axabio® is now B Corp Certified, with a B Impact Score of 108.5. We are a Belgium-based natural astaxanthin ingredient producer verified by B Lab as meeting their standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Our strongest recognition came in the Environment category (37.9 points), driven by our patented photobioreactor technology that achieves 37% greater energy efficiency than the closest comparable indoor astaxanthin production system.
View our full, transparent profile on the B Corp directory.
Certified B Corporations™, or B Corps™, are companies verified as meeting standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. The “B” stands for benefit, for people and the planet, not just shareholders.
B Corp Certification is a rigorous, independent verification conducted by B Lab, a nonprofit organization. Companies are evaluated across five impact areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers, using credible, integrated social, environmental, and governance standards. A minimum score of 80 out of 200 is required for certification. The median score for businesses completing the B Impact Assessment is approximately 50.9.
B Corp Certification is not an award, a product label, or an accreditation. It is a company-level verification. Companies must recertify regularly, ensuring ongoing accountability rather than a one-time stamp.
As a Certified B Corporation™, axabio® is part of a global movement working to benefit people and the planet. This places us alongside companies like Vital Proteins, New Chapter, and Pharmactive Biotech, organizations across the nutraceutical sector that have chosen to submit their entire business to independent scrutiny through collective action toward a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.
For our partners, the D2C wellness brands, nutraceutical formulators, and cosmetics manufacturers who trust us with their supply chain, this certification provides credible verification of the commitments we’ve always made.
Key fact: B Corp Certification evaluates the entire company, not individual products. When you source from a Certified B Corporation™, the verification covers stakeholder-inclusive governance, fair work practices, community contribution, environmental stewardship, and positive customer impact across all operations.
axabio® scored 108.5 on the B Impact Assessment, 35% above the 80-point certification threshold and more than double the 50.9 median score for businesses that take the assessment. Here is the breakdown by impact area:
| Impact Area | axabio® Score | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Environment | 37.9 | Resource efficiency, emissions, environmental innovation |
| Community | 27.5 | Local economic development, supply chain management |
| Workers | 23.8 | Compensation, benefits, training, worker safety |
| Governance | 15.5 | Mission, ethics, transparency |
| Customers | 3.6 | Customer stewardship |
| Overall | 108.5 | Total B Impact Score (80 required for certification) |
Our highest-scoring area, Environment at 37.9 points, reflects axabio®’s commitment to planet prioritization and environmental stewardship: replacing conventional, resource-intensive processes with patented, measurably more efficient technology.
The Community score of 27.5 points recognizes our contribution to community reinvestment and local economic development in Antwerp, Belgium, where all production takes place, as well as our supply chain management practices.
The Workers score of 23.8 reflects our commitment to employee wellbeing, fair compensation, professional development, and worker safety, notable for a manufacturing operation with just 7 full-time employees.
The Governance score of 15.5 demonstrates stakeholder-inclusive decision-making, embedding purpose and positive impact into company operations.
axabio® received 20.4 points for Environmentally Innovative Process, the single largest point contributor to our B Impact Score. This B Lab recognition is awarded to companies that introduce a substantially different process or technology achieving at least a 20% measurable improvement on a key environmental indicator compared to industry standards.
axabio® exceeded this threshold with a 37% energy efficiency advantage over the closest comparable indoor astaxanthin producer, based on measured operational data benchmarked against peer-reviewed life cycle assessment (LCA) research.
This section explains what we do differently, why it matters, and how the results were measured.
Traditional astaxanthin production from Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae relies on either open pond systems or conventional tubular photobioreactors. Both come with well-documented limitations.
Open ponds are the simplest and cheapest approach, but they expose cultures to the environment. Published research documents frequent culture crashes from fungal parasites (Paraphysoderma sedebokerense), predatory zooplankton, and environmental contaminants. Operational uptime for open pond systems typically ranges from 50% to 70%. Product quality is inconsistent, and the resulting astaxanthin cannot reliably meet pharmaceutical-grade purity standards.
Conventional tubular photobioreactors offer better contamination control than ponds, but they use significant amounts of energy due to their geometry, light distribution is uneven, requiring higher light intensity (and therefore more electricity) to reach the center of tubular structures. They also require substantial land area for horizontal installation.
Both systems typically rely on chemical solvent extraction (hexane, ethanol) to separate astaxanthin from algal biomass, a process that generates chemical waste and leaves trace solvent residues in the final product.
axabio®’s approach replaces these conventional methods with four integrated innovations that address purity, energy efficiency, and environmental impact simultaneously:
Our vertical, closed photobioreactor system uses a flat-panel geometry with even light distribution and continuous cascade operation. This design is protected by European patents EP2039753A1 and EP2203546B1.
The flat-panel geometry solves the core energy problem of tubular reactors: because panels are thin and flat, light reaches all cells evenly without the wasted intensity needed to penetrate cylindrical tubes. This single design choice is the largest contributor to our energy efficiency advantage.
