Develops wearable cattle devices that continuously measure enteric methane emissions and catalytically oxidise them, reducing livestock methane output at the source.
Green Score
- Greenwashing risk
- medium
- Data confidence
- medium
- Method
- how it is calculated
Climate Impact & Solution35%68
Does the core business genuinely avoid or reduce emissions, or build climate resilience? Share of revenue that is actually 'green'. Fossil-dependent models score low.
The core technology directly attacks enteric methane — accounting for roughly 10% of global GHG emissions — via catalytic oxidation with claimed up-to-50% mitigation efficiency in trials, but independent, peer-reviewed efficacy data has not been publicly published, and commercial scale remains unproven.
Decarbonization & Targets20%18
Credible, science-based targets (SBTi), a real net-zero plan with progress to date, and CDP disclosure — not just a dated press release.
No SBTi-validated targets, no CDP disclosure, and no net-zero roadmap with measurable milestones have been identified; as an early-stage startup this is not unusual, but the absence of any formal climate target framework means this criterion cannot be scored positively.
ESG & Operations15%42
Operational footprint, labour and social practices, and governance quality across the company's own operations and supply chain.
ZELP cites adherence to the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare and employs animal scientists, but academic legal analysis has flagged unresolved animal welfare risks (mask fit, restricted breathing/eating, psychological stress) and no published ESG report, B-Corp certification, or independent labour/governance audit was found.
Transparency & Verification15%30
Quality of disclosure, independent third-party verification, and how much hard data backs the company's claims.
ZELP discloses high-level trial claims and product specifications publicly, and has received EU Horizon 2020 and Innovate UK funding which requires some reporting, but no independently verified efficacy data, no published GHG accounting, no sustainability report, and no third-party audit of methane reduction claims have been located.
Integrity15%72
Controversies, litigation, pollution, fossil-fuel lobbying, conflict-zone involvement and governance scandals. Higher means cleaner.
No governance scandals, litigation, pollution incidents, or fossil-fuel lobbying links were found; the only material concern is an academic legal commentary raising theoretical animal cruelty risk under US statutes, and an EU MEP's animal welfare objection — neither of which constitutes a confirmed violation.
Why it's on ClimateTicker
ZELP's core proposition — catalytically oxidising exhaled enteric methane at the animal level — directly targets one of agriculture's largest and hardest-to-abate emission sources, giving it genuine mitigation credibility. However, the company remains an early-stage startup with key efficacy claims (up to 50% methane reduction, 85x GWP impact) sourced primarily from its own materials and EU CORDIS project summaries, with no published independent peer-reviewed validation found. Investors such as Collaborative Fund, Novo Holdings, Danone Manifesto Ventures, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation lend credibility, but at-scale commercial deployment and verifiable impact data are still outstanding.
Commitments & Certifications
Controversy & Greenwashing Watch
ZELP's headline claims of up to 50% methane mitigation and an 85x GWP reduction factor are sourced exclusively from company materials and partner communications; no independent, peer-reviewed study has been publicly published to validate these numbers at commercial scale.zelp.co
A right-wing French MEP raised animal welfare concerns about cattle masks in the European Parliament in early 2024, prompting the EU Agriculture Commissioner to clarify that the Commission has no plans to mandate such devices.euronews.com
A University of Oregon law review comment analysed ZELP's device under US animal cruelty statutes, identifying scenarios (restricted breathing, entanglement, ill fit) where use could potentially constitute cruelty, while noting final design and independent efficacy testing were still unknown at time of writing.scholarsbank.uoregon.edu
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