Perdue AgriBusiness Taps Enhanced Rock Weathering with Eion in Landmark Carbon Insetting Deal

Courtesy: Eion

Perdue AgriBusiness has entered into a first-of-its-kind agreement with carbon removal company Eion, embedding enhanced rock weathering (ERW) within its own agricultural supply chain. This partnership not only sets a new precedent in how companies approach carbon removal but also points toward a larger shift in the voluntary carbon market: one that favors insetting—addressing emissions within the value chain—over traditional carbon offtakes.

Under the deal, Perdue’s network of Mid-Atlantic grain farmers will apply olivine, a naturally occurring mineral optimized by Eion to weather rapidly in farm soils. As it breaks down, the mineral binds with atmospheric carbon dioxide, locking it away permanently in a natural process that normally takes millennia. Eion’s technology accelerates this timeline dramatically, and with this initial rollout, the collaboration is expected to remove around 3,500 metric tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere.

What sets this deal apart is its placement. Rather than purchasing carbon credits from external projects, Perdue is integrating carbon removal directly into its operations. The move aligns with the company’s broader sustainability strategy, which emphasizes soil health, water conservation, and resilient farming practices in the Chesapeake Bay region. Enhanced rock weathering, in this context, serves a dual purpose: regenerating farmland while delivering verified, scalable climate impact.

“We’re always looking for innovative, science-backed solutions that support our farmers and reduce our environmental impact,” said Perry Aulie, president of Perdue AgriBusiness. “Partnering with Eion allows us to integrate carbon removal directly into our supply chain—enhancing soil health, supporting our growers, and advancing our commitment to a more sustainable future.”

Eion, founded to commercialize ERW at scale, sees the agreement as an important signal of where the carbon market is headed. “The carbon market is evolving and Eion is evolving with it,” said CEO Anastasia Pavlovic. “We see a massive opportunity for ERW to easily incorporate within the agricultural supply chain for the long haul and, to that end, are focused on expanding our portfolio of insetting agreements.”

Agricultural insetting—applying carbon removal strategies within a company’s own network of growers—offers a promising pathway for the ERW sector. The U.S. alone has around 800 million acres of farmland, and if even a fraction of this land is used for ERW, it could contribute gigaton-scale CO₂ removal annually. This method appeals to companies aiming for measurable climate contributions that also provide economic and agronomic benefits to farmers.

Olivine, the mineral at the heart of Eion’s process, has long been approved for agricultural use. Its capacity to absorb carbon is coupled with a positive impact on soil structure and nutrient availability, often replacing traditional inputs like agricultural lime. Eion holds a patented method for measuring carbon removal directly in soil, adding scientific credibility and traceability to its solution—a crucial feature in a market increasingly concerned with permanence and verification.

Perdue AgriBusiness, an operating company of Perdue Farms, brings to this partnership over a century of experience in agricultural supply chains. Its sustainability program, launched in 2021, targets regenerative practices across its operations and supplier base. In recent years, the company has sought to align with buyers who value traceable climate action and soil stewardship—demand that this new insetting agreement aims to fulfill.

For Eion, this announcement builds on momentum from its recent $33 million carbon removal offtake deal with Frontier, a collective of buyers including Stripe, Shopify, and Alphabet. That deal demonstrated market appetite for high-quality, science-backed removal. Now, with the Perdue partnership, the company is proving that ERW can be more than a voluntary offset—it can be an embedded part of supply chains committed to environmental responsibility.

As pressure mounts on food and agri-businesses to move from commitments to action on climate, insetting deals like this one with Perdue could mark the beginning of a wider trend—one where carbon removal is as integral to farming as fertilizer or seed.