We're driven by values.
No Predator-Capitalism
We believe in network economy and the necessity of everyone having to work together. Things as eternal growth, vertical integration and super competitive thinking are relics of the type of linear capitalism that caused the problems that we address.
Well-being & Self-care
Working in environmental sectors is a marathon, not a sprint. We do what we do because we love to do it, and working hard is part of that. But, we also love to take a break, care for ourselves, think, reflect, and comprehend the bigger picture of our doing.
Impact before profits
Everything we do primarily serves the purpose of exercising positive impact. However, we are a for-profit company and have accepted the challenge of having the best possible impact within the boundaries of capitalism. All income we earn is directly linked to an amount of CO₂ taken out of the atmosphere.
Togetherness
Since climate change is a human-made problem, we also see it as the responsibility of humankind to solve this problem. We want to bring everyone who is passionate about something similar along with us. To follow this path steadily requires inclusivity, close cooperation, trust and mindful presence. That's what we strive for everyday - both within our team and in our work with external partners.
The Team
Two like-minded and long-haired idealists from Hamburg, Germany, started their journey just for fun on the 20. April 2021. A few fails later, it turned out that they're actually pretty good at running a company together. If Carbon Removal was already as developed and sexy as AI Software, dating apps, or getting your groceries delivered to your doorstep within 10 minutes on the back of the cyclists, we'd surely be in Series C by now. But probably also more unhappy.
We're grateful for the milestones we've achieved so far and the support and recognition we've received. It's our goal to build a company that can change the status quo and still function without the need to pump more and more external money into it. Everything we did so far is bootstrapped and for us, that is the bigger success than overhyped unicorn stories of no-impact-products and -services that make good profits, but nobody really needs after all.
After the first two bumpy years, things stabilised, the model clarified, new amazing people (!!) joined the team out of their own initiative, and today, it's full speed ahead!
Let's remove CO₂ together with Biochar!
Frequently asked questions
1. Why do we need Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)?
According to the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, "the deployment of CDR to counterbalance hard-to-abate emissions is unavoidable if net-zero CO₂ or greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions are to be achieved". In other words, we are out of budget and all efforts to reduce or avoid emissions will not be enough. We need to incorporate net-negative-emissions activities into our economy to remove, depending on the scenario we will face in the future, up to 21 gigatons of CO₂ per year by 2050. This poses an enormous challenge which can only be mastered collectively.
2. Are Carbon Offsets and Carbon Dioxide Removal the same?
As the emerging carbon market struggles to find uniformed definitions, the boundaries between the two concepts are often blurry and misunderstood. However, they are clearly to be distinguished. Offsets most commonly refer to emissions reductions or avoidance. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) principles allow to only sell the net-negative emissions and generally undergo more strict quality measures to ensure the highest integrity:
Permanence: How long will the CO₂ be safely removed from the atmosphere?
Additionality: Does the CDR activity cause new climate benefits, or would the carbon removal have happened anyway?
Carbon leakage: Are emissions shifted elsewhere because of the CDR activity?
Negativity: How emission-intensive is the CDR process relative to its carbon removal potential?
Verifiability: How is the CO₂ removal monitored and verified?
Co-benefits/risks: What are the consequences for ecosystems, biodiversity, food security, etc.?
3. Is it expensive to start a Biochar Carbon Removal (BCR) operation?
In our experience, capital expenditures are on average around 20,000 - 30,000 EUR, give or take, depending on the economic environment.
4. How long does it take to start a project?
From the first handshake until a fully audited project takes about 3 months if everything runs smoothly and everyone pushes forward. If this process has been done once, the next project can be onboarded a lot faster.
Artisanal Biochar Carbon Removal Projects
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