Climeworks (B): Business modeling – creating new market opportunities

Climeworks took a multipronged approach when seeking markets for its end product: emissions reversal, beverages and fuel. Climeworks emissions reversal solution involved the direct physical removal of the same amount of emissions from the atmosphere as had been created. Once captured, the CO2 could then be permanently and safely stored underground. Also, the global beverage industry had become one of the biggest consumers of CO2 in the world. Valser, recently certified as Switzerland’s first climate-neutral mineral water, was the first brand to leverage Climeworks’ technologies for its drinks. Finally, air-captured carbon dioxide could be combined with hydrogen and turned into a fossil fuel substitute. It was still unclear which of these markets would prove successful for Climeworks or whether government regulations would be adapted to support carbon removal. But it was clear that industry disruption was needed to reduce emissions drastically and avoid the most destructive effects of climate change. What was also sure was that entrepreneurs Gebald and Wurzbacher had no plans to slow down until they had fulfilled their bold vision of solving one of the greatest challenges through innovation.