Canadian Wollastonite and UNDO Launch Kingston Wollastonite Rebate to Support Sustainable Farming and Carbon Capture

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 14th 2025

Seeley’s Bay, Ontario – Canadian Wollastonite (CW), in partnership with carbon removal company UNDO, announces the launch of the Kingston Wollastonite Trucking Rebate Program. Farmers with fields within Kingston’s municipal boundary can now access up to $5 per tonne in transportation rebates for wollastonite applications through the carbon program. The CW and UNDO Carbon Program provides free wollastonite and spreading services; participating farms only pay the trucking costs. The Kingston rebate can reduce the transportation cost by up to 50% allowing many Kingston farmers to have wollastonite spread on their fields for less than $10/mt. 

What is Wollastonite?

Wollastonite is a naturally occurring calcium silicate mineral (CaSiO₃) sourced locally from Canadian Wollastonite’s Seeley’s Bay operation. Wollastonite provides sustained pH management combined with essential plant nutrients that enhance crop resilience and productivity.

Wollastonite is applied using standard lime spreading equipment at rates of 2-4 tonnes per acre, making integration into existing farm operations straightforward. Wollastonite has received approval for use in certified organic farming systems and is suitable for all crop types, including pasture and forage production.

Benefits for Farm Operations

Long-Lasting pH Stability: Wollastonite provides controlled alkalinity release over multiple growing seasons, maintaining optimal soil conditions for 2-3 years.

Enhanced Nutrient Availability: The mineral’s composition includes calcium, silicon, magnesium, and more (24.6% represented as calcium oxide, 59.2% represented as silicon dioxide, and 5.76% represented as magnesium oxide), delivering essential macronutrients that improve root development and nutrient uptake efficiency. 

Natural Disease and Pest Resistance: Silicon, comprising nearly 60% of wollastonite’s composition, reinforces plant cell walls and enhances natura defence mechanisms. Research demonstrates that silicon-enriched soils produce crops with improved resistance to fungal diseases, pest pressure, and weather extremes.

Carbon Capture Through Enhanced Rock Weathering: Wollastonite application facilitates enhanced rock weathering (ERW), a natural geochemical process that permanently removes atmospheric CO₂. 

The Kingston Rebate Program

Farmers within Kingston’s municipal boundary can access a $5 per tonne rebate for transportation. Combined with the Carbon Program, which provides free material and spreading services, Kingston farmers can receive a significant reduction in trucking costs.

“The Kingston Wollastonite Rebate allows us to support local farmers in accessing soil amendments that improve land health and increase crop yield while creating verifiable, long-term capture of atmospheric CO₂,” said Paul MacLatchy, Environment Director, City of Kingston.

Carbon Program Eligibility and Implementation

The carbon program is available to farms within 250 km of Seeley’s Bay with soil pH levels between 6.0-7.0 with minimum applications of 80 metric tonnes covering 20-40 acres. Participating farmers receive free soil testing and ongoing agronomic support to monitor soil improvements and carbon capture.

Farmers can verify eligibility and access technical resources at www.un-do.com/canada or contact hello@un-do.com for a detailed consultation.

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Media Contact:
Jo Spindler, Head of Brand & Marketing
UNDO
jo@un-do.com

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About Canadian Wollastonite:  

Canadian Wollastonite operates Canada’s only wollastonite mine, located on 220 hectares straddling the City of Kingston and Leeds and the Thousand Islands. The operation produces wollastonite mineral products for agricultural, industrial, and environmental applications.

About UNDO:

UNDO is a pioneering nature-based carbon dioxide removal company with an ambition to remove over one billion tonnes of atmospheric CO₂ in accessible, affordable, nature-friendly ways. Since 2022, UNDO has worked at the cutting edge of science alongside experts in the climate, carbon and agricultural sectors to develop an enhanced rock weathering technology which accelerates natural weathering processes to remove carbon from the atmosphere while bringing soil and crop benefits to agricultural communities. The UNDO operational, scientific and technical model leverages existing infrastructure, with a carbon efficiency of greater than 90 percent, allowing UNDO to quickly scale operations whilst offering carbon removal at competitive prices.

About enhanced rock weathering (ERW):

Enhanced rock weathering is the acceleration of natural rock weathering, whereby the CO₂ in rainwater interacts with silicate rocks (e.g. wollastonite), mineralises and is safely stored as solid carbon for hundreds of thousands of years. To speed up this natural geological process, UNDO spreads crushed rock, sourced from the mining and quarrying industry, on agricultural land. As this mineral-rich rock breaks down, it releases nutrients, raises and stabilises soil pH, and increases crop yield. The IPCC 2022 Mitigation of Climate Change report suggests that enhanced rock weathering, if scaled, could remove up to 4 billion tonnes of CO₂ per year – equivalent to 40% of CO₂ removal targets. 

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