In a lab in Paris, Lionel Mora and Patrick Torbey have been designing a houseplant that can remove pollutants from indoor air, where volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde are a danger to human health. After four years of work, their company, Neoplants, is emerging from stealth Thursday with its first bioengineered plant, the Neo P1, which it says can eliminate 30 times more pollutants than a typical houseplant. Future versions could be designed to get rid of even more.
The green-minded entrepreneurs behind the project aim to create plants that help people live healthier lives. Their business, launched in 2018, is part of a growing cohort of climate tech startups selling directly to consumers. This group of companies—including Oxwash, an eco-friendly washing service, and Bower Collective, which sells reusable household products—is leveraging the power of synthetic biology to give everyday items entirely new functions, such as cleaning your home’s air.
Many indoor plants are known to be natural air purifiers, absorbing harmful chemicals and releasing the oxygen that we breathe. But the scientists at Neoplants have taken this concept to the next level, engineering the plant to metabolize certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like formaldehyde and benzene.
These are the chemicals found in household products and materials, such as wall paint, furniture, and some cleaning agents, but also from things like cigarette smoke, cooking, and other human activities. They can damage human health, causing breathing problems, headaches, and skin irritation. The plants that Neoplants have developed eat the VOCs and convert them into carbon dioxide, which the plant then releases back into the air. The team has tested their new plant at a facility in France, comparing it to a regular pothos and a standard ficus tree—and the GMO version was able to eliminate 30 times more of the selected pollutants than the non-engineered plants used in NASA’s famous Clean Air Study from 1989.
The Neo P1 can be preordered for $179, which includes the plant itself, a self-watering stand, and the microbes that feed it. The microbes last about a month and need to be replenished. The plant thrives in low light and minimal watering, so it’s ideal for casual houseplant grower who wants to cut down on chemicals in their home. Neoplants hopes to start shipping the plant at the end of this year. The company also plans to add other plants to its repertoire, including the philodendron, a popular choice among indoor gardeners. GEN met with the startup co-founders—Mora, who is 32 and originally from Austria, and Torbey, who has a Ph.D. in gene editing and was previously at Google GOOG +0.2% —while they were stateside recently to meet investors. Both are Millennials and cited the need to make an impact as their primary motivation for starting the business. Get our weekly Blueprint newsletter straight to your inbox with exclusive interviews and analysis.
