Greener wants to help consumers and businesses become more sustainable • TechCrunch


Many consumers and companies want to reduce their impact on the environment, but may not know where to start or how to make the necessary changes. Tom Ferrier, founder of Greenner, an Australian cleaning startup, wants to help. They argue that sustainability and climate action should not be complicated.

His initiative aims to simplify the decision-making process to help consumers and businesses understand sustainability and reduce their emissions, for example by making various purchasing decisions – and points to statistics that 88% of consumers in the US and UK. They want businesses to help them become more sustainable.

For consumers, Greener offers an app that connects to a user’s bank account, allowing customers to learn about their carbon footprint and receive recommendations to make better choices based on potential purchases for 250+ brands.

“It’s easy for consumers to download the app and securely link their bank account to our open banking technology partner Basiq to start tracking their carbon footprint. [of every dollar spent],” he said. Once a new user signs up to Greener, open banking technology combined with data and expertise from the world’s leading climate scientists enables the Greener app to quickly calculate the user’s cost of greenhouse gas emissions.

When asked about the privacy of users’ data, Perrier Basic explained that Open Bank makes it easy for Greener customers to register and link their bank accounts. “Basiq Open Banking allows us to securely transmit anonymized aggregated data to businesses to provide insights that help us build customer loyalty and attract more climate-savvy customers,” said Ferrier.

Offering a two-pronged technology solution, Greener provides businesses of all sizes with customized solutions to reduce their footprint based on business type, size, business model and current sustainability practices. Ferrier told TechCrunch that a business can see where they are on their sustainability journey and provide personalized and transparent advice on what they can do to reduce carbon emissions and waste.

From the consumer app test, the company found that it was able to help consumers reduce the emissions of their purchases by 23 percent. The company has seen more than 10% customer growth, as customers switch from non-green competitive services to green businesses.

The startup is announcing a seed round of 4 million AUD today ($2.5 million), led by NAB Ventures with participation from RelVC. It plans to use the funds to continue its product development, which is currently in beta, and to officially launch its consumer app and Greener Business solutions next year.

“While there are other carbon tracking and offsetting platforms in the market, there is no other business that addresses the climate solution from both sides – consumer and business,” argued Ferrier.

The Greener app is free for consumers, and businesses can fund the model with low margins and be rewarded for new customers and personalized services, he told TechCrunch.

LR: Founders of Griner, Tom Ferrier and Neil McVeigh (Image Credits: Griner)

Greener suggests that the odds are huge, with 300 grams of carbon dioxide associated with every dollar spent on $184 billion in global spending every day.

The biggest challenge facing climate action is awareness, Ferrier continued. He pointed out that the organization sees education as a solution, bridging the gap between motivation and knowledge and rewarding consumers and businesses for their efforts.

Since its inception in 2019, the startup has partnered with brands such as Microsoft, T2 Tea, Scoop Whole Foods, Bru Dog, Husky and Zero Go. Greener has partnered with the City of Sydney and the Australian Retail Association (ARA) to help their members accelerate net zero strategies. Greener’s previous backers include Phil Vernon, the former Australian Ethical of Managed Investment Funds.

“We all have a role to play in climate action and NAB certainly recognizes our role,” said Todd Fores, managing director of NAB Ventures, in a statement. “We are continually looking at ways we can support our customers and colleagues to take action to reduce their carbon footprint and we think Greener’s product has great potential. Greener is a great fit for NAB Ventures and we look forward to working with them and exploring further opportunities together.”



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