From ticking boxes to real impact
Root Sustainability Develops technology that supports companies in collecting and analysing complex, detailed sustainability data, particularly at product level. This data is then converted into simple, usable LCAs (life cycle assessments). With their AI platform, retailers can make targeted decisions based on product-specific data to concretely reduce their CO2 footprint. And this in a fraction of the time and cost that is currently required.
Where data is often fragmented and difficult to access, Root Sustainability uses AI to bring structure and insight. This not only helps companies to ‘tick boxes’ and comply with regulations such as ISO and CSRD, but more importantly, to actually make an impact in their supply chain and reduce CO2 emissions.
Root Sustainability will do this with the investment
With the new investment, the company aims to accelerate growth in Europe and further strengthen its AI capabilities. In addition, work is underway on a rebranding and a renewed positioning to enhance its market presence. Co-founder Gijs de Mol: “Satisfied customers such as Hema and O’Neill confirm that we are on the right track. We are solving the right problem by creating one connected sustainability dataset from fragmented data. With this investment, we want to connect even more retailers to us and continue to innovate with AI. Think of connecting retail data across supply chains and automatic reduction strategies based on cost versus impact.”
That is why ROM InWest stepped in
The growing production of consumer goods is responsible for a large part of greenhouse gas emissions and pollution worldwide. Consumers, especially younger demographics, increasingly want to know how sustainable a product is, where it comes from, and what impact a product has compared to alternatives. For retailers with a large product range, making this transparent is proving difficult. Investment Manager Lotte Nolten-van Hoek: “Root Sustainability’s distinctive ‘data-first’ approach is changing this and is proving popular with clients such as HEMA, Holland & Barrett, and O’Neill. With the additional investment from ROM InWest, Root Sustainability can accelerate the addition of further AI engineering and commercial expertise to the team. The vision of this company aligns with the desire to make our society more sustainable. The clearer the CO2 footprint of products, the more conscious consumers and businesses can be in their choices and potentially opt for more sustainable alternatives. And the lower the CO2 emissions, the better it is for people and the environment.”
