Replacing plastic using captured greenhouse gases with Newlight, Ep #77

Invested In Climate

There’s a lot we can learn from nature. Processes that happen in nature keep resources in flow, by-products are used and contribute to the health of the ecosystem and there is no waste. Fallen leaves enrich the soil, photosynthesis produces oxygen for animals to breathe, and microorganisms decompose methane and carbon dioxide and produce PHP.

Oh, not so familiar with that last example? Well, it’s an important one to know about if you care about removing greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere or producing a sustainable replacement for plastics. Today we’re joined by an entrepreneur who for 20 years has been working to harness this natural process to combat climate change, Mark Herrema, founder of Newlight. We talk about how Mark got into this space, how NewLight’s technology works, its impact and business potential, insights to the broader carbon removal space, and much more. Lots to learn in this one. Enjoy!

In today’s episode, we cover:

• [3:19] Mark's journey to founding Newlight
• [6:44] Newlight & the problem it’s aiming to solve
• [8:33] Overview of the air carbon production process
• [11:19] Characteristics & applications of air carbon
• [13:00] Newlight's business model & revenue sources
• [14:24] Products, partnerships, & insights into sales & growth
• [15:44] Utilizing protein byproducts of air carbon
• [17:00] Newlight's vision for reducing greenhouse gases
• [18:59] Thoughts on the emerging carbon market & its potential
• [21:00] Key challenges in the carbon reduction space
• [23:26] Regulatory environment, public investments & support programs
• [24:35] Newlight's future plans, challenges & scaling strategies
• [26:29] Aspirations for research in carbon capture & negative products

Resources Mentioned

• Newlight

Connect with Mark Herrema

• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn

Connect with Jason Rissman

• On LinkedIn
• On Twitter

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