What Aeco does

Aeco (aeco GmbH) is a European peatland restoration company founded in 2023 in Munich and now headquartered at Impact Hub Berlin. It develops, finances, and operates rewetting projects on drained agricultural peatlands, primarily in Germany, Latvia, and Poland, with an active pipeline spanning Lithuania and the United Kingdom. The company's core proposition is the generation of verified CO2 avoidance and (future) removal credits, registered under recognized standards including VCS, MoorFutures (including the first MoorFuturesflex implementation at Polder Bauernhand), and the UK Peatland Code, with a piloted line of additional ecosystem service certificates covering water, biodiversity, and condensation cooling.

The technical platform centers on a science-based Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system that combines satellite-derived remote site screening, on-site assessment of vegetation, peat properties and hydrology, installed continuous water-level sensors, and the Greenhouse Gas Emission Site Types (GEST) approach to emissions calculation, with outputs third-party validated by bodies such as BEF Lithuania. Aeco operates a stakeholder-alignment model in which landowners and farmers receive 30–65% of carbon revenue (typically €200–€1,000 per hectare per year) and all project development costs are covered by the company, while corporate buyers access quote-based, project pre-finance agreements or direct purchases of verified certificates aligned with SBTi guidance.

Customers fall into four groups: landowners and farmers (primary supply side), corporate entities seeking SBTi-aligned credits for residual emissions (primary demand side), impact investors (secondary demand), and restoration/conservation NGOs that source projects and contribute scientific validation. Aeco reaches the market through direct B2B sales, a pan-European conservation partner network (Eurosite, Greifswald Mire Centre, Succow Stiftung, BEF Lithuania, DUENE, fors earth, Centrum Bagna), and a four-language website (EN, DE, PL, LV). The company is privately financed by individual backers combining backgrounds in technology, agriculture, and finance; no institutional funding rounds, revenue figures, or named corporate buyers are disclosed.

Name

Aeco

Legal name

aeco GmbH

Website

https://aeco.earth

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aeco (aeco GmbH) is a Berlin-based European peatland restoration company developing and financing rewetting projects on drained peatlands to generate verified carbon avoidance and ecosystem service certificates for corporate buyers, landowners, and impact investors across Germany, the Baltics, Poland, and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carbon Credit Development and Peatland Restoration Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Forestry and Logging (113)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Wetlands, Peatlands & Mangrove Restoration (Blue Carbon Restoration) (EUABABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carbon Accounting, Verification & Registry Services (MRV, Audits, Certification) (IMAMAJAE), Soil Carbon & Regenerative Agriculture Removal (Soil Organic Carbon Credits) (EUABAFAG)

Keywords

• Peatland restoration services
• Carbon credit development
• Carbon avoidance certificates
• Voluntary carbon markets
• Ecosystem service certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin-müggelheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Carbon Avoidance Credits: Revenue from selling CO2 avoidance certificates generated by rewetting drained peatlands. Projects raise water levels to slow peat oxidation, significantly lowering GHG emissions. Credits registered under recognized carbon standards (VCS, MoorFutures, UK Peatland Code) and verified by third parties before issuance.
2. Carbon Removal Credits: Long-term revenue stream from removal credits when restored peatlands return to natural carbon sink functions. These can be traded in the future according to IPCC projections.
3. Project Pre-finance Agreements: Companies can enter pre-finance agreements securing long-term access to credits at discounted prices, purchasing future rights to certificates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aeco develops and finances peatland restoration projects across Europe by rewetting drained agricultural peatlands to slow peat oxidation and cut greenhouse gas emissions. The company generates and sells verified CO2 carbon certificates (and pilots additional ecosystem service certificates for water and biodiversity) registered under recognized standards such as VCS, MoorFutures, and the UK Peatland Code.

