Considering that climate change is a global issue that can’t be put on pause, we all—businesses included—have a part to play when it comes to environmental sustainability.

In light of this, DIGIT wanted to highlight a few companies in and around the Scottish technology sector that are helping other businesses be more sustainable through their easy-to-facilitate products and services.

These innovative yet accessible solutions are examples of what companies in Scotland and beyond can adopt when beginning their sustainability journey, or when wanting to bolster their current efforts.

They also serve as a useful reminder that while being directly beneficial for the planet and its people, sustainability-focussed products and services such as these can help businesses be better businesses in a more practical sense, not least when it comes to cost savings.

To discover more about the firms, products, and services in question, read on.

Bennu.ai

Based in Edinburgh—and recently named by DIGIT as one of the capital’s most interesting tech startups—Bennu.ai is a developer of smart waste solutions which can reduce both carbon footprint and waste management cost.

Borne out of both a passion for sustainability and a frustration with the progress of global nations regarding climate change, Jonathan Feldstein founded the company in 2021 while studying for a PhD in artificial intelligence. As he told us: “It was clear to me that the only way to solve climate change is to develop solutions that take people with them and make sustainable actions easy and rewarding. As long as sustainable actions are seen as a sacrifice, no (democratic) government will be able to enact lasting and significant enough change.”

While there’s work on other products going on behind the scenes, the startup’s first, flagship product is Janus—a smart waste bin. “It sorts waste automatically and, knowing better than most humans what is and what isn’t recyclable, sorts waste with higher accuracy using AI,” Feldstein explained. “In addition, it removes contaminants in the form of liquids which otherwise reduce the recyclability of the waste.”

To ensure maximum impact, Bennu.ai is currently focussing on working with businesses in locations with high footfall. “Those places have particularly high waste rates, consisting of mainly recyclable waste which currently is poorly recycled,” noted Feldstein.

Virtek Solutions

Hailing from East Kilbride, Virtek Solutions is a business solutions company, with one of its core offerings as a supplier being Epson heat-free printers and photocopiers.

Explaining how they’re more sustainable alternatives, Ryan Mullen, the managing director of Virtek Solutions, said: “The Epson offering is inkjet technology, meaning that unlike traditional laser machines, they have no fuser unit required to heat to over 200 degrees to essentially melt toner onto a page.” Because of this, they can use up to 83% less energy than laser printers, and produce up to 96% fewer used consumables, resulting in energy and money savings for businesses.

One example report, based on a real evaluation of a business, showed that switching to heat-free inkjet printers could save them up to 94.4% in energy savings, and up to £345,000 in financial savings over a 60-month period.

For Mullen, helping businesses to be more sustainable in this accessible way is rewarding. “We believe we could all do that little bit more to be more sustainable,” he said. “And when you consider that, on average this year, we have reduced our own customer base’s CO2 emissions by an average of 91.2% from printers alone—not to mention the cost savings due to this—it feels good to know we are helping do our bit.”

Recommended reading

• How the UK’s Energy Efficiency Compares to the Rest of Europe
• Edinburgh Uni Leading Charge for EV Battery Recycling Tech
• Scots Green Heat Projects Secure £750K in Funding

GoCodeGreen

GoCodeGreen, the digital platform and certified B Corp company founded by Eric Zie, has the mission of using technology to help technology become greener. Specifically, through the platform, businesses can measure and baseline the carbon impact of their software, and then identify actions to reduce its carbon impact.

The idea for GoCodeGreen originated in early 2021. “I was building a new digital solution for a UK bank and had an idea that I’d build it as the cleanest software product that the bank had ever seen,” the founder explained to DIGIT.

However, Zie quickly ran into—and was inspired by—a roadblock. “I needed a measurement capability that could accurately assess the carbon impact of software, but couldn’t find one on the market. As a GoogleBrain Award winner with a 25 year career in technology, I decided I would put that experience to use and help in the biggest challenge of our lifetime,” he told us.

Since its inception in May 2021, the startup has worked with over 35 organisations across 65+ of their digital products and identified 56% carbon reduction opportunities in the build stage, and 26% in operate.

“The opportunity to help organisations with the fast track removal of legacy applications, support the business cases for migration to clean cloud environments, as well as further enhance modernised digital applications, makes our capabilities important for all types of businesses at different levels of carbon action maturity,” Zie added.

Moving Forward, Sustainably

Taking sustainability seriously as a business has, over time, become more and more of an imperative—and this is set to continue in light of climate change’s progression.

Hopefully, these three examples of companies with accessible offerings have inspired you with your business’ sustainability efforts and overall approach.

And, as Bennu.ai’s Jonathan Feldstein wisely advised: “Investing in sustainable approaches will pay off, and the sooner these transitions happen, the more payoff.”