POST CARBON LAB LTD
Post Carbon Lab Ltd is a London-based biotech R&D social enterprise (1-10 employees) that uses microbial biotechnology to convert CO2 into colours, pigments, and the proprietary Photosynthetic Coating™ for textile applications. It serves fashion, interior, and automotive brands through bespoke microbial finishing services and consultancy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What POST CARBON LAB LTD does
Post Carbon Lab Ltd is a London-based biotech R&D social enterprise, registered in England and Wales (Company Number 12629276), operating from Unit 24 Poplar Works, 384 Abbott Road. Founded in 2019 and operating with a small team of 1-10 employees, the company develops microbial technologies that convert CO2 into colours, pigments, dyes, and coatings for industrial textile applications. Its two core technology platforms are Microbial Colouration (sustainable biological alternatives to traditional chemical dyeing, printing, and wet-processing) and the proprietary Photosynthetic Coating™, a registered trademark that imparts photosynthetic and pollution-filtering properties to garments, targeting climate-positive rather than merely reduced-impact outcomes.
The company generates revenue through professional services: bespoke microbial finishing services for textile-based businesses, sustainable consultancy for net-zero transition projects, and interdisciplinary design research programmes (including the DNfSC research project). Distribution is direct B2B collaboration with fashion, interior, and automotive brands, supplemented by educational workshops and community engagement through the BIOSHADES European lab network. There is no publicly disclosed pricing model and no productised SaaS or licensed-IP revenue stream.
Commercially, the company has run pilots and showcased its technology with marquee luxury fashion brands — Stella McCartney/Kering, Balenciaga, McQ, and Olivia Rubens — and has research collaborations with the Natural History Museum, Royal College of Art, Central Saint Martins, MIT Media Lab, and the University of the Arts London. Its funding to date is entirely non-dilutive: a 2024 seed capital investment from the Worshipful Company of Dyers, an Innovate UK Global Business Innovation Programme grant for Japan expansion, an EPSRC Doctoral Mobility Scheme, a British Council New Landscape Phase 2 grant for India R&D, and a series of UK innovation awards. Multiple high-profile accolades — Cannes Lions Gold, D&AD Graphite Pencil, The One Show Gold Pencil, Kering Award for Sustainable Fashion — provide reputational moat but have not yet translated into disclosed commercial revenue.
POST CARBON LAB LTD firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- POST CARBON LAB LTD
- Legal name
- POST CARBON LAB LTD
- Website
- https://postcarbonlab.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Post Carbon Lab Ltd is a London-based biotech R&D social enterprise (1-10 employees) that uses microbial biotechnology to convert CO2 into colours, pigments, and the proprietary Photosynthetic Coating™ for textile applications. It serves fashion, interior, and automotive brands through bespoke microbial finishing services and consultancy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
POST CARBON LAB LTD industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Textile Biotechnology
- NAICS
- Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513), Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills (3133), Fabric Coating Mills (31332)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Biological CO₂ Utilization (algae/biotech conversion to fuels, chemicals, proteins) (EUABAIAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Biobased, Compostable & Low-Impact Material Innovation (Bio-polymers/Dope Dyeing) (IMAOAMAM)
Keywords
Where POST CARBON LAB LTD is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
POST CARBON LAB LTD business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Microbial Finishing Services: Offering sustainable microbial alternatives to traditional textile colouration, dyeing, printing and wet-processing technology to textile-based businesses to support their net-zero transition journey.
- Sustainable Consultancy: Consulting services for businesses seeking sustainable textile treatments and formulations for their net-zero transition.
- Research & Design Services: Interdisciplinary design research and practice projects such as Design Nudges for Sustainable Consumption (DNfSC), exploring sustainability communication through packaging and graphic design research.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
POST CARBON LAB LTD product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Post Carbon Lab develops and applies microbial biotechnology for textile finishing, turning CO2 and carbon emissions into colours, pigments, dyes, and coatings for industrial textile applications. It offers proprietary Microbial Colouration services and the trademarked Photosynthetic Coating™, which gives garments photosynthetic and pollution-filtering properties to enable carbon-negative (climate-positive) outcomes. These technologies are delivered through bespoke B2B engagements, consultancy, and collaborative workshops for fashion, interior, and automotive textile businesses pursuing net-zero transitions.
Product overview
Post Carbon Lab is a biotech R&D social enterprise offering sustainable, microbiological textile treatments to textile and polymer-based businesses. The company provides two core technology products: Microbial Colouration (producing colours, pigments, and dyes through microbial processes) and the Photosynthetic Coating™ (enabling garments to absorb CO2 and generate oxygen). These technologies support fashion, interior, and automotive industry clients in their net-zero transition. The company also operates the DNfSC (Design Nudges for Sustainable Consumption) research program exploring sustainable communication design, and offers workshop programs and sustainable consultancy services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DNfSC (Design Nudges for Sustainable Consumption): An interdisciplinary research project testing possibilities of engaging environmental ethics via hacking graphic/packaging design of plastic-bottled liquids to promote sustainable consumption behaviours.
- BIOSHADES
- Microbial Colouration
- Photosynthetic Coating™
Products and services
- Microbial Colouration
Quantifiable outcome
- Garments designed with photosynthetic coating can achieve carbon negativity (climate positivity)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use POST CARBON LAB LTD
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
POST CARBON LAB LTD technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
POST CARBON LAB LTD partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Natural History MuseumcoreDr Anne Jungblut from Natural History Museum collaborated on the Post Carbon Fashion research project, providing scientific expertise in photosynthetic organisms and sustainability research.
- London BioHackspacecoreHosting collaborative workshops and talks on bio-based colours and sustainable textile innovation, connecting with the bio-hacking community.