Product overview

Aeco is a peatland restoration company that operates a platform combining restoration expertise with access to capital. The core offering consists of peatland restoration projects that generate CO2 carbon certificates through the avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions via rewetting drained agricultural peatlands. The company also pilots quantification of additional ecosystem services (water, biodiversity) as potential future certificate offerings. Projects span multiple European countries (Germany, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, UK) with standardized, digitized monitoring and verification practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Peatland Restoration Projects End-to-end development, financing, and management of peatland rewetting projects across Europe (Germany, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, UK) combining on-site restoration work with digital MRV monitoring to produce verified carbon and ecosystem service certificates.
• CO2 Carbon Certificates Verified greenhouse gas avoidance and (future) removal credits sold to corporate buyers with credible emission reduction strategies aligned with SBTi guidelines; revenue share to landowners covers 30-65% of credit revenue.
• Ecosystem Services Certificates Quantification and monitoring of non-carbon ecosystem services (water, biodiversity, condensation cooling) on rewetted peatland sites, with potential future trading as add-on certificates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Raising water level by 30cm can halve CO2 emissions from drained peatlands
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• EurositeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network of conservation organizations that Aeco collaborates with for project identification and sourcing across Europe. Eurosite is a network that connects nature conservation organizations.
• BEF Lithuania (Baltic Environment Forum)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization in Lithuania serving as validation and verification body for Aeco projects and assisting with project development in the Baltic region.
• Greifswald Mire CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and expertise center for peatland and mire conservation in Germany, providing scientific support and monitoring optimization for restoration projects.
• Succow StiftungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman foundation focused on peatland protection and restoration that provides expertise and support for Aeco's restoration projects.
• DUENEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization (Zentrum für Naturschutz und Nachhaltigkeit) in the Ducherow area, partner in peatland restoration initiatives.
• fors earthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman environmental organization focused on climate and nature protection that collaborates with Aeco on restoration projects.
• Centrum (Bagna)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolish organization (Centrum Rolnicze) focused on peatland and wetland conservation in Poland, supporting project development in Polish locations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Sylvera: Independent ratings provider for carbon credits using remote sensing and ML on nature-based projects. Comparable as an adjacent data/MRV-enabled services company targeting the same corporate offset buyer segment, though it rates rather than originates credits like Aeco.

Broad incumbents

• South Pole: Global nature-based carbon project developer offering avoidance and removal credits across forestry, agriculture, and wetland projects for corporate buyers; comparable to Aeco in serving SBTi-aligned corporates with project-finance and credit issuance, but at much larger scale and with a wider portfolio.

Direct peers

• Pachama: Technology-enabled marketplace and project developer for nature-based carbon credits, using remote sensing and MRV tooling to verify projects. Directly comparable to Aeco on the combination of nature-based project origination and digital MRV, with overlap on forestry/land-use credits sold to corporate buyers.
• NCX (Natural Capital Exchange): Marketplace and project developer for nature-based carbon credits, including forestry and soil carbon projects sold to corporate buyers. Comparable to Aeco as a project originator plus digital marketplace for forest/land-based credits, with overlap on small European landowners.
• Rubicon Carbon: Carbon credit project developer and commercialization platform focused on high-quality nature-based and technology-based avoidance and removal credits for corporate buyers. Comparable to Aeco in the credit issuance, offtake structuring, and pre-sale/pre-finance model for nature-based assets.
• Patch: API and platform that connects corporates directly to vetted carbon credit projects including nature-based and biochar assets. Comparable to Aeco as a distribution and technology layer between nature-based project developers and corporate credit buyers, though Patch is credit-agnostic and not itself a project developer.

Others

• Verra: Operator of the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), one of the carbon registries under which Aeco registers its avoidance credits. Verra is an ecosystem participant that defines the rules and certification infrastructure Aeco's projects depend on, and competitor registries cannot be ignored.
• EcoAct: Carbon strategy consultancy and project developer (now part of Atos) helping corporates develop net-zero strategies and source credits. Comparable to Aeco as a buyer-side and offset-procurement advisor for the same SBTi-aligned corporate clients, but not itself a peatland project developer.
• Gold Standard: Swiss-based carbon certification standard operating alongside Verra; comparable to Aeco as a standards/ecosystem participant that defines certification rules for nature-based avoidance credits corporates purchase.

Regional players

• MoorFutures: Regional peatland-specific carbon standard operating primarily in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, under which the Polder Bauernhand project is registered. Not a direct competitor but a closely adjacent methodology provider governing the credibility and supply of the regional peatland credits Aeco sells.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aeco-earth

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aeco