Auréline Grange, co-founder of Open Forest Protocol: «Planting trees is also a way of restoring entire ecosystems»

Auréline Grange, who holds a master’s degree in environmental engineering from EPFL, works at the crossroads of technological innovation and purpose-driven entrepreneurship. She is a co-founder of both On a Mission, a non-profit organization set up in 2019 to fund reforestation projects run by local communities, and Open Forest Protocol, a 2020 startup that has developed open-source, transparent blockchain technology for tracking reforestation projects.

You grew up in a small village in the Haute-Savoie region of France. Does your love of the outdoors stem from your childhood?

Yes, totally. I grew up in the countryside, around ten minutes away from Evian-les Bains. We lived next to my grandparents. I loved being outside and could often be found helping my grandfather in the garden or taking care of injured animals.

How did that lead you to study environmental engineering at EPFL?

I was curious by nature and did well in both science and languages. But I wasn’t sure what field I wanted to go into. I initially considered becoming a veterinarian and did an internship when I was 16. But I soon saw that it wasn’t for me – the work felt too routine.

My sister, who was interested in architecture, had checked out EPFL and suggested I attend its information event for high-school students. That was a pivotal moment. I learned about both microengineering and architecture, but it was environmental science and engineering that really caught my attention. Then I worked even harder in high school to get top grades so that I would get into EPFL.

Why did you choose to major in environmental engineering?

I’d always been interested in environmental issues: water management, renewable energy and the modeling of environmental processes. That major seemed like the best way to explore all those topics. But back in 2008, it was hard to imagine all the career opportunities that would be available in those fields.

One thing I appreciated about EPFL from the outset was the extremely positive learning environment. The classes were stimulating and there were numerous international exchange opportunities. I spent my third year at the University of Waterloo in Canada and then did my master’s project at Princeton University in 2013. For that project I studied the hydrologic modeling of flash floods, which combined risk analysis methods with climate issues. That’s when I knew for sure that I wanted to orient my career towards helping regions become more resilient to climate change.

You then took a job with CSD Ingénieurs, an engineering firm, in 2014.

I had already worked with CSD Ingénieurs while I was at EPFL, on a project to develop a waste collection system for a region in Albania that didn’t have one. We created algorithms to optimize the construction and operating costs and studied more practical aspects such as how many transfer stations should be set up and where, and what the best truck routes were. The city officials liked our approach, and CSD was given the green light to continue with implementation. The success of this project undoubtedly helped me get the job when I graduated. Then I worked on a range of innovative projects, such as to perform environmental impact studies on quarries and gravel pits and to build a deep geothermal energy system. I was also involved in digitizing the group’s business processes.

Is that when you co-founded On a Mission?

Yes. In 2019, one of my colleagues, Frédéric Fournier, told me about his plans to create a non-profit organization to support reforestation and asked if I wanted to join. I initially refused – I was already working 9-hour days at CSD, held a 20% part-time position at an EPFL research lab and spent much of my free time on MoonCode, a new business idea based on developing mobile apps. When we decided not to go forward with MoonCode, I seized the opportunity to do something that was more meaningful to me.

What was your aim in creating the non-profit organization?

With On a Mission, our goal is to provide funding to highly promising reforestation projects that meet strict criteria: they must involve the local community, plant native species and have a sustainable impact. We started by contacting recognized NGOs in Kenya, Madagascar, Nepal and more, then we gradually found smaller, reliable organizations that were firmly anchored in their regions. That was essential since reforestation projects require partnerships that last at least a decade.

Where does the funding you provide come from?

From companies of all sizes in many different countries, including Switzerland, the UK and the United Arab Emirates. They make philanthropic investments in our project portfolio, while we provide the expertise: we select which projects to fund, serve as a trusted intermediary with local organizations, track progress and generate reports. 

And it was the task of reporting that you wanted to take further?

Exactly. At the time, local NGOs spent a considerable amount of time writing reports for each of their donors. Also, it was impossible for most of these NGOs to access the carbon credit market since their projects were too small to make the long, costly certification process worth it. Since they had little income, they had to constantly seek funding. That’s what prompted us in 2020 to come up with the idea for a forest-tracking application: our system would give project developers an effective tool and provide greater financial security for local organizations. Frédéric and I spent eight months developing the application alongside our regular jobs and then decided to devote ourselves full time to the new venture. It wasn’t an easy decision, however, since I was doing really well at CSD Ingénieurs, plus I’m someone who tends to prefer security.

So that’s how your company, Open Forest Protocol, came into being. Can you explain how your system works? 

Imagine you run a local organization in Africa, South America or elsewhere in the world, and you want to carry out a reforestation project or restore an ecosystem. The first step is to register your project on our platform and fill out a questionnaire. We then review your request and check whether your project meets our eligibility criteria. If so, you can start using our system. The mobile app lets you collect field data such as tree health, height and circumference, and take geotagged pictures. The app is easy to use, collects data in a standardized format and has a geofencing feature that restricts use outside the project area. 

How does the blockchain protect the data?

We’ve set up a decentralized network of independent validators – forest experts, consultants and satellite-image analysts – who review the data and vote to attest to their accuracy. This process prevents conflicts of interest because, unlike with the typical set-up, validators aren’t paid by the project developers. Once the data have been validated, the monitoring reports and verifications are recorded on a blockchain. This creates an unmodifiable register with full traceability: the data are public and transparent and cannot be altered. We also developed an interactive interface that project developers use to track their projects and the associated data. It’s much easier and more convenient than the existing method, which consists of filling out long PDF reports. 

