Does Solein production remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?

Solein production does not permanently sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it stores it only for a short time. Therefore, it cannot be considered a carbon sequestration technology but instead close to carbon neutral. CO2 is removed from the atmosphere with direct air capture (DAC) technology, but once the food is consumed, the CO2 returns to the atmosphere through respiration.

At Factory 01, our first commercial-scale production facility, DAC technology allows us to sequester approximately a third of the CO2 needed for the bioprocess directly from the air; the rest is sourced externally. In future facilities, we hope to explore the possibility of sourcing all CO2 needed through direct air capture.

If conventional plant or animal proteins are replaced by Solein, this can free up land. If the land is let to rewild, it would become a net sink of carbon dioxide. This way Solein production can have a carbon negative effect.