- Empacar S.A. has formed partnership with Bioflux, Cula and Puro.earth to establish and scale

biochar production across Latin America

Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 18 March 2026 – Empacar S.A. (Empacar), Bolivia's leading sustainable packaging and recycling company, is focusing on biochar production as the next step in its environmental and sustainability strategy.

The announcement follows Empacar's launch of Carbon X at the Bolivia Carbon Forum - a new business unit dedicated to carbon removal and circular economy solutions. CarbonX serves as the group’s platform for climate innovation, transforming environmental challenges into durable climate assets and leading the company’s transition into the global voluntary carbon market. With close to five decades of operational experience and leadership in recycling and the circular economy, Empacar is considered a regional leader in sustainable operations.

When its site is fully operational Empacar aims to capture approximately 70,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, with the first issuance of carbon credits expected in 2027. The feedstock will comprise entirely of wood residues from local sawmills regulated by Autoridad de Fiscalización y Control Social de Bosques y Tierra (ABT), the Bolivia government entity overseeing land use, including forests.

The facility will be based in Ascención de Guarayos, located in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz department and will deliver significant co-benefits for local populations and rural businesses. By converting residues that might otherwise be openly burned, the project can help reduce air pollution, while the resulting biochar can be applied as a soil enhancer in local agriculture.

A partnership to scale high-integrity biochar production

Establishing and scaling its biochar operations is being made possible through a partnership with

Puro.earth, the leading crediting platform for engineered carbon dioxide removal (CDR); the leading digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) platform Cula; and leading Biochar project consultant BioFlux, to help scale one of Bolivia’s largest biochar facilities.

The partnership will enable Empacar to scale its biochar production operations rapidly, leveraging

Puro.earth’s institutional-grade infrastructure built on scientific rigour, transparency, and integrity.

Empacar’s biochar projects will be certified under the Puro standard, with credits being issued into the Puro Registry following all necessary audits and verification.

BioFlux has partnered with Empacar since the earliest concept stage of CarbonX, serving as project codeveloper and lead technical advisor. Bringing end-to-end project development capability across

multiple jurisdictions, BioFlux has guided CarbonX from feedstock assessment and technology selection through site design, engineering coordination, and Puro.Earth certification preparation. BioFlux is also leading commercial development across carbon removal credits and biochar as a physical agricultural product, ensuring the project meets the technical, environmental, and market requirements necessary to scale durable carbon removal across Latin America.

Cula will provide the digital infrastructure that enables automated monitoring, reporting, and verification of Empacar’s biochar operations. The Cula platform integrates directly with production systems and onsite sensors to automatically collect operational data across feedstock handling, processing, and carbon storage. This data infrastructure enables Empacar to scale production while maintaining consistent, auditable data streams required for certification under the Puro Standard.

“This initiative represents a new chapter for Empacar,” said Carlos Limpias, Empacar´s CEO. “Through

CarbonX, we are transforming industrial biomass residues into permanent carbon removal while creating economic opportunities for rural communities.”

“Empacar brings decades of industrial expertise and entrepreneurial leadership to this project,” said

Oliver Erb, Co-Founder at Cula Technologies, “Scaling blochar carbon removal demands operators who understand complex industrial systems - and rigorous data infrastructure to match. We're proud to provide the platform that automates Empacar's operational data collection from day one, ensuring every tone removed is transparently tracked and verifiable.”

“Empacar’s ambition is clear: to become a leader in global biochar carbon removal. With nearly 50+ years of experience in waste management, Empacar showcases the operational excellence and supply chain mastery needed to scale biochar carbon removal across Latin America. BioFlux is proud to partner with Empacar to transform this capability into one of the region’s most ambitious biochar carbon removal platforms,” said Julian Cortes, Co-Founder of BioFlux.

Jan Willem Bode, President of Puro.earth, added: “Scaling this industry requires more than technology - it requires trusted standards, transparent data and credible certification, and strong entrepreneurial companies willing to participate in this market. We’re thrilled to support Empacar in issuing high-integrity carbon removal credits and connecting with global buyers seeking verified climate impact.”

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NOTES TO EDITORS

About Empacar S.A.

Empacar S.A. (Empresa de Envases, Papeles y Cartones S.A.) is Bolivia's leading sustainable packaging company, headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Founded in 1977, Empacar has grown from Bolivia's first paper industry into a multi-division manufacturer and recycler of packaging solutions, operating across PET, corrugated cardboard, Kraft bags, plastic injection, laminates, and thermoforming. The company is widely recognised as South America's first recycler of environmentally responsible packaging and operates a closed-loop, circular economy model - collecting, processing, and remanufacturing recycled materials back into new products. Empacar holds ISO 9001:2015 and FSSC food safety certifications, is a signatory of the UN Global Compact, and has neutralised its carbon footprint in line with its broader sustainability commitments. With around 750 employees and operations spanning industrial manufacturing, retail packaging supply, and community recycling programmes, Empacar is committed to strengthening Bolivia's sustainable production chain for the benefit of industry, communities, and the environment. For more information, visit www.empacar.com.bo and follow us on Linkedin.

About Cula Technologies

Cula Technologies provides the operations and process tracking of carbon removal operations. Its

software integrates directly with production systems, sensors, and operational workflows to

automatically capture and structure carbon removal data from engineered carbon removal facilities. By automating data collection at the point of production, Cula enables project developers to scale

operations while maintaining the transparent and auditable datasets required for certification and credit issuance.

For more information, visit cula.tech and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Puro.earth

Puro.earth is the world's leading carbon-crediting platform for durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR).

Via the Puro Standard’s rigorous carbon credit methodologies, suppliers that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to durable storages for at least 100 years are certified and issue CO2 Removal

Certificates (CORCs) into the transparent Puro Registry.

CORCs are then purchased by ambitious corporations such as Microsoft, Shopify, and Zurich Insurance, to help address climate change and neutralise residual carbon emissions. In 2021, Nasdaq acquired a majority stake in Puro.earth, and together they are driving forward the carbon removal industry, enabling new revenue streams to accelerate carbon removal.

Puro.earth is an ICVCM Eligible Carbon Crediting Programme.

For more information, visit https://puro.earth and follow us on LinkedIn.

About BioFlux

BioFlux is a biochar consultancy and project development firm specialising in the design, certification, and commercialisation of carbon removal projects. Working across multiple jurisdictions, BioFlux partners with industrial operators to develop scalable biochar facilities that transform biomass residues into durable carbon removal solutions.

The company supports projects from early feasibility through certification and market deployment,

providing expertise across feedstock assessment, technology selection, facility design, certification

under leading standards such as Puro.earth, and the development of markets for both carbon removal credits and biochar as an agricultural product.

For more information, visit https://www.bioflux.earth/ and follow us on LinkedIn.