SOUTH POLE AG

Their core work

South Pole AG is a Zurich-based sustainability and climate action consultancy that works with businesses, governments, and cities on decarbonization strategy, carbon markets, and climate project development. In their H2020 participation, they contributed climate expertise at two distinct scales: first in industrial carbon capture and utilization — helping convert waste flue gases into chemical feedstocks — and then in urban systems transformation, supporting cities in designing and piloting net zero transitions. Their value in research consortia is applied climate knowledge, bridging technical solutions and real-world implementation across sectors. They are not a research institution but a practitioner organization bringing market credibility and implementation experience to innovation projects.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

South Pole's early H2020 engagement (Carbon4PUR, starting 2017) was deeply technical: industrial flue gas conversion, catalysis, CO2 utilization chemistry, and the production of polymer intermediates such as cyclic carbonates and polyurethanes. By their second project (NetZeroCities, starting 2021), the vocabulary shifted entirely — from chemistry to cities, from catalysis to citizen engagement, from coatings to systems change. This reflects a deliberate broadening from niche industrial carbon utilization toward mainstream urban climate strategy, which aligns with how the voluntary carbon market and net zero consulting sector evolved in the same period.

South Pole is moving toward large-scale urban and public-sector climate transformation, making them a strong fit for future consortia focused on city decarbonization, climate governance, and just transition frameworks.

How they like to work

South Pole participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have never coordinated an H2020 project — suggesting they join as a specialist contributor rather than a project driver. Despite only two projects, they have accumulated 50 unique consortium partners across 14 countries, which points to participation in very large, multi-partner consortia typical of Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) in the climate and cities space. Working with them likely means engaging a commercially-oriented actor who adds market and implementation credibility rather than leading scientific work.

South Pole has worked with 50 unique consortium partners across 14 countries — an unusually wide reach for just two projects, reflecting the large-consortium nature of the RIA schemes they joined. Their network is European in scope but likely extends beyond through their commercial operations in global carbon markets.

What sets them apart

South Pole is one of the world's largest climate solution providers, and their EU research participation gives them a rare dual identity: they are both a commercial practitioner with real-world carbon project portfolios and a verified H2020 research partner. For consortia, this means access to a partner with direct industry and policy connections rather than just academic expertise. Their presence bridges the gap between research outputs and market adoption — valuable in any project that needs to demonstrate impact beyond the lab.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Carbon4PUR
  Highest-funded project (€304,214) and technically the most specific — converting mixed industrial flue gases into polyurethane chemical building blocks, representing a rare intersection of carbon utilization and polymer chemistry.
• NetZeroCities
  A flagship EU Mission project targeting net zero in cities by 2030, indicating South Pole's capacity to operate at the intersection of urban policy, citizen engagement, and large-scale climate implementation.