Born from the Carbon XPRIZE competition, Air Company emerged. Air Company uses proprietary technology to transform carbon dioxide from the air into vodka while helping solve some of our planet’s most forthcoming problems. With this classy cocktail in hand, there is no need to overthink your environmental impact.
Why does this matter?
- US alcohol manufacturers produce the same amount of greenhouse gases 1.9 million households do in a year. Each bottle of Air Vodka is equivalent to the daily carbon intake of 8 trees.
- Air Company’s vodka stands out competition because it is fighting climate change. For every bottle of Air Vodka produced, a pound of the greenhouse gas is removed, thus making it the world’s first carbon-negative spirit.
- “We’ve tried to take all the pieces of traditional alcohol production that put CO2 into the atmosphere and replace it with renewable power,” said Stafford Sheehan, Air Company’s chief technology officer.
- Air Company has a machine that takes the place of the fermentation and is faster, more efficient, has no negative impact to the environment, and runs on solar power. Electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide into alcohol has been around for decades, but Air Company is the first to produce and scale a drinkable beverage out of it.
What’s next?
- Air Company is currently keeping distribution local and planning to set up outpost distilleries in markets throughout the US to keep carbon emissions from distribution as low as possible.
- Other items we might see coming from Air Company, or companies similar, in the future are perfumes, alternative fuels, plastic-making chemicals, and other ethanol-based consumer products.
- Greg Constantine, CEO of Air Company, predicts that environmentally-conscious products will continue growing in the market: “Consumers are drawn to goods that do good, and we hope to play a role in bringing people sustainable solutions of the highest quality which harness the power of science and technology to improve our planet.”
Thoughts
All the startups that are finalists for the Carbon XPRIZE competition have the same mission – they are all maximizing how much carbon dioxide they convert and are creating valuable products. For startups in this space to succeed, they all need great support and funding, especially as these are hardware/manufacturing intensive. Hopefully, access to capital will become easier for early stage startups as other startups de-risk the landscape.
About The Author
Daniel currently works at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His original assignment was to maintain and update facility safety documentation for all facilities on-site, and perform risk analysis. Over time, his role has expanded to leading continuous improvement efforts through product management.
Concurrently, Daniel volunteers with Techstars, helping organize startup weekends, and with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, organizing events on the local and national levels of the organization. He also volunteers with One World, and previously with Powerhouse Ventures, to source and screen startups for potential investment.
Daniel holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from UC Davis, and recently completed coursework in energy innovation from Stanford. His passion is at the intersection of sustainability, innovation, and business.