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A global carbon hub, scaling Net Zero Ambitions
Zurich stands as a global nexus for both the carbon reduction and carbon removal sectors. The city offers numerous advantages rendering it an ideal location for the carbon industry. Zurich encompasses the entire value chain, including education and research, innovation, entrepreneurship, talent, investors, public support, and a strong customer base. This whitepaper provides an overview of the key players and activities in Zurich's carbon industry.
Several research groups at ETH, EMPA and ZHAW conduct world-leading research in the area of carbon reduction and carbon removal:
| Institution | Group |
|---|---|
| ETH Zurich | Separation Processes Laboratory |
| ETH Zurich | Energy and Process Systems Engineering |
| ETH Zurich | Professorship of Renewable Energy Carriers |
| ETH Zurich | Climate Physics Group |
| ETH Zurich | Energy and Technology Policy Group |
| ETH Zurich | Climate Finance and Policy Group |
| ETH Zurich | Electrochemical Energy Systems Laboratory |
| ETH Zurich | Reliability and Risk Engineering Group |
| ETH Zurich | Group for Sustainability and Technology |
| ETH Zurich | Climate Policy Lab |
| ETH Zurich | Energy Systems Analysis Group |
| ETH Zurich | Biogeoscience |
| ETH Zurich | Energy and Climate Economics |
| ETH Zurich | Global Ecosystem Ecology |
| ETH Zurich | International Political Economy and Environmental Politics |
| ETH Zurich | Surface Earth Evolution |
| ETH Zurich | Swiss Seismological Service |
| ETH Zurich | Climate Geology |
| ETH Zurich | Earth Surface Geochemistry |
| ETH Zurich | TdLab |
| ETH Zurich | Environmental Physics Group |
| ETH Zurich | Sustainable Agroecosystems |
| EMPA | Advancing Life Cycle Assessment Group |
| EMPA | Environmental Risk Assessment and Management Group |
| Perspectives Climate Group | Climate action advisory and research |
| ZHAW | Ecological Engineering |
| ZHAW | Center for Energy and the Environment |
| ZHAW | IMPE Institute of Materials and Process Engineering |
The growth of the sector is supported by numerous NGOs and Think Tanks, bridging the gap between various stakeholders, and facilitating networking and knowledge exchange.
| Women in Carbon - Switzerland | Founded in London, WiC aims to connect, empower, and amplify women in the field. With the acceleration of the industry, WiC expanded to globally leading carbon hubs like Zurich, San Francisco, Singapore, and Amsterdam. |
|---|---|
| Sus Lab | A “think and do tank” by the Group for Sustainability and Technology at ETH Zurich, focused on projects from industry, politics, and society. Aims to overcome systemic challenges and be at the forefront of opportunities to decarbonize and create a circular economy. |
| Swiss Cleantech | An industry association supporting Switzerland to reach its 2050 Net Zero target by uniting corporations and policymakers to address pressing decarbonization challenges. |
| Swiss Carbon Removal Platform | Think Tank which empowers Switzerland to reach its climate targets with carbon removal by connecting stakeholders, informing the public debate, and initiating joint innovation. |
| Swiss Climate Foundation | Supported by 31 renowned Companies it funds climate-protection and energy-efficiency projects in Swiss SSMEs using CO2-levy donations. |
| Open Climate Solutions | Non-profit working towards a healthy climate by harnessing the power of seaweed to regenerate oceans, soils and communities. |
Two local accelerators are the gateway for innovators to put their ideas into practice, facilitating the first stages to avoid the early valley of death. Numerous international startups have run through their program.
| Carbon Removal Booster | Innovation Booster powered by Innosuisse, accelerating radical ideas to develop CDR solutions in Switzerland and beyond. |
|---|---|
| Remove | European Startup Accelerator focused on the Carbon Removal revolution, providing €50k non-dilutive funding and a 9-month support program. |
According to the official website of the city of Zurich:
“98,000 employees work in 14,800 Zurich-based companies on sustainable solutions for the future. Thus, the Cleantech Cluster in the canton of Zurich provides more jobs than any other”.
Several of these firms focus on carbon reduction or removal, including Climeworks, the first company listed by City Zurich:
| Climeworks | World’s leading Direct Air Capture technology firm, founded as a spinout from ETH in 2009, with over 400 employees. Providing critical technology for the path to net zero. |
|---|---|
| Carbonfuture | World’s leading provider for durable carbon removal system infrastructure. The software integrates the entire carbon removal lifecycle and brings trust to each step of the value chain. |
| CarbonPool | World’s first carbon credit insurance company, paying claims in carbon credits, not cash. |
| Neustark | Carbon capture and storage technology, turning waste concrete into a carbon sink. |
| AirFix | Biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) in Europe, including co-development, advisory, and sale of carbon credits. |
| Cotierra | Biochar producer creating carbon removal solutions in Latin America. |
| Enchar | Biochar market platform supporting buy and sell-side. |
| Karbonwerke | Carbon Capture of biogenic CO2, leveraging proven technologies and existing infrastructure. |
| Synhelion | Developer of solar fuels by turning sunlight into fuel. |
| UniSieve | Decarbonization of heavy industries with the help of advanced gas separation membranes. |
| Pelt8 | Sustainability reporting platform for regulatory reporting, data audibility across different standards. |
| Metafuels | Sustainable aviation fuel producer. |
| Recoal | Developed a cutting-edge carbon removal technology that transforms waste biomass into Negative Emission Coal |
+many more companies