🌿Brewing a Sustainable Future with Lab-Grown Palm Oil – Mick Liubinskas sits down with Tom Collier, CEO and co-founder of Levur, to uncover how precision fermentation is transforming the palm oil industry.

Palm oil is found in 50% of supermarket products and 70% of cosmetics, yet its production is a major driver of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and carbon emissions. Levur is tackling this crisis by using synthetic biology to brew palm oil in a lab, eliminating the need for rainforest destruction. Tom shares his journey from molecular biology to entrepreneurship, the challenges of scaling biotech solutions, and why global regulations and corporate demand are accelerating the shift to sustainable alternatives.

From waste-to-feedstock innovation to mass fermentation at industrial scale, this episode explores how lab-grown palm oil could reshape the future of food, cosmetics, and climate tech.

💡 Tune in to learn why regulation, consumer pressure, and cost-efficiency are aligning to drive massive change—and why sustainable solutions must not only be greener but cheaper and better to win the market!

00:00 – Introduction: Live from Macquarie University’s Synthetic Biology Lab

00:24 – Meet Tom Collier and Levur’s mission to brew palm oil

01:07 – The devastating impact of palm oil production

02:05 – Why global demand for palm oil is set to quadruple by 2050

03:12 – How microbes and precision fermentation create sustainable palm oil

06:11 – Why palm oil is used in everything from chocolate to shampoo

08:43 – Scaling up: From lab samples to industrial fermentation

12:03 – Overcoming biotech manufacturing bottlenecks

16:01 – The challenge of making sustainable products cost-competitive

18:44 – How waste feedstocks can power a circular economy

19:38 – Why Europe’s palm oil regulations are a game-changer for Levur

22:08 – The $70M ton problem: Can lab-grown palm oil scale fast enough?

24:14 – 2025 goals: Delivering first samples and proving market fit

26:29 – The path to mass adoption and commercial success

🔗Levur – Brewing sustainable palm oil with precision fermentation

🤝Levur’s Linkedin🙋🏻‍♂️Tom’s Linkedin🌱 EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) – Banning unsustainable palm oil imports

📊 Australian Genome Foundry – Supporting synthetic biology startups

🔬 Macquarie University’s Synthetic Biology Lab – Cutting-edge research in bioengineering

📖 Net Positive by Paul Polman – How businesses can lead sustainability transformations

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💧Revolutionising Water & Energy Savings in Industry – Mick Liubinskas dives deep with Tia Collings, co-founder of Enaxiom, to uncover how hardware innovation is transforming industrial water and energy usage.

Tia shares Enaxiom’s mission to reduce water and energy consumption across industries like mining, data centers, and green hydrogen production through their breakthrough technology, HydroCOOL. Discover how her journey from sustainability consulting to hardware entrepreneurship led her to co-found Enaxiom with engineer Bijan Rahimi, and why they believe building better products is key to driving climate-positive change.

From navigating risk-averse industries like mining to tackling the rapid growth of data centers, Tia explains how Enaxiom balances commercial value with environmental impact. Plus, learn how regulations in the EU and Asia are accelerating demand for sustainable industrial solutions, and why Enaxiom is gearing up for global expansion in 2025.

💡 Tune in to explore hardware’s crucial role in climate tech, the challenges of scaling globally, and why sustainable solutions must make financial sense to drive real impact!

00:00 – Introduction: Meet Tia Collings from Enaxiom and their mission to save water & energy

00:27 – What is Enaxiom? The tech behind HydroCOOL and its industrial applications

01:46 – From Antler to entrepreneurship: How Tia and Bijan co-founded Enaxiom

03:57 – Why hardware innovation is key to climate solutions

06:16 – Building better products: Saving money and the planet

08:42 – Tackling mining vs. data centers: Navigating slow vs. fast-moving industries

12:04 – Balancing venture funding with self-sustaining sales growth

13:10 – Data centers' growing water & energy crisis: How Enaxiom is stepping in

16:41 – The global expansion roadmap: Piloting in Australia and scaling abroad

18:56 – Why EU regulations and U.S. market size both matter for climate tech

22:07 – Enaxiom’s 2025 goals: Scaling technology, closing funding, and growing the team

23:46 – The challenges of building a hardware team in climate tech

25:46 – The inevitable transition to net zero and what it means for businesses

28:52 – When will climate tech become the norm? Predictions for the next decade

32:17 – Advice for future climate tech founders: Validate fast and build better

🔗Enaxiom – Learn more about HydroCOOL and their industrial solutions

📊Gartner Report – On data center growth and sustainability challenges

🌍EU Data Center Regulations – Mandating energy and water efficiency

🌱Climate Salad – Supporting climate tech founders and startups globally

🌍 Ready to discover more innovative climate tech solutions? Here's what you can do:

▶️ SUBSCRIBE to never miss an episode featuring amazing founders solving climate challenges! → / @climatesalad. .

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🌍 From UN Policy to Climate Finance Innovation – Mick Liubinskas sits down with Janet Salem, co-founder of Footprint Lab, to explore how fintech and environmental data are shaping the future of climate finance.

Discover how Footprint Lab is embedding carbon tracking into everyday transactions, making it easier for businesses, institutions, and individuals to measure their carbon footprint. Janet shares her journey from the UN to entrepreneurship, the global shift towards mandatory ESG disclosures, and why fintech solutions are accelerating climate-positive decision-making.

From Singapore’s ESG mandates to Vietnam’s lost exports, this episode unpacks how sustainability policies impact global markets and why nature-positive finance is the next big frontier. Plus, get a sneak peek into Footprint Lab’s 2025 roadmap to expand beyond carbon and integrate biodiversity, water, and social impact metrics.

💡 Tune in for bold insights on fintech, climate data, and the future of sustainable spending!

00:00 – Introduction: Wrapping up the year with Footprint Lab.

00:31 – What is Footprint Lab? How fintech meets climate finance.

02:42 – How businesses can track their carbon footprint through financial data.

05:16 – Why Janet left the UN to build Footprint Lab.

07:06 – The rise of mandatory ESG disclosures & why companies must act now.

13:41 – How fintech is making sustainability mainstream.

16:58 – Asia-Pacific’s climate momentum: Why India, Singapore, and China are leading the way.

22:31 – Expanding beyond carbon: The future of nature-positive finance.

32:41 – Why government procurement is key to scaling sustainable solutions.

39:48 – The carbon footprint debate: Individual vs. corporate responsibility.

42:49 – Challenges for sustainable startups in traditional markets.

45:59 – Behavioural science & making sustainability an easy choice.

🔗Footprint Lab – footprintlab.io🌱UN Carbon Data – Used in global sustainability policy & ESG reporting.

📊Global Growth Program – Supporting startups tackling climate challenges.

💰Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) – EU’s carbon import regulation.

💳Open Banking & Open Energy – Fintech innovations making carbon tracking seamless.

🥤Refilled – Sustainable beverage vending machines disrupting traditional supply chains.

📖Nudge Theory – The science behind making sustainable choices easy & attractive.

🌍 Ready to discover more innovative climate tech solutions? Here's what you can do:

▶️ SUBSCRIBE to never miss an episode featuring amazing founders solving climate challenges! → / @climatesalad. .

🎧 Follow The Mix on your favorite podcast platform to listen on the go → https://the-mix-fm.captivate.fm/listen📧 Visit dayone.fm/shows/the-mix/newsletter and sign up for our newsletter to have these stories delivered straight to your inbox

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