The American Forest Foundation (AFF) has entered into a 15-year contract with Netflix, which will see the streaming giant purchase verified carbon credits generated through AFF’s Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) carbon project. This initiative focuses on converting underutilised fields in the southern United States into thriving forests.
The American Forest Foundation, established in 1981, is a national conservation organisation that collaborates with family forest owners to enhance conservation impact. It achieves this through programmes promoting effective forest management practices aimed at maintaining the health and productivity of woodlands.
The newly signed agreement with Netflix will bolster AFF’s ARR project, known as Fields & Forests (F&F). This project collaborates with family landowners to convert their underused fields into productive forests. It targets small-acreage landowners who have traditionally been excluded from the voluntary carbon market due to significant upfront costs and complex programme requirements. By covering all site preparation and tree planting expenses, and providing ongoing technical support and annual payments throughout 30-year contracts, the project aims to alleviate these barriers.
To date, the F&F project has enrolled 2,500 acres of family-owned land, with a goal to expand to 75,000 acres by 2032. This expansion is expected to yield approximately 4.8 million carbon credits.
According to AFF, Netflix’s investment will facilitate the launch of the first 6,000 acres and further extend the project throughout the southern United States. AFF also highlighted that Netflix’s contribution includes crucial early-stage financing through milestone prepayments, an innovative funding method that links initial financial support to key achievements, such as the number of acres enrolled.
John Ringer, Senior Director of Project Finance and Environmental Markets at AFF, remarked on the partnership:
“Netflix’s partnership shows what’s possible when business and nature come together. With the right investment and science, natural climate solutions can be both a powerful and credible tool to address our most pressing conservation challenges. We’re grateful for Netflix’s leadership, and we invite other companies to follow their lead by investing in new approaches that support America’s rural communities and family-owned forests.”
