I am thrilled to share that InPlanet has been recognized as one of Fast Company‘s Most Innovative Companies in Latin America for 2025, ranking 10th on this prestigious list. This recognition places us alongside global pioneers like Waymo, NVIDIA, and Duolingo. To stand alongside these world-changing companies is both humbling and a validation of the work our team has put in.
What set us apart? Science and impact. The InPlanet team made history last year by delivering the world’s first verified Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) credits, a breakthrough in carbon removal. Achieving verification required rigorous research, cutting-edge geochemical tracing, and independent third-party validation. This milestone not only proves ERW as a scientifically robust climate solution but also lays the groundwork for scaling carbon removal at the level the planet needs.
Why Brazil? The perfect place for a global climate solution
This award is more than a milestone, it’s a testament to the unique potential Brazil holds for carbon removal. From the very start, my co-founder Niklas Kluger and I knew that Brazil was the best place on the planet to prove ERW at scale.
Here’s why:
• Perfect Climate for ERW → Brazil’s heat and heavy rainfall supercharge rock weathering, making it up to 10 times more effective than in temperate regions like the U.S. or Europe. This means carbon removal happens faster and more efficiently.
• Agricultural Scale Like Nowhere Else → Brazil’s farmland covers 33% of the country—nearly twice the agricultural land of Europe. Farmers here already apply millions of tons of soil treatments, meaning we can integrate rock powder without competing for land use.
• A Head Start Thanks to Policy & Science → Unlike most countries, Brazil has pioneered rock powder research since the 1950s. The Rochagem (“rockage”) movement helped pass laws certifying rock powders as “remineralizers”, giving us a clear legal framework for ERW in farming.
Simply put, Brazil is the best place in the world to prove that ERW is a game-changer for climate action.
From a road trip to climate movement
The idea for InPlanet wasn’t born in a lab, it was born on a road trip through Brazil’s vast farmland. Niklas and I were driving through endless green landscapes of soy, sugarcane, and coffee fields when we had our lightbulb moment.
Niklas had spent years studying carbon removal and working with farmers. I saw the business opportunity, ERW was scalable, scientifically sound, and economically viable. We knew we could turn this lab-proven process into something that works on real farms, for real people.
In August 2022, we founded InPlanet, the first company dedicated to ERW in Brazil, with a clear mission: partnering with farmers to integrate rock powder into their crops, collaborating with scientists to validate carbon removal, and scaling ERW across Brazil and beyond to drive global impact. Unlike most carbon removal methods that compete for land or rely on expensive technology, ERW is low-cost, durable, and co-beneficial.
Vision for the future
Fast Company’s recognition isn’t a finish line; it’s a challenge to think bigger and move faster. We have already proven that Enhanced Rock Weathering works in Brazil, and now our focus is on expanding its impact. At the same time, we are expanding partnerships with farmers to integrate ERW into more agricultural systems, ensuring widespread adoption. Our goal is to deliver transparent and verifiable carbon removal at scale.
We will have spread enough rock powder in the next 2 years to achieve a CO₂ removal of 1 million tonnes, but our long-term vision is even bolder. We are working toward removing gigatons of CO₂ while regenerating tropical soils, proving that ERW is both an effective and sustainable solution.
This award belongs to everyone who has believed in InPlanet, from our team and partners to the investors and farmers who are making this vision a reality. Brazil feeds ten percent of the world’s population, and it has the potential to remove one hundred percent of its own emissions through ERW. The work we are doing here has global implications, demonstrating that carbon removal is scalable, sustainable, and economically viable.
This is just the beginning. Science will continue to advance, protocols will evolve, and ERW will scale. We are proud to lead the way.
Read the article originally published on LinkedIn.
