Applied projects and expertise

As part of Work Area II, we apply knowledge, insights and expertise in pragmatic climate change mitigation projects, often working with partners from public institutions, philanthropy, academia and industry to accelerate the low-carbon transition. With these projects, we aim to reduce emissions and demonstrate the feasibility of concrete solutions to convince political and economic actors of the potential. The aim is to catalyze a systemic change towards a sustainable society.

Some examples of our current projects:

Green marine fuels from Africa
In 2023, European legislation has been introduced that will increase the demand for low-carbon fuels for ships travelling too, and from EU ports. We want to help African ports seize the opportunity to become suppliers of new low-carbon fuels produced locally with domestic renewable energy.

Green reefer containers
Millions of refrigerated sea containers play an important role in global trade, but also have a significant and growing impact on the environment. The refrigerants used today are many times more harmful to the climate than CO₂, they contain “forever chemicals” (PFAS) and consume a lot of energy for cooling - better alternatives are available. The use of natural coolants, better insulation in combination with more intelligent energy management can together make a real difference. We are working with industry and academic partners to test new solutions and accelerate the introduction of new, more sustainable refrigerated containers.

Learn more about Greener Reefers: https://www.green-cooling-initiative.org/about-us/
Stay updated on our Greener Reefers LinkedIn page: Greener Reefers Alliance

Green freight transport in East Africa
Green freight transport programmes are well established in Europe, North America and Asia and are helping to improve the environmental performance of freight transport. To meet the growing demand for climate-friendly supply chains, African companies need access to low-carbon transport and logistics services. We are working with partners in East Africa as well as international industrial, commercial and transport companies to establish a regional green freight transport programme.

Logistics of carbon dioxide removal
As CO2 emissions continue to rise, there is a growing realization that large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) will also be needed to limit climate change. There are several possible methods that have the potential to remove gigatons of CO2 from the atmosphere over the next few decades, even if some of them are still in their infancy. If they prove to be safe and effective, some of the methods, such as enhanced rock weathering or ocean alkalinity enhancement will require the transport of billions of tones of alkaline minerals. In this project, we are exploring the logistical implications (costs, emissions, investments, technologies, routes, social impacts, etc.) of scaling up such CDR solutions.

Forestry as a carbon sink
Forestry is the most established form of CO2 storage to date. As a first step towards the direct removal of CO2 from the atmosphere, the foundation supports forestry projects in New Zealand. Kauri Forestry involves planting fast-growing trees that are then harvested and used as building material. The forests are part of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme.