Tolga Soytekin is a sustainability-focused entrepreneur and founder of Green Valley Biochar (UAE), where he leads efforts to transform organic waste streams into high-quality biocharBiochar is a carbon-rich material created from biomass decomposition in low-oxygen conditions. It has important applications in environmental remediation, soil improvement, agriculture, carbon sequestration, energy storage, and sustainable materials, promoting efficiency and reducing waste in various contexts while addressing climate change challenges. More for agriculture, landscaping, animal feed, and long-term carbon sequestration. With over a decade of experience building environmentally responsible businesses, his work sits at the intersection of circular economy, regenerative agriculture, and commercially viable climate solutions. Through Green Valley Biochar, Tolga is advancing scalable approaches to reduce green-waste landfill volumes, improve soil health in arid environments, and support verifiable carbon storage across the Middle East. His current initiatives include collaborations with government bodies, research institutions, and industry partners to integrate biochar into agriculture, urban greening, and emerging carbon-credit frameworks in the Gulf region.

Before founding Green Valley Biochar, Tolga established and scaled ventures in sustainable consumer products and food systems, including EcoGreen, an eco-friendly cleaning company later acquired by an international firm, and Bare Foods, a plant-based food company focused on responsible sourcing and sustainable manufacturing. His work reflects a consistent belief that sustainability must be commercially viable to achieve meaningful scale. This principle guides a diverse portfolio of biochar applications under development, ranging from carbon-negative construction materials and polymer technologies to animal feed and agricultural solutions, alongside research partnerships and pilot projects aimed at advancing best practices in biochar use.

Like our Biochar Today readers, I am equally excited to explore Tolga’s sustainable and eco-friendly insights, and I hope his perspectives provide valuable learning for the community

Shanthi Prabha:Tolga Soytekin, your career spans sustainable consumer products, food systems, and now climate-positive materials. What led you specifically to biochar, and why do you see it as a practical solution rather than just an environmental concept?

Tolga Soytekin: Honesty, I stumbled on biochar by accident. My wife and I decided just before COVID to move to a date farm on the outskirts of Dubai. We wanted to get away from the city but still be close to our businesses in Dubai, such as our restaurant in Dubai Mall and our food production facilities. The farm was beautiful, but it had its challenges. One of those was the waste from the palm trees, like the fronds and other wood waste from pruning Ghaf trees. We weren’t close to anywhere to dispose of them properly and the municipality wouldn’t allow us to burn them in open piles, so we would dig pits, fill them with our green waste, cover them, and ultimately make a kind of charcoalCharcoal is a black, brittle, and porous material produced by heating wood or other organic substances in a low-oxygen environment. It is primarily used as a fuel source for cooking and heating.   More that we would throw into our compost piles along with the coals and ashAsh is the non-combustible inorganic residue that remains after organic matter, like wood or biomass, is completely burned. It consists mainly of minerals and is different from biochar, which is produced through incomplete combustion.   Ash Ash is the residue that remains after the complete More left over from our firepit and BBQs. That was something that I had seen my grandparents do in Cyprus and just copied their habits with coal and ash waste.

SP: You often emphasize that sustainability must be commercially viable to scale. How does this principle shape the way Green Valley Biochar designs its business model and partnerships?

TS: Unfortunately, this is true, especially in countries that haven’t yet adopted strong habits or are new to sustainability. In European countries, separating your recycling is mandatory. If you don’t do it, you’re hit with fines. It’s become second nature to people there now. But it took years of education, campaigns, and schemes to drive home the message and the realities of the impact on nature if we don’t adopt these changes. The UAE is moving in the right direction in this case. Strong government legislation and changes, especially the increase in gate fees at landfills, have forced companies to look for alternative ways to manage their waste. 

SP: Operating in arid regions like the UAE and Saudi Arabia presents unique environmental challenges. How does biochar address soil degradation, water scarcity, and landscape resilience in these climates?

TS: The reality is that the harsher your conditions, the worse your soil or the absence of it totally, the bigger the efficacy of biochar. In arid conditions, we see a 50% reduction in irrigation needs; it builds soil carbon and, over time, ultimately builds a soil food web. Landscape resilience is also massively impacted. We have a huge die-off in fresh plantings when we create new landscaping. Using biochar, we saw a 90% reduction in die-off.

SP: Green Valley Biochar works across multiple sectors — agriculture, landscaping, animal feed, polymers, and construction materials. How do you decide which applications to prioritize, and what determines whether a biochar use case is truly scalable?

TS: We didn’t really have a plan when we started. We were super excited to get off the ground, and we were so naive in thinking it would be adopted, without question, by local governments, municipalities, and agricultural companies, that we didn’t think we would need to look at other sectors. It didn’t even come to mind. The harsh reality was that biochar was an alien concept, and people couldn’t understand it. It wasn’t a fertilizer; it wasn’t a soil conditioner; there were details that were lost in translation; it was a nightmare. We joke about it today but we literally couldn’t give it away. We were offering people tons of biochar for free so they could try it and some would take it but most didn’t. In some cases, the people we gave it to had it sitting around for months before incorporating it into their soils. Once we noticed this pattern, we started looking at other uses of biochar we could promote to create a market for ourselves. 

SP: Your collaboration with academic institutions, such as the University of Birmingham Dubai, reflects a research-backed approach. How important is scientific validation in building trust and adoption for biochar in emerging markets?

TS: It’s extremely important. Not just because it helps to have a data-backed approach, but also because it generates trust in the product and its application. One of the biggest hurdles in the region is showing that products work under our extreme environmental conditions. Just because something works well in Asia or America doesn’t mean it will have the same effect in the GCC. So yes, I would say it’s super important to invest in research to generate data for consumers. 

SP: The integration of biochar into construction materials, including carbon-negative concrete, is gaining global attention. From your perspective, what role could the built environment play in large-scale carbon removal?

TS: Considering that the construction industry is one of the most significant contributors to CO2 emissions, and given the number of construction projects globally as countries invest in their development, it would be the best way to lock in carbon at scale. To give an example, we won’t eve use fancy tech solutions like our partner Beton offer, we’ll go with other proof of concept we did with Lafarge Holcim where they successfully incorporated 30% Biochar into non structural cement products like pavers and bricks, the top 5 countries of consumption last year in order were China, India, Vietnam, America and Russia. Vietnam used 120 million tons of cement. Take 20% as the hard landscaping, pavements, etc. factor. The amount of carbon locked into that product would be 21.6 million tons of CO2e. That’s just in 2025. For context, China used 2.1 billion tons last year. Using the same estimation, they could have sequestered 378 million tons of CO2e. There aren’t enough plants to produce the biochar needed for that but that’s another story. The point is, the construction industry could be one of the most significant opportunities for us to make a real impact. 

SP: You are working with governments, developers, and ESG-focused organizations. What policy or regulatory shifts would most accelerate responsible biochar adoption in the Middle East and globally?

TS: I think we’re already seeing a shift. With the introduction of emissions accounting and the development of local carbon credit markets, more and more ESG consultants will begin specifying biochar in projects. I think there’s still a lot of education needed within government entities to understand the importance of biochar and its role in achieving KPIs and meeting SDG goals. 

SP: Biochar is increasingly discussed in the context of carbon markets. What are the key challenges in ensuring credibility, measurement, and long-term integrity of biochar-based carbon sequestration projects?

TS: Auditing, accounting and blockchain are key. But again, it’s something that’s not understood. As producers, we’re tasked with getting audited to get register our projects for credit generation. There has to be a clear downstream accounting system to maintain integrity of those credits. 

SP: Your work involves converting organic waste streams into valuable products. How do you see biochar contributing to circular economy models, particularly in regions where green waste is still landfilled?

TS: It has to become financially unviable for companies to dump their waste into landfills, thereby shifting more focus to circular waste economies. In some countries and even some states, it’s just a buzzword and not taken seriously. It’s discussed in meetings, tea. S will be assigned to look at potential solutions and costings. If the cost of setting up or integrating is higher than the solution value, it will be shelved. I see that locally, with the number of meetings I hold with the Municipalities and semi-governmental waste management companies. There are lots of chats and meetings, but no action. 

SP: You’ve built and exited sustainability-driven businesses before. What lessons from EcoGreen and Bare Foods are you applying to scale Green Valley Biochar effectively and responsibly?

TS: Integrity and openness. We share information and data with everyone. We share our process. We show the wins and the losses. I’ve always learned that if you deliver a great product and excellent customer service, you build the brand and the business, and people identify with it. I’m lucky that I’ve always been the first to market. I was the first eco-friendly cleaning company in the region. I was the first plant-based food manufacturer in the area, and now we are the first commercial Biochar producer in the region. There are others now, which is a great thing to see, but at scale, our production rate is 20 times that of our nearest competitor. 

SP: Several of your projects involve cross-sector innovation, from polymers to animal feed. Where do you see the most promising non-agricultural applications of biochar emerging in the next 5–10 years?

TS: I think the construction industry is probably the most promising but it’s not a sector that excites me personally. It solves a huge problem, but I think I prefer sectors that also have a tangible impact at multiple levels. We’re currently looking at developing a product focused on animal husbandry. This could be a really easy way to have a huge impact not just on the health of animals but also on land regeneration. 

SP: Looking ahead, what do you see as the biggest risks to the biochar industry — technically, commercially, or reputationally — and how can industry leaders work together to address them?

TS: It won’t happen anytime soon, and this is purely because I can say from experience that it will take another 20 years for biochar to be widely used and specified across multiple applications, but eventually, the biggest commodity will become feedstockFeedstock refers to the raw organic material used to produce biochar. This can include a wide range of materials, such as wood chips, agricultural residues, and animal manure. More for pyrolysisPyrolysis is a thermochemical process that converts waste biomass into bio-char, bio-oil, and pyro-gas. It offers significant advantages in waste valorization, turning low-value materials into economically valuable resources. Its versatility allows for tailored products based on operational conditions, presenting itself as a cost-effective and efficient More units. Not all biochar is created equal. Yes, you can use human waste, animal carcasses, and even wastewater sludge to create biochar but none of those can be used in agricultural or animal feed applications. This is where these would be best suited for industrial applications. Green, wood, and agricultural waste will become increasingly limited as more and more ways to utilise waste become available. Again, I don’t foresee it being a problem for the foreseeable future, but when it does, it will limit the amount available and push the price of biochar through the roof.