Z43 Goes NetZero

Z43 partners ZMT, SPEAG, IT’IS, and TI Solutions have made the next step in our journey toward net-zero emissions: We have established the Z43 NetZero Foundation, a Swiss-based nonprofit dedicated to reducing the impact of human activities on the climate through scalable, carbon-neutral technologies.

As a science-driven organization, and with the firsthand witnessing of our rapidly disappearing Swiss glaciers, we are profoundly alarmed by the changing climate and its socio-economic impacts. As an engineering-focused organization, we are committed to developing solutions.

In this spirit, we have already made significant investments in carbon-free heating and electricity for our buildings. During our recent Z43 energy retreat we analyzed our greenhouse gas footprint and identified the key sources of remaining emissions: the gray fossil-based energy in our products, along with emissions from business travel and product shipments by air.

At the retreat, we made a collective commitment as an organization to operate at the cost of carbon-free solutions, such as investing in solar panels, heat pumps, and other sustainable technologies, and to prioritize renewable energy wherever possible; for unavoidable emissions, like those from air travel, we decided to offset our climate footprint.

To achieve this goal efficiently, we have established the Z43 NetZero Foundation, a Swiss-based nonprofit. Z43 NetZero’s mission is to substantially reduce the impact of human activities on the climate by investing in the research and development of scalable, carbon-neutral technologies.

Our analysis of Z43’s footprint has revealed that air transportation requires a high-density energy source. One such source, fossil kerosene, has a density of >10 kWh/kg, while today’s batteries only achieve about 0.25 kWh/kg. Currently, the most plausible solution is synthetic fuel, or E-Fuel*, which matches the energy density of kerosene but is significantly more expensive than fossil fuels like oil and coal – resources that have taken 50 to 300 million years to form and whose combustion now jeopardizes the planet’s future. Until E-Fuels become available, Z43 will donate the difference in cost between E-Fuel and fossil kerosene to the new Foundation retroactively, starting from 2023.

This donation is estimated to range from USD 300k to USD 600k annually, and the Z43 NetZero Foundation will use it for effective investments in sustainable solutions. We hope many will embrace this spirit and join us in donating to the Foundation.

On Friday August 9, 2024, the Z43 NetZero Foundation’s three Board members – Prof. em. Niels Kuster, Dr. Roland Walthert, and Dr. Davnah Urbach – held their inaugural meeting in Zurich.

Defining the Foundation’s core mission and setting funding and investment priorities is the first task. Over the coming weeks, the Board will explore the most promising options in greater detail and refine their focus areas.

We will keep you regularly updated on our progress.

Z43 – Think Renewable!

*E-Fuel is a synthetic fuel made by combining hydrogen produced using renewable energy with carbon dioxide (CO₂) captured from the atmosphere. This process creates a carbon-neutral fuel that can be used in aviation and shipping.