Startup to Grow Palm Oil in Lab – Not in Rainforest

A startup based in New York, USA is working on fighting the palm oil industry’s contribution to deforestation by producing a sustainable, lab-grown alternative – and it’s receiving support from Bill Gates’ investment company.

“Our real mission is ending the need for deforestation that’s driven by the palm oil industry,” explains Shara Ticku, founder of the startup C16 Biosciences, to Fast Company. “We believe that it is totally unacceptable to be burning the planet to make a vegetable oil. It just doesn’t make any sense, and it’s totally unacceptable. There has to be a better way. And we want to provide that solution.”

Bill Gates’ investment company Breakthrough Energy Ventures is investing a total of $20 million into the startup, according to Bloomberg, which C16 will use to improve its technology and grow its team. If the lab-grown palm oil could match the cost of that from the rainforest, it could be crucial to significantly reducing the oil’s impacts on the environment.