Black color is everywhere, and its most common pigment — carbon black — is built on fossil fuels. Today, nearly all black pigment comes from burning petroleum byproducts, making it dirty, carbon-intensive, and unsustainable. The problem is widespread: demand for black pigment spans packaging, textiles, cosmetics, inks — everywhere — yet alternatives that match performance and cost without fossil inputs have been missing.

With more than 15 million metric tonnes of carbon black produced annually, emitting 29–79 million metric tonnes of CO₂ each year, we urgently need a solution.

Enter Living Ink Technologies. The company has developed a bio-based, carbon-negative black pigment made from renewable biomass sources such as algae, spent brewery yeast, and industrial waste. Their proprietary process uses a specialized pyrolysis technique and surface treatment to create a small-particle black pigment that performs as well as — or better than — traditional carbon black.

Unlike competitors that produce simple biochar, Living Ink’s technology ensures strong light absorption, stability, and durability, making it a viable drop-in replacement for petroleum-based pigments. Their ability to co-locate with biomass producers will also allow them to source feedstock at zero or very low cost, helping to reduce production expenses over time.

Trusted already by leading global brands, Living Ink is proving that nature-powered performance can scale across industries without compromise.

For Katapult Ocean, this is exactly the kind of breakthrough we seek: leveraging biology to decarbonize legacy supply chains through a product that can outperform traditional inputs and operate at the commercial scale global markets demand.

Living Ink’s low-cost feedstock model and decentralized production approach will give them a long-term cost advantage over competitors. As pressure mounts on petroleum-based carbon black, they are well-positioned to become the go-to sustainable alternative for major brands in packaging, fashion, and printing. Living Ink replaces a hidden but massive fossil-dependent ingredient with a renewable alternative, redefining both sustainability and design.

We’ve been following Living Ink for a couple of years, giving us a front-row seat to their execution and steady progress through milestones. Led by founders Scott Fulbright and Stevan Albers, the team brings deep expertise in biotechnology, engineering, IP, and business development, and has demonstrated strong ability to engage and secure collaborations with major global brands.

Our diligence included conversations with multiple strategic partners who expressed confidence in the technology’s performance, cost trajectory, and sustainability profile, while highlighting growing customer demand and commercial momentum.

Living Ink is a natural fit in our portfolio, strengthening our algae industry allocation and aligning directly with our Circular Resources domain. Like other companies we support, they use waste to enable circular economy principles — upcycling byproducts from industries like brewing and agriculture into high-value products.

We invested because Living Ink replaces a fossil-intensive material with a renewable, carbon-negative alternative that can scale globally. We are proud to support Living Ink as they bring climate-smart color to the world.

If you’re interested in learning more about Living Ink Technologies, or in testing their products, you can get in touch here.

Apply to attend Katapult Ocean Digital Investor Day 2025.