The challenge ahead
Our mission is clear: to protect our planet and ensure a livable future for generations to come, the IPCC states that global warming must be limited to 1.5°C. To maximize our chances of achieving this, the world needs to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
So how do we get there? Well, emissions reductions are the absolute priority in this quest — we all have a responsibility to reduce our carbon emissions. But to truly enable global net zero, we also need carbon dioxide removal solutions, such as direct air capture and storage (DAC+S), to neutralize our unavoidable and historic emissions. Critically, we need to remove billions of tons of CO₂ from the air by 2100 to keep global warming in check.
That's why we’re on a journey to scale our DAC+S technology to gigaton capacity.
How did this ambitious journey start?
Our two co-founders, Jan and Christoph, met on their first day of university at ETH Zurich and quickly became friends. Aside from their love of engineering, they both shared a passion for alpine sports and spent much time in the Swiss Alps. Here, they experienced the effects of climate change first-hand. Shocked by the retreat of the glaciers, they vowed to do everything they could to tackle climate change.
Together, Jan and Christoph embarked on a journey toward a solution that would empower everyone to take climate action. As engineers at heart, they poured their efforts into working on a technology called direct air capture, a way to capture carbon dioxide directly from the air. As a result, Climeworks was founded in 2009 and is now the leader in direct air capture (DAC) technology.
2009-2024: 15 years of Climeworks
On top of all the engineering and market progress that Climeworks made, we celebrated the company’s 15th birthday in November 2024. Watch the video for a short glimpse of Climeworks’ history:
Our journey to gigaton scale
2050
Gigaton: Climeworks will achieve climate impact at scale.
2040
Multi-megaton: our capacity will keep on increasing as we approach our goal.
2030
Megaton: Climeworks’ technology will be rolled out globally.
2024
Tens of thousands of tons: Mammoth, Climeworks new and largest DAC+S plant, joins Orca in Iceland.
2014
Tons: Climeworks’ first small-scale DAC plant, a modular CO₂ collector, begins operation.
2012
Kilograms: We reached demonstration scale with the first demo prototype.
2009
Milligrams: Climeworks is founded by Jan and Christoph, who capture CO₂ from the air under lab conditions at the Professorship of Renewable Energy Carriers (Prof. Steinfeld) of ETH Zurich.