C16 Biosciences’ Sustainable Palm Oil Manufacturing

​A venture capital firm in Los Angeles, SP Investment Fund works to fund companies with novel products coupled with a business strategy that produces social or environmental benefits. One company SP Investment Fund supports is C16 Biosciences (C16), a palm oil manufacturing startup.

Founded by Shara Ticku, C16 addresses the widespread adverse environmental impacts of palm oil manufacturing. In spite of the damage growing the necessary palm trees causes to local ecosystems, including the deforestation and the release of CO2 into the atmosphere, food, cosmetic, and other companies continue using palm oil in their products. This ecological damage also affects local populations by reducing land that could be used for other crops.

To lessen the impacts of palm oil, C16 employs two methods. First, it helps source ethically-grown palm trees, and as part of negotiations with these companies, they promise to contribute to bioenergy and land restoration projects. Second, and more prominently, C16 researches palm oil creation using fermentation. By engineering bacteria to ferment select ingredients, C16 can create a product identical to palm oil but that is not derived from a palm tree, eliminating the agricultural drawbacks.