Your company is based on cutting-edge technology: coding, blockchain and geolocation systems. But you’re a small team. How do you operate internally?

Frédéric and I bring both field and market expertise, which we acquired during our experience as environmental consultants and working on reforestation projects. Michael, our third cofounder, is specialized in blockchain infrastructure. And we have a team of extremely skilled developers. Our business is highly decentralized: Frédéric and I are in Switzerland, Michael is in the US, most of our developers are in Ukraine and the rest of the team is scattered around the world, close to our projects and partner organizations. 

Can you give us a particularly telling example of a project you’ve financed?

We’re currently supporting over 300 projects in more than 20 countries. One particularly significant project is in Peru, as it has a direct impact on the local biodiversity and fauna. Some species that had disappeared, such as the jaguar, have come back and are settling in the area.

Other projects that mean a lot to me are in parts of Africa, and especially Kenya, that have been hit particularly hard by climate change, with droughts, damaged crops and so on. There, local property owners often have no choice but to cut down trees in order to sell wood or make charcoal to meet their own needs. But our approach, by funding the cultivation of indigenous species and giving growers access to the carbon credit market, is flipping that logic on its head. Local communities can now earn income sustainably while restoring their environment. These two examples illustrate our conviction that planting trees is also a way of restoring entire ecosystems and giving local communities a revenue stream.

The carbon credit market is currently estimated at nearly $3 billion but is perceived by many as very opaque. How does it work?

A carbon credit is a certificate that represents the reduction, avoidance or removal of one metric ton of CO₂ emissions through the implementation of an environmental project. Entities can buy credits to offset their emissions. There are two main kinds of carbon credits: avoidance credits, which involve preventing carbon emissions from occurring, such as by protecting threatened forests; and removal credits, which involve removing carbon from the air through reforestation or soil carbon storage.

The consulting firm McKinsey estimates that the carbon credit market could reach $50 billion by 2050. Credits are bought mainly by companies that have adopted a net zero target. Some companies also invest in or fund reforestation projects right from the start in order to secure future carbon credits and control their costs should the price of credits go up. The credits generated by our company currently trade at $40 and up.

Some people may see a contradiction in supporting a market mechanism while aiming to protect the environment. Do you think the carbon credit system is effective, or are you simply trying to mitigate its drawbacks?

The system has been around for about 20 years and has clear benefits. Organizations can use it to fund environmental projects they wouldn’t be able to otherwise, in regions where there’s a dire need for such projects. That said, the system needs to be improved to make sure it’s fair and lasting. That’s our goal at Open Forest Protocol. 

We believe the number of intermediaries needs to be reduced so that most of the revenue from carbon credits goes directly to local organizations and communities. That’s why we developed a system enabling them to manage their projects entirely on their own. We also think it’s essential that funding is channeled to high-quality initiatives. Carbon credits make more sense when they’re generated from measures to improve biodiversity and not just from carbon storage in forests. That’s something we’re attentive to, and we hope that one day the law will address that issue too. Our aim isn’t to upend the existing financial system but rather to leverage and improve its beneficial features in order to make a positive social and environmental impact.

What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve faced?

The fundraising periods can be pretty intense. You have to invest a lot of time and energy and temporarily reassign some employees to different tasks. That means part of your staff isn’t working towards growing your business. 

But I’d say our most challenging moment was in February 2022 when the war broke out in Ukraine. At that point we were just two months away from releasing the first version of our system. Things became really uncertain for our developers in Ukraine: they weren’t sure if they would be drafted or have to leave the country. They also faced power outages. In the end, none of them had to go off and fight. Some moved to western Ukraine or elsewhere in Europe for a while before returning to Kyiv. 

You held down a salaried job while getting a new business off the ground, and now you’re at the head of a company, which requires a lot of personal investment. How have you been able to maintain balance? 

When I was working full time, managing On a Mission and starting up Open Forest Protocol, I didn’t have any downtime in the evenings or on weekends. But I accepted that, knowing it wasn’t tenable or healthy over the long term. Today I can focus on Open Forest Protocol because we’ve hired a full-time manager for On a Mission. I no longer have to work until midnight or every weekend. Things get busy for a while, but then they calm down. When I want to unplug, I go kitesurfing, skiing or mountain biking – anything as long as it’s outdoors! I firmly believe that achieving success with a new business is more like a well-prepared marathon than a burnout-inducing sprint.

What advice would you give to EPFL students who are considering starting their own business?

Don’t box yourself in. I didn’t think I was cut out for starting a business because I’m generally risk-averse. But if you’re excited about something, go for it! Nurture your curiosity, accept that you’ll have a steep learning curve in areas that are new to you, and get used to analyzing situations and making fast, well-reasoned decisions. Risk is less of a concern when you’re working on a cause that’s important to you.

Bio 

2013
Graduates from EPFL with a master’s degree in environmental engineering 

2014
Begins her career at CSD Ingénieurs

2019
Co-founds On a Mission to help fund reforestation projects

2020
Co-founds Open Forest Protocol, a platform where reforestation project developers can track, verify and certify their projects in a transparent, decentralized way