- TextileLab AmsterdamcorePart of the BIOSHADES network connecting 15 labs across Europe to explore dyeing textiles with bacteria through collaborative workshops.
- Waag SocietycoreCollaborative partner in bio-design and sustainable textile innovation, participating in joint workshops and knowledge sharing.
- TCBL (Textiles and Clothing Business Link)coreEuropean network partner for textile innovation and sustainable fashion research and development.
- Stella McCartney / KeringflagshipReceived Kering Award for Sustainable Fashion, indicating significant collaboration and endorsement from one of fashion's most prominent sustainability-focused luxury groups.
- BalenciagacoreHosted internal event at Balenciaga showcasing Photosynthesis Coating technology for potential implementation.
- Royal College of ArtcoreDelivered BioDesign lecture and workshop at RCA, collaborating on bio-design education and research.
- Central Saint MartinscoreDelivered PhotoBioReactor lecture and collaborative design research on bio-based textile solutions.
- MIT Media LabcoreFeatured at Global Community Bio Summit at MIT Media Lab, Boston, presenting DIY-PhotoBioReactor research.
- University of the Arts LondoncoreRecipient of Creative Enterprise Award from UAL; collaborated on multiple initiatives including New Landscape Phase 2.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
POST CARBON LAB LTD competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Huue: San Francisco biotech producing sustainable indigo dye via fermentation, targeting the denim industry. Directly comparable bio-based dye developer with a similar microbial fermentation approach to Post Carbon Lab's colouration work.
- Colorifix: UK-based biotech that uses engineered microbes to produce and fix sustainable textile dyes, eliminating toxic chemistry. Closest direct competitor to Post Carbon Lab's Microbial Colouration, operating in the same fashion/textile value chain with a parallel B2B licensing model.
- DyeCoo Textile Systems: Dutch pioneer of waterless textile dyeing using supercritical CO2 as the dye medium. Addresses the same sustainability problem (toxic wet-processing) as Post Carbon Lab's microbial colouration but with a physical-chemistry rather than biological mechanism; competes for the same brand sustainability budgets.
- Pili Bio: French bio-manufacturer producing renewable dyes and pigments from fermentation for textile, ink and cosmetics markets. Highly comparable microbial-dye platform aimed at the same textile colouration customers as Post Carbon Lab.
Broad incumbents
- Archroma: Global specialty chemicals major with a large textile dyes and finishes portfolio including EarthColors bio-based dye ranges. Broader incumbent that overlaps with Post Carbon Lab's microbial colouration target customers and competes for the same sustainability-driven textile accounts.
- Huntsman Textile Effects: Division of Huntsman Corporation supplying dyes, finishes and digital inks to global textile mills. Established incumbent with sustainability programmes that compete for the same fashion/interior/automotive textile brand RFPs as Post Carbon Lab.
Emerging players
- Spiber: Japanese bio-manufacturer of Brewed Protein™ textile fibres using fermentation. Adjacent biotech textile materials player working with luxury and sportswear brands on bio-based alternatives; relevant peer for Post Carbon Lab's biotech-textile positioning and customer base.
- Pond Biomaterials: Early-stage biotech producing bio-based pigments from algae for textile and material applications. Comparable emerging player in the bio-based colorant space, intersecting with Post Carbon Lab's microbial colouration work.
- Spinnova: Finnish sustainable fibre technology company producing wood-based textile fibres without dissolving chemicals. Adjacent emerging player in sustainable textile materials, relevant for understanding the broader bio-based textile ecosystem Post Carbon Lab operates in.
- Bolt Threads: US biotech producing protein-based fibres (b-silk, microsilk) and engineered materials for fashion. Comparable emerging biotech textile platform with similar sustainability positioning, academic collaborations and fashion brand engagements.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
POST CARBON LAB LTD social profiles
Digital presencePOST CARBON LAB LTD financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
POST CARBON LAB LTD leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
POST CARBON LAB LTD funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
POST CARBON LAB LTD M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about POST CARBON LAB LTD
What does POST CARBON LAB LTD do?
Post Carbon Lab develops and applies microbial biotechnology for textile finishing, turning CO2 and carbon emissions into colours, pigments, dyes, and coatings for industrial textile applications. It offers proprietary Microbial Colouration services and the trademarked Photosynthetic Coating™, which gives garments photosynthetic and pollution-filtering properties to enable carbon-negative (climate-positive) outcomes. These technologies are delivered through bespoke B2B engagements, consultancy, and collaborative workshops for fashion, interior, and automotive textile businesses pursuing net-zero transitions.
Is POST CARBON LAB LTD a public or private company?
POST CARBON LAB LTD is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was POST CARBON LAB LTD founded?
POST CARBON LAB LTD was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is POST CARBON LAB LTD based?
POST CARBON LAB LTD is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does POST CARBON LAB LTD make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Microbial Finishing Services are the primary driver. The others are sustainable Consultancy and research & Design Services.
Who are POST CARBON LAB LTD's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Huue, Colorifix, DyeCoo Textile Systems and Pili Bio. Broad incumbents are Archroma and Huntsman Textile Effects. Emerging players are Spiber, Pond Biomaterials, Spinnova and Bolt Threads.
Does POST CARBON LAB LTD have an API?
No public API is recorded for POST CARBON LAB LTD.
What industry is POST CARBON LAB LTD in?
POST CARBON LAB LTD's product category is Sustainable Textile Biotechnology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABAIAJ, Biological CO₂ Utilization (algae/biotech conversion to fuels, chemicals, proteins), with a secondary code of IMAOAMAM, Biobased, Compostable & Low-Impact Material Innovation (Bio-polymers/Dope Dyeing). Its NAICS code is 32513 and its SIC code is 8731.