Ocean Exchange announces that Nicholas Flanders, co-founder and CEO of Twelve, will deliver the opening remarks at its 2022 Awards event, to be held October 23-25 in Fort Lauderdale. Twelve—the recipient of Ocean Exchange’s 2019 Neptune Award and 2015 Collegiate Award— uses carbon dioxide, water and renewable energy to create a wide range of materials and fuels traditionally created using fossil fuels. The company recently entered into a partnership with Virgin Voyages that will enable it to scale the production of E-Marine™, the newest sustainable fuel made using its carbon transformation technology.
“We are honored that Mr. Flanders will open this year’s awards program, the largest in our 11-year history with three $100,000 prizes and a record number of applicants from around the world. His company’s success is proof of the positive impact our program can make by providing both the support ecosystem and funding to help accelerate the development and commercialization of important new technologies,” said Millicent Pitts, CEO and Executive Director of Ocean Exchange.
“While the challenges facing our climate, and especially our oceans, are vast, overcoming them is possible if we work together to commercialize and scale innovative approaches. I look forward to sharing some of Twelve’s experiences and connecting with other sustainability-focused entrepreneurs during the event,” noted Flanders.
Flanders has dedicated his career to uncovering and developing energy innovations that help to better our environment and address the climate crisis. Before co-founding Twelve, he served as COO of Levo, a venture-backed technology startup, and was a business analyst in McKinsey’s Cleantech practice where he co-authored groundbreaking studies of the global energy system. He graduated with distinction from Cornell University with a degree in mathematics and holds an M.S. in engineering and MBA from Stanford University. He was selected as Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy for 2016 and is a 2016 Echoing Green climate fellow.
Twelve is a new kind of chemical company built for the climate era. In addition to E-Marine, it is making everyday products from air, not oil. To that end, the company has partnered with companies such as Alaska Airlines, Procter & Gamble and Mercedes Benz to make a variety of products ranging from sustainable aviation fuel to sunglasses.
Virgin Voyages is partnering with Twelve to help meet the cruise line’s commitment of reaching Net Zero by 2050. It plans to explore the use of Twelve’s E-Marine on its ships, collaborate with others in the industry, and advocate for the right policies and incentives that will help make sustainable marine fuels scalable and affordable. E-Marine is 100% drop-in marine diesel fuel made from CO2, water, and renewable electricity. It has up to 90% lower carbon dioxide, and lower sulfur oxides (SOx), particulate matter, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions than conventional marine diesel.
The Neptune and Collegiate Awards are given to the solution that advances our understanding of the ocean and that helps minimize our impact on these resources, even while using them for human benefit, resulting in more resilient bodies of water including healthy marine life and coastlines.
