This article first appeared and originally published at https://blogs.oracle.com/startup/post/sustainable-startups.
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make,” said Dr. Jane Goodall.
From high tech waste management solutions to tools that make the making of consumer products more ethical, startups are innovating solutions for a greener future. To empower their sustainable solutions, many tap into the benefits of Oracle for Startups to gain exposure, more customers, and stronger infrastructure.
Startups and enterprises working together can help the business world lead the change toward greater sustainability. While some businesses are naturally greener than others (and not all of them are focused on combating climate change), every company can make adjustments to reduce its carbon footprint or mitigate negative environmental effects.
If everyone makes small changes, they end up making a big difference, or as Sir David Attenborough puts it: “If working apart, we are forces powerful enough to destabilize our planet, surely working together we are powerful enough to save it.”
This Earth Day, we’re celebrating how some of the more eco-focused members of Oracle for Startups help other businesses make a positive impact on the planet.
Waste not, want not
One of the simplest ways to make a positive impact is to waste less. Startups help other businesses minimize waste and maximize efficiency in several ways.
Complete Intelligence, for example, uses AI and strong predictive analytics to help companies waste less – whether that’s materials, time, or money. “It might not be as intuitive a sustainability play as, say, building solar panels, but it is important nonetheless,” said analyst Jeremy Cox in a report about the startups bringing sustainability to energy and utilities.
Tracifier created a blockchain-based traceability application to reduce food fraud and, therefore, food waste. “Blockchain allows for an accurate and transparent record of each of several certification processes, making forgery nearly impossible,” said Mina Kordi, CEO and cofounder of the startup, which is based in Hamburg.
Faradai (formerly Reengen) turned rooting out energy waste in stores, offices, and other commercial properties into a global business. Their hardware agnostic IoT platform analyzes sensor data to uncover energy and operational insights. One of our favorite success stories involves the company’s work with a bank that found that ATMs with high energy usage often had outdated exterior lighting. A simple change in lighting reduced the site’s energy consumption by 59%.
Buying better
More consumers are making purchases based on ethics and environmental concerns, and startups are serving up clever tech to the companies selling us greener products from clothes to cars.
Circulor makes it easier for automobile giants and other businesses to spot the weakest links in their supply chains so they can improve them and attract conscientious consumers. The London-based startup specializes in tracking raw materials using blockchain and artificial intelligence. It provides ‘traceability-as-a-service’ to verify responsible sourcing, underpin effective recycling, and improve efficiency, so consumers can buy new products with confidence.
When it comes to the fashion industry, green is the new black.
Fashion houses are keen to embrace the public’s appetite for everything eco-friendly. The blockchain-based supply chain transparency platform offered by retraced gives fashion brands a boost for their inventory efficiency and sustainability credentials. The German startup uses the Oracle Blockchain Platform to create a supply chain management tool, enabling companies to map and verify their data, including certified details about raw materials, textile manufacturers, fabric dyers, designers, craft people, factories, and sewers. As retraced gathers information, two things happen: brands can collect and analyze supply chain data, and a QR code is automatically generated, which consumers can scan to discover information about ethical sourcing and sustainability.
Cleaning up
Startups are playing a vital part of cleaning our planet. Oceanworks is one of them. The startup is intent on banishing plastic from the ocean and is doing its bit by creating an online marketplace for recycled plastic materials and products. It has more than 100 customers and a supply capacity of more than 190,000 tons of ocean plastic a year from collection sites across six continents.
Based in Los Angeles, the cloud startup runs a track-and-trace application to certify that the plastic that manufacturers source really is recycled ocean plastic so their customer base (which includes Fortune 500 companies) can prove their eco credentials.
Calling climate crusaders
If your startup business is on a mission to save the world, Oracle for Startups can help. We offer the technical tools and one-on-one mentoring startups need to make the world a better place. From free cloud credits and access to Oracle Blockchain to introductions to customers, Oracle for Startups offers the support your startup needs to make a real difference.