CLIMEWORKS AG

Their core work

Climeworks is a Swiss technology SME specializing in direct air capture (DAC) of CO2 and its subsequent conversion or permanent storage. Within H2020 projects, they contributed their CO2 capture and purification technology as a feedstock source — both for underground mineral carbonation (CarbFix2) and for power-to-gas energy storage (STOREandGO). They also participated in research converting captured CO2 into chemicals like methanol, formic acid, and bioplastics (CELBICON). Their core commercial product is modular DAC equipment that pulls CO2 directly from ambient air.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Climeworks' early H2020 involvement (2016) focused on CO2 as a chemical feedstock — capture, purification, and electrochemical conversion into valuable products like methanol, formic acid, and bioplastics. By 2017, their focus shifted toward permanent CO2 removal through subsurface mineral storage, with attention to safety, monitoring, cost optimization, and handling impure CO2 streams. This trajectory mirrors the broader climate-tech shift from CO2 utilization toward permanent carbon removal.

Climeworks is moving from CO2 utilization research toward permanent carbon removal and storage — aligning with the growing carbon credits and net-zero compliance market.

How they like to work

Climeworks participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — typical of a technology provider contributing a specific capability (DAC units) to larger research consortia. With 44 unique partners across 8 countries in just 3 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia. This suggests they are sought after as a specialist contributor whose technology enables other groups' research rather than driving project design themselves.

Despite only 3 projects, Climeworks has built a broad network of 44 partners across 8 countries — indicating participation in large EU consortia with significant geographic diversity. Their Swiss base and energy/environment focus likely connects them to strong partners in Germany, Iceland, and the Nordics.

What sets them apart

Climeworks is one of very few companies worldwide with operational direct air capture technology, making them a rare and high-demand partner for any consortium working on carbon removal, CO2 utilization, or negative emissions. Unlike most H2020 participants who bring research expertise, Climeworks brings a physical, deployable technology — actual DAC machines that produce real CO2 streams for experiments. For consortium builders, they offer the credibility and hardware that turns theoretical carbon capture research into demonstrable results.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CarbFix2
  Pioneered upscaling of in-situ CO2 mineralization in basaltic rock — directly linked to Climeworks' landmark commercial plant in Iceland that permanently stores CO2 underground.
• CELBICON
  Explored a full value chain from air-captured CO2 to commercial chemicals and bioplastics, combining electrochemistry with biotechnology in an unusual cross-disciplinary approach.
• STOREandGO
  One of the largest EU power-to-gas demonstrations, connecting Climeworks' DAC to renewable energy storage at industrial scale across multiple European sites.