June 18, 2025 – Zurich, Switzerland — C-Label, the certification standard developed by V-Label for cellular agriculture, proudly announces that Avant’s Zellulin® ZelluGEN™ has become the first non-food product to receive C-Label certification. This milestone signifies the expansion of C-Label’s scope beyond food. As animal-derived materials are commonplace in many industries, cell cultivation has the potential to transform more than just the meat industry, with noteworthy advancements already underway in fashion (e.g. leather) and cosmetics (e.g. peptides).
Zellulin® ZelluGEN™ is a next-generation, cruelty-free multi-peptide complex derived from fish cells using Avant’s proprietary, triple-patented Zellulin® BioPlatform. Produced via advanced bioprocessing that eliminates the need for ocean harvesting, ZelluGEN™ supports marine biodiversity, environmental sustainability and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 Life Under Water.
Unlike traditional peptides that rely heavily on animal-derived materials, Zellulin® ZelluGEN™ harnesses the power of cell cultivation technology to produce a suite of biologically identical peptides naturally made by and found inside animal cells—without animal raw material production input. This technological breakthrough not only preserves the integrity and complexity of nature’s biochemistry as found in the Animalia kingdom—biologically closer to humans than plants— but does so in a way that’s entirely cruelty-free and ethically sourced. This certification underscores C-Label’s commitment to promoting ethical and transparent practices in emerging biotechnologies.
“With Zellulin®, we are witnessing the transformative potential of cellular agriculture beyond the food sector,” said Renato Pichler, founder of V-Label. “This certification exemplifies our dedication to advancing sustainable and humane alternatives across various industries.” Lubo Yotov, Head of C-Label, added, “Certifying Zellulin® marks a significant step in our mission to extend ethical standards to all products derived from cellular agriculture. We are excited to support innovations that align with our vision of a more compassionate and sustainable future.”
“As technologies advance, so must the standards and language that help consumers understand them. We commend V-Label for its foresight in pioneering the C-Label, a timely and important step toward greater transparency and acceptance of novel sustainable food and biotech products,” said Carrie Chan, Co-Founder and CEO of Avant. “At Avant, we are proud to be an early adopter of the C-Label as we work toward our vision of saving the oceans and preserving marine biodiversity through sustainable innovation.”
C-Label continues to set rigorous standards for products derived from cellular agriculture, ensuring they meet criteria such as the use of animal-free media and adherence to ethical cell sourcing practices, in addition to being free from GMOs, antibiotics, pathogens and heavy metals, as well as not being tested on animals. The certification of Zellulin® paves the way for further applications of cellular agriculture in non-food sectors, offering consumers more ethical choices in their daily lives.
For more information about C-Label and its certification process, please visit www.c-label.com.
For more information about Zellulin® BioPlatform, please visit https://www.zellulin.tech/ or email enquiry@zellulin.tech.
Press images are available at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oL9v4jylHZRejVcUUgAKZcLb0_7RrMiz
About C-Label:
C-Label is a certification developed by V-Label to provide transparency and trust in products derived from cellular agriculture. It ensures that products meet high ethical and sustainability standards, promoting innovations that contribute to a more humane and environmentally friendly future.
About Avant:
Avant is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing sustainable and ethical alternatives to animal-derived products. The company’s vision is to save the oceans and preserve marine biodiversity by utilising biotechnology for non-animal-dependent production to generate resource-efficient marine animal proteins, thereby nurturing a healthier planet for future generations. In addition to food applications, Avant leverages its core technology through the Zellulin® BioPlatform to pioneer cell-cultivated ingredients within the cosmetics industry.