Lara Labotić
Full name: Lara Labotić
Job Title: Sustainability Business Partner
Location: Amsterdam
Nationality: Croatian
Years at STX: 1 year
1. Your studies focused on sustainable energy and technology, and now you’re applying that knowledge to real-world challenges. How has your academic background shaped the way you approach your role at STX?
One of the most valuable parts of my studies was the strong emphasis on applied research and hands-on experience, which helped me build practical skills to tackle industry challenges and seize opportunities. Working directly in industrial settings and gaining insights into feedstock characteristics gave me a solid foundation to support and advise stakeholders, navigate certification requirements and help strengthen sustainability practices at STX.
2. You’ve worked across many different parts of the biomethane value chain, from research to feedstock sourcing to market compliance. What are the lessons you’ve learned throughout?
It’s been fascinating to observe how all the pieces ultimately come together. Feedstock characterization, aimed at optimizing biomethane production, is deeply scientific and typically moves through a gradual scale-up, from controlled lab settings to full industrial implementation. Sourcing the right feedstock goes far beyond simple availability; it also involves navigating logistics, meeting greenhouse gas emissions thresholds and securing long-term supply agreements.
On the sustainability compliance side, staying aligned with regulations requires processing large volumes of information and applying it in a practical, business-relevant way. This demands close attention to detail and a proactive approach, especially as regulatory frameworks are constantly evolving.
Finally, I’ve come to truly appreciate the operational complexity behind trading in a fast-moving environment like STX. It’s a space where technical insight, regulatory awareness, and commercial agility all need to intersect.
3. Working at the crossroads of sustainability, policy and trading sounds exciting but complex. What are the biggest challenges you face in navigating these evolving topics and what excites you most about it?
One of the biggest challenges I face is making sure the knowledge I’m building is broad and flexible enough to tackle different problems. These challenges can vary significantly depending on the product, the specifics of the trade and the intended application.
Due to the dynamic nature of this field, a solution that works in one situation might not translate to another, so it requires continuous learning and being able to connect the dots across different areas.
4. You’ve collaborated closely with teams at STX like Strive, Legal, Policy and several trading desks. How does this cross-team collaboration enhance your work and what do you enjoy most about it?
I’m very much a team player, and I really value the sense of accomplishment that comes from winning together. There’s something especially rewarding about seeing a plan come to life through everyone’s combined efforts. One of the things I appreciate the most at STX is working alongside such knowledgeable and experienced colleagues. Whenever I run into a challenge, seeing how they approach and solve it is not only helpful in the moment—it also becomes a powerful learning opportunity that contributes to my own growth.
5. What excites you most about the future of biomethane and bioLNG in Europe’s energy transition, and where do you see the biggest opportunities for growth?
Biomethane and bioLNG are still relatively young markets, which makes it incredibly exciting to be part of their growth. I see both as promising solutions to help bridge key gaps in Europe’s broader energy transition, particularly when it comes to decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors.
What excites me most is the potential to tap into overlooked waste and residue streams and unlock feedstocks that were previously considered inaccessible due to technological limitations or challenging properties.
6. If there’s one myth or misconception about sustainable fuels or biomethane you’d like to debunk, what would it be and why?
If I could bust one myth about sustainable fuels, particularly biomethane, it would be the perception that biomethane can’t deliver real sustainability benefits.
I think this misconception exists partly because biomethane is still a niche and relatively technical topic, which can make it feel abstract or opaque, especially to those outside the industry. But, in reality, when produced from waste and residue streams and sourced responsibly with optimized supply chain logistics, biomethane can achieve significant lifecycle greenhouse gas reductions compared to those of a fossil-based natural gas.