Xpansiv to Launch First-of-Their-Kind Food Waste Carbon Credits from Brightly on CBL Exchange
- A-rated, ex-ante credits issued under Verra’s VM0046 methodology
- Food waste diversion reduces emissions of methane, a super pollutant
- Credits tied to nationwide food rescue network covering 97% of U.S. counties
- Xpansiv and Brightly to host Food Waste to Methane Reduction webinar on April 23
NEW YORK, LONDON, SYDNEY, BOSTON — April 1, 2026 — Xpansiv, the leading infrastructure provider for the global energy transition markets, and Brightly, a climate solutions company focused on reducing food waste and food insecurity, today announced the upcoming offering of a new class of methane reduction carbon credits derived from food rescue operations across the United States.
The credits, developed by Brightly in partnership with a nationwide network of food rescue organizations operating at scale across the United States, represent the first large-scale issuance under Verra’s VM0046 methodology for avoided food loss and waste. The project spans operations covering approximately 97% of U.S. counties and is designed to reduce methane emissions by diverting surplus food from landfill while increasing access to food for communities in need.
An initial tranche of approximately 250,000 A-rated, ex-ante credits, with the potential to scale up to 500,000 credits, will be offered through a request-for-quote (RFQ) process on Xpansiv’s CBL spot exchange, the world’s largest platform for trading environmental commodities. The RFQ is expected to run from April 23, 2026 to June 1, 2026.
At a time when demand for high-integrity carbon credits is rising, alongside increasing pressure to demonstrate real-world impact, these credits offer a differentiated solution that combines near-term methane mitigation with measurable social co-benefits, helping establish a new model for financing food system resilience through carbon markets.
Revenue generated from credit sales will directly support the stabilization and expansion of food rescue organizations, with up to 80% of proceeds directed back to these partners. This enables them to recover more food, serve more people, and respond to growing demand driven by rising food costs and reductions in public assistance programs.
“We’re proud to partner with Xpansiv to bring greater visibility and access to these first-of-their-kind, A-rated credits,” said Andy Levitt, Founder and CEO of Brightly. “This offering represents a new model for climate finance, one that directly links emissions reduction with meaningful social impact. By supporting food rescue organizations, these credits help address two urgent challenges at once: reducing methane emissions and strengthening food access across communities.”
Brightly works directly with food rescue organizations, food banks, and corporate partners to reduce the estimated 40% of food produced in the United States that goes to waste, representing more than $400 billion annually, while quantifying the climate benefits of diversion through rigorous measurement and verification.
“At Feeding America, our focus is clear: ensuring that nutritious food reaches our neighbors facing hunger,” said Paul Henrys, Chief Financial Officer, Feeding America. “Strengthening food rescue efforts is one of the most effective ways to do that. Initiatives like this can help expand that work, increasing access to food while also reducing waste across the system.”
Xpansiv’s CBL platform provides a transparent and flexible marketplace for emerging and high-integrity environmental assets, supporting efficient price discovery and broad market participation.
“We are pleased for our centralized CBL spot exchange to support the sale of these novel credits, which deliver both verified environmental benefits and meaningful social co-benefits,” said Russell Karas, Senior Vice President, Xpansiv. “RFQ mechanisms enable transparent price discovery, which is particularly important for new methodologies entering the market.”
Participation in the RFQ is open to all market participants. Buyers are not required to hold a CBL account or Verra registry account to participate. The RFQ structure supports spot purchases, forward offtake agreements, and buy-to-retire transactions.
The credits have received an Ae pre-issuance rating from BeZero Carbon, reflecting strong expected integrity under its ratings framework.
Xpansiv and Brightly are hosting a webinar to discuss how food waste diversion reduces methane emissions with panelists from Feeding America and The Climate Trust. The event will be held on April 23, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. (EDT). Register to attend and to receive a link to the recording here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/e1f66165-daa5-4ee6-be50-1b7ac95ad0db@27bd66e3-38aa-4a87-98bb-0a56af298a06 .
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About Xpansiv
Xpansiv is the leading infrastructure provider for the energy transition markets.
The company’s comprehensive platform includes registries, online marketplaces, market execution services, wholesale power solutions, and market data for energy and environmental commodity markets. Trusted worldwide, Xpansiv helps market participants capture opportunities and drive environmental impact.
Xpansiv provides solutions that enable stakeholders to deliver transparent, credible, and auditable environmental claims to address the growing global demand for assurance and accountability on climate action and sustainability performance.
Company investors include Blackstone Group, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Aramco Ventures, Macquarie Group Ltd., S&P Global Ventures, Aware Super, BP Ventures, Commonwealth Bank, and the Australian Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
For more information, please visit Xpansiv.com .
About Brightly
Brightly is a climate solutions company focused on reducing food waste and food insecurity by turning surplus food into measurable environmental and social impact. The company partners with food rescue organizations, food banks, and leading food businesses to quantify methane emissions avoided through food recovery using rigorous measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV). Brightly develops high-integrity carbon credits under Verra’s VM0046 methodology and returns a majority of proceeds to its nonprofit partners to expand their impact. By connecting climate finance directly to food recovery, Brightly is helping build a more resilient, efficient, and equitable food system.
For more information, please visit justbrightly.com .
Media Contacts:
Xpansiv, pr@xpansiv.com
Brightly: andy@justbrightly.com