The Carbon Curve CO280 is turning pulp and paper mills into carbon removal factories
Episode 56 is with Jonathan Rhone and Natalie Khtikian, co-founders of CO280.
In this episode, Na’im speaks with Jonathan and Natalie about their groundbreaking work in large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects, specifically in partnership with pulp and paper companies. They discuss their innovative approach to carbon removal by partnering with pulp and paper companies. They highlight the importance of leveraging existing industrial frameworks to scale effectively. The episode delves into their successful partnerships with major companies like JP Morgan and Microsoft, and the critical role of government policies in facilitating large-scale carbon removal projects.
In this episode, Na’im, Jonathan, and Natalie discuss:
* Their journey into carbon removal and founding CO280;
* The challenges and opportunities of integrating carbon removal technology with the pulp and paper industry
* CO280's business model and project financing strategies
* Recent high-profile agreements with companies like Frontier, Microsoft, and Frontier;
* Technical and logistical aspects of CDR project development;
* The importance of regulatory and policy certainties for supporting the CDR market; and
* The outlook and future plans for CO280.
Relevant Links:
* CO280 and Frontier’s offtake agreement - Article
* Why Microsoft is buying carbon credits from a pulp and paper mill - Article by Trellis
* CO280 and JPMorgan’s offtake agreement - News
About Jon
Jonathan Rhone is a serial cleantech entrepreneur with extensive experience commercializing hard-tech, developing large-scale projects, and partnering with industrials to solve tough energy and environmental problems. As co-founder and CEO of Axine Water, he led commercialization of a disruptive technology and hardware-as-a-service model for the pharmaceutical and other industrial markets.
Jonathan is also co-founder and director of Evok Innovations, where he helped launch one of Canada’s largest and most successful cleantech venture funds. As founder and CEO of Nexterra Systems, he created a global supplier of bioenergy heat and power systems for industrial and institutional customers. Prior to Nexterra, he held leadership positions with a NASDAQ-listed cleantech company, and the Delphi Group. He began his career in oil and gas with Amoco Canada (now BP).
About Natalie
Natalie Khtikian is a commercialization and sales leader with experience spanning software, advertising, and hard-tech. She is cofounder and chief commercial officer at
Prior to joining CO280, Natalie was Climeworks' first employee in North America, before pivoting to climate tech, Natalie was part of two teams that were acquired by Google, Wildfire Interactive and Waze. There, she worked with Fortune 50 clients and opened new markets and verticals. Natalie also was VP of Sales for Yondr, a hardware team focused on removing cellphone distraction from shows, events, and spaces.
About CO280
CO280 is a developer of large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects. In partnership with pulp and paper companies, CO280 develops, finances, owns, and operates carbon removal projects that deliver a new standard of permanent, verifiable, and affordable CDR credits to customers in the carbon market. They have more than 10m tonnes per year of CDR under development in the US and Canada. They have had recent public CDR customer announcements with JPMorgan, Microsoft, and Frontier.
This episode was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Consecon Foundation.
This episode was created and published by Na’im Merchant. Episode production and content support provided by Tank Chen.
Na’im Merchant is the co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, a policy initiative focused on scaling carbon removal in Canada. He is on the advisory board of the Carbon Removal Standards Initiative and Terraset, and a former policy fellow with Elemental Impact. He previously ran carbon removal consulting practice Carbon Curve, and publishes The Carbon Curve newsletter and podcast. Every two weeks, Na’im will release a short interview with individuals advancing the policies, technologies, and collective action needed to scale up carbon removal around the world.
Tank Chen is the Head of Content and Community at CDR.fyi, a public benefit corporation dedicated to accelerating carbon removal through transparency. He is also the co-founder of CDRjobs, a career platform for the carbon removal industry. Based in Taiwan, Tank is a carbon removal advocate focused on educating policymakers, corporate leaders, and the public on the importance of carbon removal, using data-driven insights to support communication and policy advocacy.
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