By Eleanor Greene
Kiverdi has created a bioprocess which recycles carbon dioxide into high-value oils, raw renewable materials, and proteins, to be used in a variety of applications from everyday consumer goods to industrial products and fish feed.
Since co-founder and CEO, Lisa Dyson, participated in 2012's Beyond Waste cycle, the company has found additional funding and launched projects with multinational manufactures leading to more innovations and success. Dyson says that she is inspired by the people who work for Kiverdi, and the people who have devoted their lives to having an impact.
“When individuals who have specific skills and resources come together to do something good, there is so much that can be accomplished. I continue to experience this and be inspired by it on a daily basis” Dyson said.
1. You were involved in LAUNCH's Beyond Waste cycle in 2012. What progress have you made on your innovation since LAUNCH?
We have multiple projects underway to bring our end-products and carbon recycling solutions to market. One project involves the commercialization of an aquaculture feed derived from carbon dioxide. We call it MicroFeed™. This product will not only serve as a sustainable food for fish, but it also offers fish farmers a clean feed alternative that has the right amino acid profile for healthy fish, without the contaminants or negative environmental impacts of sourcing increasing amounts of fishmeal to meet the growing demand.
2. How has Kiverdi made an impact on the world, or what impact are you excited about it having?
In nature, there is no waste. One organism’s waste is another organism’s fuel. At Kiverdi, we envision a world where we treat carbon as a resource and recycle it back into the products that we consume everyday. We believe this shift in thinking and how we manufacture goods has to occur in order to feed and power a world with 10 billion people in it by 2050. All of our products are manufactured using carbon dioxide. One ton of protein is produced from 2 tons of recycled carbon dioxide. For oil, the number is even better. One ton of oil recycles 6 tons of carbon dioxide. An example of an oil product that Kiverdi is developing is a sustainable alternative to palm oil. We call it PALM+™. And it’s better than palm oil. Since over 50 percent of consumer goods are manufactured using palm oil, including detergents, soaps, ice cream and cooking oil, the impact of our PALM+™ product can be tremendous.
3. LAUNCH is all about connecting unexpected partners. Have you connected with any partners to get your innovation to where it is today?
LAUNCH brings together a high-caliber group of influencers across industries and value chains. These individuals, the council members, are genuinely interested in working with innovators to solve commercialization challenges and to see innovative solutions to some of the world's greatest challenges deployed at a large scale. The LAUNCH staff works tirelessly with innovators to help them maximize the potential for their success. In our case, we where we were the recipient of a grant and investments from five angels as a direct result of our participation in LAUNCH.
4. What are you looking forward to the most in Kiverdi's future?
Our aim at Kiverdi is to enable the large scale production of economically attractive, sustainably produced raw materials from carbon dioxide, in order to manufacture the products that we use everyday, from soap and packaging materials, to fish feed and ice cream. I’m excited not only about the role Kiverdi is playing and will play in introducing new value chains, but also about the strong interest by brands in sourcing sustainable raw materials and their collaborative efforts to make sustainable value chains reality. As brands and manufacturers produce more and more products sustainably, consumers will have increased options to make environmentally friendly choices, both for their families and for future generations.