Indoor air pollution is a growing concern, significantly impacting health and
wellbeing. The World Health Organization attributes about 7 million
premature
deaths
annually to air pollution, with indoor air often two to five times more
polluted
than outdoor air. Common household items including furniture, cleaning products
and paints release volatile organic
compounds
(VOCs) such as benzene and formaldehyde — which can cause respiratory issues,
allergies and
cancer.
With the average person spending roughly 90 percent of their time
indoors,
improving indoor air quality is essential for public health. Paris-based
startup Neoplants, founded in 2018, aims to address
this issue through bioengineered houseplants designed to detoxify VOCs. Its
flagship product, Neo PX, offers a
sustainable and visually appealing solution that enhances air quality while
blending seamlessly into home environments.
Neoplants co-founder Patrick
Torbey grew up in Lebanon with
a fascination for genetics — particularly, how a single DNA molecule can contain
all the instructions needed to build and operate an entire living organism. This
curiosity led him to France, where he earned his PhD in genome editing from
the École Normale Supérieure. Frustrated by the
limited use of genetic modification in big pharma and agriculture, he envisioned
using the tools he had learned about to benefit everyday life. This vision led
him to Entrepreneur First — a talent incubator where
he met his co-founder, marketing and tech expert Lionel
Mora.
Together, along with their team of 30 (20 of whom have PhDs and are engineers
specializing in various fields of biotechnology and indoor air quality), they
have bioengineered a plant that can purify air 30 times better than its
traditional counterparts and conventional air purifiers.
“Traditional air purifiers using HEPA filters are effective against particulates
but not volatile organic compounds (VOCs)," Torbey tells Sustainable
Brands® (SB). “VOCs originate inside the house; so even when you turn the
purifier off, pollution levels quickly rise again. While some technologies —
like activated charcoal — can address VOCs, they only work when the device is
running.
"Air purifiers operate only when they are turned on, and relying on them
constantly isn't sustainable — both in terms of energy consumption and
environmental impact. Consumers need a chronic solution for a chronic problem —
something that works continuously in the background.”
Neo PX: The ‘chronic solution’
Neoplants' Neo PX offers a continuous, natural method of air purification
without relying on electricity or filters. Unlike traditional air purifiers, Neo
PX uses specially selected bacteria — engineered through directed evolution — to
target and neutralize harmful VOCs in the air.
The process begins with identifying naturally occurring bacteria from polluted
environments, where they have evolved to use VOCs as a food source. These
bacteria have been further refined through “directed evolution” to maximize
their ability to break down pollutants efficiently. Users introduce these
bacteria to the plant's environment through "Power
Drops," a special solution added to
the soil. The bacteria then colonize the plant’s roots and leaves, forming a
microbiome — a community of microorganisms that work symbiotically with the
plant to enhance its air-cleaning abilities.
"After four years of directed evolution, we now have a system where these
bacteria — when added to the soil — significantly boost the air purification
capacity,” Torbey explains. “The result is a self-sustaining air-purification
system that continuously reduces VOC levels without the need for electricity or
mechanical filters."
To address common plant-maintenance issues such as overwatering and
underwatering, Neo PX is equipped with a built-in water reservoir. Users simply
refill the reservoir when the water-level indicator shows it is low, making
plant care straightforward and hassle-free. To maintain peak air-purification
performance, users need to replenish the bacteria every month. The powdered
"Power Drops" are mixed with water and added to the soil, ensuring the bacteria
population remains active and effective.
GMOs and broader benefits
While Neo PX does not currently use genetically modified plants, Torbey says
Neoplants plans to incorporate genetically modified plants in future products to
further increase air-cleaning efficiency. While genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) have negative connotations and are generally met with skepticism by
consumers, Torbey found that when their
benefits
in various contexts are explained, people become excited about the technology —
and customers are now eager to have GMO plants in their homes because they
understand the value proposition.
“Regarding GMOs, we have a strategy of transparency and communication with our
consumers — we provide a clear and detailed explanation on how our GMOs are
created and why it is beneficial to give the future plants and bacteria tools
(new genes) to get rid of harmful VOCs,” Dona
Sleiman,
R&D Director at Neoplants, tells SB. “Additionally, safety and environmental
concerns are addressed since the plants we are modifying don't have flowers or
seeds — meaning, they cannot spread in the wild on their own. The genetic
modifications we are implementing don’t give Neoplants a survival advantage
compared to natural plants."
Neoplants also aims to broaden the impact of its technology to tackle climate
change. By leveraging synthetic biology, the company envisions engineering
plants that can absorb more greenhouse gases — helping to contribute to climate
solutions.
Bioengineered plants also hold potential for pest control and disease
prevention. For example, developing plants that emit natural
mosquito-repelling
properties — such as lemon scent — could reduce malaria incidence in regions
such as Sub-Saharan Africa. Genetic modification also allows for the
possibility of combining traits from different species — opening the door to
plant designs that tackle environmental challenges in novel ways.
Neoplants believes these innovations can advance rapidly due to foundational
technologies developed over the past five years, allowing for quicker product
iteration and market entry. While developing solutions addressing everything
from indoor air quality to climate change and pest control will be a challenge,
Neoplants is committed to using its powers for good. Profits from current
products are reinvested into research and development — underscoring the
company’s dedication to widespread, sustainable impact.
"The future of Neoplants involves creating products that people love and that
help them in their daily lives. Our goal is to offer plants that provide
significant environmental benefits, making it a no-brainer to choose Neoplants
over traditional plants,” Torbey asserts. “We're just at the cusp of
understanding nature enough to build these types of products, and we believe
they can have a scalable impact on both indoor air quality and climate change.”
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Scarlett Buckley is a London-based freelance sustainability writer with an MSc in Creative Arts & Mental Health.
Published Sep 12, 2024 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST