Product Timeline

Carbon was born in the stars a long time ago, and has been on a long journey. It is part of the air we breathe, forms the backbone of the natural world, from trees to diamonds to coral reefs, and is the core of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. When we see the carbon in greenhouse gas, we see something beautiful. It is the building block for all Covalent products.

Carbon forms more bonds with other elements than any other element in the universe, so in 2003, we asked a question: if nature can use carbon from greenhouse gas as a building block to make materials, why can’t we? This is where our own journey began, starting in a garage, then dorm rooms, then a university lab, and then a converted car garage. After many years, something happened.

Over 10 years of research, we discovered that there are natural microorganisms in the ocean that covalently bond carbon and oxygen dissolved in saltwater to make an energy storage material inside of their cells called PHB. After finding these microorganisms, we learned how to harness them to make this material on land. It took us 10 years to figure it out, but when it finally worked, it was a beautiful thing.

Using renewable energy and saltwater, we use natural microorganisms found in the ocean to turn air and carbon from greenhouse gas, such as methane and carbon dioxide, into a meltable, moldable biomaterial that can be used to help replace plastic and leather. A material made by life that bonds us to the natural world: we call it AirCarbon.

Covalent™ uses AirCarbon to create timeless products that help protect the things we love. With designs inspired by the bonds, forms, and patterns that exist in nature, artisans in California and Italy use AirCarbon to craft our products with the same meticulous attention to detail that luxury fashion houses demand.

Every Covalent product is given a unique Carbon Date: this is the time when air and carbon were transformed into the AirCarbon used to make that specific product. With this Carbon Date, we apply the world’s first IBM blockchain-based carbon tracking technology to track every step of the fabrication process for that product, including its independently verified carbon footprint.

The carbon we’ve captured has traveled from the distant stars to our planet’s atmosphere, now reborn as a Covalent product. Though it may be hard to imagine parting ways, when the time comes, return it to us and we will transform it into something new, ensuring the carbon remains safely and stylishly sequestered.