navigating carbon markets.

Shefaza has a PhD in Social and Ecological Sustainability (University of Waterloo), an M.A.SC. in Chemical Engineering (Royal Military College of Canada), and a B.Eng. in Bioresource Engineering (McGill University) with over 15 years’ experience conducting research in various environmental disciplines within academia and industry. Shefaza also has extensive teaching experience that lends to strong communication skills for navigating the complexities of the low carbon economy.