Earthly, a member of the World Economic Forum’s UpLink community, helps companies screen and de-risk investments in nature-based solutions to achieve carbon removal or carbon avoidance goals. The UK-based startup’s clients include Caixa Bank, S&P Global, Activision and MetLife.
Earthly, which operates worldwide, helps companies buy carbon credits, earn Net Zero certifications, or design bespoke approaches. “If corporates invest in low quality projects it can cause reputational issues,” says founder and CEO Oliver Bolton, one of some 100 entrepreneurs invited to attend the Forum’s Annual Meeting of The New Champions in Tianjin, China June 27-29. UpLink, an open innovation platform operated by the Forum, links innovators to a growing network of large corporates, experts and investors, who can scale their ventures and accelerate their impact.
To screen projects Earthly analyzes 106 data points, aggregating information from data partners like BeZero and Google Earth Engine. The company uses transparency methodology to provide a holistic assessment that looks across carbon, biodiversity and people, to measure a project’s full potential. It also offers a visualization tool that allows companies to view data about a project’s impact and share that information with employees or clients.
Earthly helps clients to choose projects that align with their company’s values, says Bolton, a serial entrepreneur. Options include investing in agroforestry, woodland restoration. protection of forests, mangroves, peatlands, drylands and tropical forests, regenerative farming, and improving healthcare of communities.
The startup’s mission is to become the leading global marketplace for nature-based solutions and help businesses protect and restore at least 1% of the planet by 2030, Bolton said.
Competitors include South Pole, which develops and implements emission reduction projects for companies and Pachama, which harnesses satellite data and AI to help companies invest in high-quality carbon credits.
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