Twelve FAQ: Meet The Carbon Transformation Company

Twelve is the carbon transformation company. We turn CO2 into products. We’re building a world made from air and advancing industrial innovation—where CO2 is harnessed as resource and the feedstock for life’s essentials.

Who is Twelve?

Twelve is the carbon transformation company.

We use electrochemistry to turn CO2 into essential products—replacing fossil fuels with air as the foundation of modern industry. We're building a world made from air, where CO2 is treated not as waste, but as a resource and feedstock for life’s essentials.

Our mission is to advance next-generation industry by diversifying how fuels, chemicals, and materials are made—transforming CO2 into critical inputs for global supply chains, and reducing reliance on oil.

Twelve was founded in 2015 by Dr. Etosha Cave, Dr. Kendra Kuhl, and Nicholas Flanders.

What does the name Twelve mean?

The carbon-12 isotope is the most abundant form of carbon, representing 98.93% of the carbon on Earth.

What does Twelve do?

Twelve makes essential products from CO2 instead of fossil fuels.

Our carbon transformation technology uses renewable electricity to convert CO2 and green hydrogen (sourced from water) into hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals via an electrochemical process called Power-to-X, or Power-to-Liquid for fuels.

These eFuels and eChemicals are drop-in replacements for petroleum-based products—with no trade-offs in quality or performance. This approach reduces reliance on fossil resources and enables domestic, onshore manufacturing of fuels and chemicals—strengthening supply chain resilience and powering the next wave of industrial innovation.

What is carbon transformation?

How is it different from CCUS/CDR?

Carbon transformation reimagines carbon emissions—not as waste, but as a resource.

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) or carbon dioxide removal (CDR), involves capturing and sequestering CO2 underground or in deep carbon sinks, or utilizing the CO2 molecule for processes like enhanced oil recovery (EOR) that extend fossil fuel use.

Carbon transformation, on the other hand, is the process of breaking down CO2 and creating valuable new molecules. These new CO2-derived molecules become the building blocks for essential fuels and materials, eliminating emissions at the source and breaking the link between fuel and chemical production and fossil resources.

Simply put, CCUS or CDR treats CO2 as a waste product to capture and store, or sequester away. Carbon transformation treats CO2 as a resource for manufacturing essential products such as fuels, chemicals and materials.

Carbon transformation offers several key advantages:

Harnesses CO2 as a resource — transforming it from a liability into a driver of GDP
Diversifies hydrocarbon production
Increases domestic fuel production / onshore fuel production
Unleashes advanced industrial innovation
Meets consumer and regulatory demands for sustainable solutions by replacing petrochemicals in products and supply chains with eFuels, eChemicals and CO2Made products

What products does Twelve make through carbon transformation?

Our carbon transformation technology enables the production of eFuels, eChemicals, and CO2Made® consumer products by brands people trust.

eFuels

eFuels, or electrofuels, are drop-in replacements for conventional petroleum-based fuels. Twelve’s suite of eFuels cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% for aviation, shipping, road freight, heavy machinery, and backup power. eFuels also significantly reduce additional air pollutants sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter.

E-Jet® SAF

ASTM D7566 Annex A1

E-Jet SAF FAQ

E-Marine™ Shipping Fuel

ISO 8217 DMA

Electrol™ eDiesel

eChemicals

eChemicals are identical, drop-in replacements for petrochemicals that serve as building blocks for thousands of everyday products.

Twelve's E-Naphtha™ is a versatile eChemical derived solely from CO2, water, and renewable energy. E-Naphtha™ is chemically identical to traditional naphtha, making it an ideal substitute in numerous applications.

CO2Made® Products

We partner with leading brands to replace the petroleum-based ingredients and materials in their products and supply chains with CO2Made® alternatives, which are drop-in replacements compatible with existing manufacturing systems.

With CO2Made materials and ingredients, brands can deliver the same products their customers know and love, but without the carbon footprint. These materials are petroleum-free, made with zero net-new emissions, and molecularly identical to conventional options, ensuring no trade-offs in quality or performance.

CO2Made products enable brands to meet rising consumer demands for sustainable products, and create competitive advantage while advancing innovative manufacturing practices.

How does Twelve produce these products?

AirPlant™ is our eFuels and eChemicals production facility, powered by carbon transformation technology that works like industrial photosynthesis—using CO2, water, and renewable electricity to produce hydrocarbons.

The core of this technology is the Leaf™, our proprietary membrane electrode assembly (MEA) with a novel catalyst that reduces CO2. Installed inside our CO2 electrolyzers, the Leaf™ drives the conversion of CO2 and water into syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This syngas is then upgraded into fuels and chemicals like E-Jet® SAF and E-Naphtha through a process known as Power-to-Liquid, part of the broader Power-to-X pathway.

What is Twelve’s impact on global emissions?

Twelve’s carbon transformation technology has the potential to eliminate up to 10% of global emissions, including 50% of hard-to-decarbonize industrial emissions.

Who are Twelve's customers?

Twelve is proud to partner with Alaska Airlines, Boston Consulting Group, International Airlines Group, Shopify, and more.

Twelve Partnerships

How can corporate customers purchase SAF credits from Twelve to offset operational/travel emissions?

Corporate customers can directly contact Twelve to purchase sustainable aviation fuel credits (SAFc) in order to offset their operational and/or travel footprint. These credits are transferred to the customers once the E-Jet fuel that is associated with the credit purchase has been used by an airline. Alternatively, corporate customers can jointly purchase E-Jet fuel in partnership with any airline of their choice and retire the credits as needed. Twelve works with industry-leading registries like the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance and the International Air Transport Association to transfer the credits to customers with lifecycle traceability.

Company History

Twelve was founded in 2015 by Nicholas Flanders, Dr. Etosha Cave, and Dr. Kendra Kuhl, who met at Stanford University. Etosha and Kendra were PhD students researching electrocatalysts for CO2 conversion, exploring how to transform CO2 from a waste product into a valuable feedstock for chemicals and fuels. Nicholas, an MBA student and cleantech entrepreneur, recognized the transformative potential of their work. Their shared vision led to the creation of Twelve—a company born to scale this breakthrough technology and replace fossil fuels in everyday products. Etosha’s experience growing up near Texas oil refineries and Kendra’s upbringing as the child of National Park rangers inspired a deep commitment to reimagining how we source carbon. Today, Twelve’s leadership combines personal conviction with world-class scientific and business expertise to deliver a scalable solution for both addressing carbon emissions and advancing next-gen industrial innovation.

Where is Twelve located?

The Lab

Berkeley, CA

Company Headquarters

Electrochemical R&D

Manufacturing & Engineering

Alameda, CA