Transparency as the new norm – CarbonCloud opens doors to an impact-driven food industry

Eating and drinking is part of our everyday life. Yet not many of us are familiar with the environmental repercussions of our consumer choices. Not knowing may not be the result of ignorance, but the by-product of an industry that has not been catering to the hunger for transparency.

So far, there hasn’t been a straightforward way for consumers to tell what’s the climate-smart choice. Fortunately, the rules of the game are changing. CarbonCloud makes the impossible possible. The Swedish start-up has found an unparalleled way to calculate, track and understand the climate footprint of food in real time.

The big picture

Last year, food was called “the single strongest lever to optimize human health and environmental sustainability on Earth” by the thought leader on planetary health, The EAT-Lancet Commission.* With nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions resulting from our food systems, it’s becoming abundantly clear that rethinking what we put on our plates is inevitable if we want to meet global environmental goals and bring a sustainable future about.

The good news is that different types of foods have different environmental impacts. Some have bigger while others have smaller carbon footprints. By opting for foods that have lower impact, we can substantially reduce our carbon footprints as well as contribute to cutting emissions from the food industry.

Factoring the environment into our consumer choices starts with data. We need a comprehensive, science-driven, user-friendly and agile tool that makes the climate impact of foods available. That way everyone is equipped with enough knowledge to make climate-smart consumer choices.

Comparing apples and oranges

Scientists have long struggled to come up with a framework that enables a fair comparison between different products. Environmental impact calculations are traditionally performed by consultants and are quickly compromised by fast changing production processes and material flows. In short, conventional modes of life cycle assessments take too long, cost too much and become irrelevant way too quickly. They have no chance to keep up with a rapidly changing food industry.

Luckily, a Swedish group of entrepreneurs have long recognized this gap and have been working on turning decades of science into a new, innovative tool to accelerate the world’s transition to climate-smart eating habits. Meet CarbonCloud.

CarbonCloud offers two digital solutions addressing both food consumption and production. CarbonAte enables restaurants and their guests to make climate-smart food choices by calculating and displaying the climate impact on their menus. CarbonData offers food producers a user-friendly, agile tool to model their entire production process making the climate impact calculation of their products readily available.

And the best part? CarbonData automatically updates when new research comes to light or changes in production processes materialize.

The new norm

Trend setters, such as Oatly and Naturli, have realized the potential of CarbonCloud’s services. Invoking transparency by putting climate labels on products is one part. However, the solution’s scope goes way beyond that. CarbonData breaks down the climate impact of all production processes from farm to shelf. It pinpoints with precision at which turn processes need to be optimized so that the biggest cuts in carbon footprint can be realized.

Oatly’s branding based on CarbonCloud’s calculations

The beauty of CarbonCloud’s offering is that their climate labels are universally comparable and widely applicable. Other forward thinkers, such as Roskilde Festival and Fazer Food Services, have also jumped on board.

In 2019, CarbonCloud displayed the climate impact of all meals at Roskilde Festival to raise awareness about the potential of opting for climate-smart meals. As of January 2020, representatives of the Swedish parliament can enjoy their lunches by Fazer with a clean conscience after weighing options based on CarbonCloud’s calculations. Whether it’s pop culture, politics or the plant-based scene, CarbonCloud has got it covered.

Food for thought

CarbonData enables progressive companies to establish a new norm of transparency and to empower consumers for climate action. Wouldn’t you like to make an informed decision every time you put a product into your shopping cart? CarbonCloud’s solution makes it possible to calculate, track and understand your climate footprint. Right here, right now.

Changing an industry that is responsible for nearly a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions is an uphill battle and it’s on all of us to keep the momentum going. Consumers relish the opportunity to support companies that are honest about and willing to improve their carbon footprint.

Food producers surf the wave of food transformation by capitalizing on this unparalleled tool that can show you where you can make substantial, positive change from one day to the other. After all, food is the strongest lever to optimize human health and environmental sustainability. All of us can contribute to bring an impact-driven food industry about. As it turns out, we can compare apples and oranges. The time is now, and the solution is here. The answer is CarbonCloud.

Got a creative idea how to accelerate the world’s transition to climate-smart eating habits? Reach out directly to CarbonCloud’s team who are always hungry for innovative ideas!

*Source: The EAT Lancet Commission (2019) The EAT-Lancet Commission Summary Report: Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems – Food Planet Health, p.5