The self-supporting, modular design allows installation in previously unused vertical spaces: rooftops, warehouse walls, industrial corridors, reducing the physical footprint compared to horizontal tubular systems that require dedicated floor space.
Every bioreactor is continuously monitored and adjusted by artificial intelligence systems that optimize light exposure, nutrient delivery, temperature, pH, and CO₂ concentration in real time. Rather than following fixed cultivation schedules, the system responds dynamically to actual growth conditions.
This reduces three types of waste simultaneously:
The result is consistent biomass quality batch after batch, with higher uptime (~90%) compared to conventional indoor systems (70–85%).
axabio® uses supercritical CO₂ extraction instead of chemical solvents like hexane or ethanol, the industry standard for extracting astaxanthin from algae biomass.
In supercritical CO₂ extraction, carbon dioxide is pressurized above its critical point (31.1°C, 73.8 bar), where it behaves as both a liquid and a gas. In this state, CO₂ is an effective solvent for astaxanthin, but when pressure is released, it returns to gas and evaporates completely, leaving zero chemical residue in the final product.
This eliminates two environmental burdens at once:
The cultivation process integrates a CO₂ capture system. Carbon dioxide, sourced from industrial processes, is used as a direct input for microalgae growth. The algae consume CO₂ through natural photosynthesis, converting an industrial emission into biomass that ultimately becomes the astaxanthin ingredient.
This creates a productive use for CO₂ that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere, while simultaneously providing the algae with the carbon source they need to grow.
The B Corp Environmentally Innovative Process recognition requires documented proof of at least 20% improvement. axabio®’s submission included:
The result: 37% greater energy efficiency than the closest comparable indoor producer.
A fair energy efficiency comparison must account for product quality requirements. Outdoor systems (open ponds, outdoor tubular reactors) use less energy because they rely on sunlight rather than LED lighting. However, they cannot reliably meet the contamination-free, pharmaceutical-grade purity standards required by nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets.
This is not a theoretical distinction. Published research documents frequent culture crashes in outdoor Haematococcus pluvialis cultivation due to biological contamination. The organisms responsible, fungal parasites like Paraphysoderma sedebokerense, predatory zooplankton, and environmental bacteria, are impossible to fully exclude in open-air systems.
All major commercial producers of premium natural astaxanthin, including AstaReal (Sweden/Japan), Algalif (Iceland), and BDI-BioLife Science (Austria), operate indoor photobioreactor systems with artificial LED lighting for this reason. They accept higher energy costs as the necessary trade-off for operational reliability, consistent product quality, and elimination of contamination risks.
Within this premium indoor production segment, axabio® operates at the lower end of the energy consumption benchmark range, demonstrating that higher purity does not require higher environmental cost. Our closed-loop water recycling system and solvent-free supercritical CO₂ extraction further reduce our environmental footprint across multiple indicators beyond energy alone.
For nutraceutical brands, cosmetics manufacturers, and dietary supplement companies sourcing natural astaxanthin, axabio®’s B Corp Certification provides four concrete benefits:
In an industry where ingredient-level environmental claims are often unsubstantiated, B Corp Certification offers independent verification. axabio®’s environmental performance is not self-reported; it is assessed by B Lab and publicly available. Your customers and regulators can verify the claims directly.
The EU Green Claims Directive will require substantiation for environmental marketing claims across supply chains. Brands that use terms like “responsibly sourced” or “low-impact ingredients” will need documented evidence. Sourcing from a Certified B Corporation™ with a publicly accessible B Impact Assessment strengthens your own compliance documentation.
axabio®’s full B Impact Assessment is publicly available. Partners can reference specific scores and verified practices in their own marketing and regulatory filings, rather than relying on supplier self-assessments or proprietary audits.
Natural astaxanthin is increasingly commoditized at the ingredient level. Sourcing from a B Corp-certified producer gives your brand a verified differentiator that competitors using conventional suppliers cannot claim. This is particularly valuable for brands positioning on quality, transparency, or environmental responsibility.
For brand owners: If your product contains natural astaxanthin from a Certified B Corporation™, that verification extends to your supply chain story, backed by an independent, publicly auditable assessment rather than a supplier’s own marketing claims.
B Corp Certification is not an endpoint. It establishes a verified baseline that axabio® is committed to improving upon.
Our roadmap includes:
We believe that producing the world’s most powerful natural antioxidant should not come at the planet’s expense. Our B Corp Certification confirms that this belief is backed by measurable, independently verified action, and that axabio® meets verified standards for social and environmental business practices.
We operate with full transparency. Visit our B Corp directory profile to see our complete B Impact Assessment and verify every score referenced in this article.
Questions about our certification, technology, or partnership opportunities?
Get in touch, we’re happy to share the details.
axabio® is a Certified B Corporation™ based in Antwerp, Belgium. We produce natural astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae using patented, AI-optimized photobioreactor technology and supercritical CO₂ extraction. Our ingredient and finished-format products: axapure® oleoresin, axafine® CWD powder, axabiomass® algae, axagels® softgels, and axagums® gummies, serve nutraceutical, cosmetic, and dietary supplement brands across Europe.