When, why, and how was your business started?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In 2021, after spending 25 years building software products for major organizations, I had an epiphany. Digital technology was rapidly becoming central to almost every modern enterprise, yet its environmental impact remained completely invisible and poorly understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We set out to run an experiment to see if we could measure climate impact at the precise level where decisions are made \u2014 individual software products and services \u2014 and turn that data into practical engineering action. What began as an experiment evolved into a platform and a full business. Since then, our proposition has expanded from measurement into active optimization, independent certification, and education. Over 2,000 sustainability learning courses have now been completed through our Academy<\/a> because lasting change depends just as much on human decision-making as it does on technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Across more than 200 platforms assessed, we have identified a total environmental impact of 29,000 tCO\u2082e and an aggregate 7,800 tonnes in reduction opportunities (equivalent to the emissions from 1,800 vehicles driven for one year) for the tech firms we work with, representing an estimated reduction opportunity of approximately 26%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a misconception that tech businesses can easily decarbonize by switching to renewable energy-backed cloud providers. The opportunity is vastly larger. In our assessments, cloud infrastructure only represents around 20% of a digital product\u2019s overall impact, so focusing purely on cloud hosting misses the bigger picture. The true opportunity spans software design, data structures, network transit, user devices, development activity and AI. In fact, in some of the AI-enabled products we are now assessing, AI itself can account for 19\u201335% of product-level impact, driving an average 39% surge in product emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best news for businesses is that we consistently identify opportunities to reduce carbon while also lowering technology costs and improving product efficiency. Optimizing software reduces carbon while simultaneously lowering costs and boosting digital performance.<\/p>\n\n\n GoCodeGreen run a successful panel and discussion session at London Climate Action Week discussing the importance of taking real action in digital and AI sustainability with KPMG, Government Digital Services, Mastek and Standard Bank.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a priority from day one. It would be impossible for us to ask other tech companies to take responsibility for their digital impact if we weren’t “drinking our own champagne” and doing the same ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We founded GoCodeGreen on a simple principle: measure what you create, understand where the impact originates and take accountability for improving it. Applying that exact decarbonization discipline to our own services is core to our company\u2019s DNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a digital-first startup, our operational footprint is relatively small, but scaling a business while managing footprint growth is an active challenge. As we hire staff and launch new products, our activity increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We apply practical guidelines to areas within our direct control, such as business travel, purchased energy, software supply chains, and procurement. We deliberately choose to spend money with suppliers who share our environmental values. GoCodeGreen reports its progress and uses recognized external commitments and certifications to maintain accountability. We believe sustainability claims must be backed by transparent, published evidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Visibility across the digital value chain. The emissions that matter most sit within third-party ecosystems: cloud platforms, software supply chains, AI services, and hardware manufacturing where there is often limited access to underlying supplier data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You cannot optimize what you cannot see. Without greater data transparency from tech providers, there is a real risk that rapid growth in digital and AI adoption will overwhelm efficiency gains made elsewhere. This is why we focus heavily on activity-based measurement and optimization in our platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No digital product exists in isolation; it relies on cloud providers, hardware manufacturers, and software vendors working together. Communities like The Climate Pledge<\/a> accelerate practical learning by demonstrating that environmental performance and commercial success are not competing objectives. It brings the world’s largest enterprises together with pioneering SMEs to raise standards and establish consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We want to push this community collaboration directly into the realm of digital and AI, treating tech decarbonization as a frontline operational priority rather than asking the same basic questions repeatedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reporting creates discipline. Without a baseline, you don’t know where you stand. Having a clear framework forces us to move beyond good intentions, evaluate our footprint across all three scopes year after year, and maintain an accurate Carbon Reduction Plan that we share transparently with customers. For an SME, it offers accountability without requiring overly-complex reporting infrastructure<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Credibility is everything in sustainability. Independent signals like B Corp or Earthshot validate the quality of our methodologies for customers, investors, and partners while building an internal culture of success for our employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We created GreenMark, our product-level performance signal for digital and AI, on this exact premise. It provides independent assurance that a software product\u2019s environmental impact has been measured, understood, and actively optimized. Sustainability claims are more valuable when there is transparent evidence and independent assurance behind them rather than relying purely on self-declaration.<\/p>\n\n\n GoCodeGreen win at the National Sustainability Awards with their clients and partners KPMG and Standard Bank.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Stop waiting for perfect data. That’s not how real life works. Identify the biggest emission hotspots in your business, prioritize those areas, and take immediate action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Look for actions that create compound benefits, like lowering carbon, reducing costs, and improving efficiency simultaneously. Finally, invest heavily in your people and their knowledge. Sustained change ultimately depends on the small decisions your team makes every single day. Focus on continual, measurable improvement rather than just making another pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nYou\u2019ve identified thousands of tonnes of emissions reduction opportunities for your clients. What is the scope of tech emissions?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhen did lowering your own carbon footprint first become a priority?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You committed to reach net-zero through\u00a0The Climate Pledge\u00a0and\u00a0SME Climate Commitment. What steps have you taken internally?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is the greatest challenge you face to reducing emissions?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You are part of The Climate Pledge, a community of ambitious companies working toward a common goal: net-zero by 2040 or earlier. The Pledge offers opportunities for SMEs to collaborate through its\u00a0Cohort <\/a>Program. How does the Pledge community help drive progress?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How has reporting through the SME Climate Hub helped your journey?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You hold certifications like B Corp, Gartner “Cool Vendor,” and have been nominated for the Earthshot Prize. How do these external approvals help?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nDo you have any advice for other small businesses starting their climate journeys?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n