When most indoor vertical farming companies talk about sustainability, they compare their methods to traditional, outdoor farms. They talk about values that are inherent to indoor vertical farming such as the reduction in water and land-use.

Yes, we require less land and water. We’re less polluting and more resilient to climate change. We can build our farms near to urban communities and reduce food miles as a result.

But very few indoor vertical farming companies talk about what they're doing internally to become more sustainable. And that's important because, despite all our benefits versus traditional farming, we still have room to improve.

Circularity

Waste has always been a big problem for indoor vertical farming. The substrate material (used in irrigation) will usually be discarded at the end of every growth cycle, resulting in mountains of waste. That’s why we developed our own proprietary gel substrate, which dissolves during plant growth, resulting in zero waste.

When we began indoor vertical farming, we used a plastic sponge substrate that was unsustainable. Every week, we would use enough sponge to cover an entire football field, and it wasn’t recyclable or biodegradable. However, it was the best option for us at the time.

Now, we have solved our waste problem. Whereas common substrate materials such as sponge, soil, rockwool and peat are all carbon-based, our gel substrate is water and plant based. Therefore, we have effectively decarbonized hydroponics.

Electricity

Another big problem is energy intensity. Grow lights require a lot of electricity and although we favor low-carbon energy sources, they’re not always available. That’s why we’re constantly innovating to reduce electricity usage. From all perspectives, our LED technology is more efficient than any grow lights available on the market today.

Furthermore, we rarely use air conditioning. Instead, we have adopted proven solutions from the greenhouse industry, such as fan and pad cooling systems, which use less electricity. Not only do they lower our OpEx, but they also minimize our carbon footprint.

Profitability

We see sustainability as a question of long-term value creation. We only pursue projects with a clear path to profitability. For us, sustainability is about more than just impact; it’s a business model.

The most unsustainable thing that an indoor vertical farming company can do is to build farms that eventually become bankrupt and never truly deliver on their promises.