Herein described is a method for the manufacture of C1-C20-hydrocarbyl formate from carbon dioxide, the method comprising heating a mixture containing C1-C20-hydrocarbyl alcohol, a base, and a catalyst in the presence of carbon dioxide and a reducing agent to a temperature of 20 to 250°C, wherein the catalyst comprises a metal of group VIIIB of the periodic table on an inorganic carrier, and wherein the carbon dioxide is present in gaseous form at a pressure of 5 to 100 bar. Also described is a method for preparing a catalyst comprising a metal of group VIIIB of the periodic table on a carrier, the method comprising a. preparing a solution of a salt of a metal of group VIIIB of the periodic table in a solvent, b. adding a reducing agent to the solution to obtain a treated solution, c. adding a carrier to the treated solution, d. removing the solvent to obtain a wet catalyst, and e. heating the wet catalyst to obtain the catalyst.