Everywhere you look these days, there seems to be bad climate news — whether it’s another record broken for the hottest year, flowers blooming in Antarctica, or simply the unseasonably warm weather outside your window.
In 2015, 196 countries signed the Paris Agreement, committing to cutting emissions by 45% by 2030 to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees.
We’re just six years away from the deadline, yet both emissions and global temperatures hit record highs in 2023, and experts warn that a 42% reduction is still required to cap warming at 1.5 degrees.
The doom and gloom is enough to make anyone despair, so today, we’re beaming a ray of hope through the (geoengineered) clouds and shining it on ten climate tech companies that are fighting the good fight.
Take a look for a hit of climate optimism.
1. Ripple Energy
Founded: 2017
Location: London
What it does:
Ripple is an innovative energy company that empowers individuals and businesses to co-own renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, in an effort to make green electricity more accessible and affordable for its members, while also contributing to a reduction in carbon emissions.
Through this model, Ripple Energy aims to democratize energy ownership, ensuring that consumers can play an active role in the green energy revolution and enjoy the greenest and cheapest electricity in the UK.
According to Ripple, this solution is 62% cheaper than rooftop solar power and protects consumers from price spikes.
2. Sourceful
Founded: 2018
Location: Manchester
What it does:
Sourceful makes it easier for businesses to source the most sustainable packaging for their products.
It achieves this through a platform that combines deep industry knowledge with data-driven, custom packaging solutions, enabling brands to create unforgettable customer experiences while prioritizing sustainability.
Sourceful’s dynamic carbon footprint data allows businesses to evaluate their carbon footprint, choose the most sustainable packaging option, and offset the rest with carbon credits.
3. Climate X
Founded: 2020
Location: London
What it does:
Climate X provides a comprehensive climate risk analytics solution named Spectra, supports businesses in understanding and addressing the financial impacts of climate change on their assets, portfolios, and overall operations.
It offers location-specific risk ratings and loss estimates for extreme weather events linked to climate change, aiding sectors like banking, real estate, insurance, and government institutions in building climate resilience and adaptation strategies.
4. Octopus Energy
Founded: 2015
Location: London
What it does:
Octopus Energy is a forward-thinking energy provider that specializes in supplying renewable electricity and gas to homes and businesses.
It uses technology to ensure fair and agile pricing, which allows customers to benefit from lower prices during off-peak hours, making energy usage smarter and more efficient.
With a strong focus on customer satisfaction and environmental responsibility, Octopus Energy aims to drive the transition towards a greener, more sustainable energy future.
5. Connect Earth
Founded: 2021
Location: London
What it does:
Connect Earth is an environmental data company that aims to make sustainability data easily accessible to empower eco-conscious decisions in finance so that emissions management is more approachable, comprehensive, and scalable.
It offers API-driven tools that enable financial institutions and their customers to understand and reduce the carbon footprint of their financial transactions, aiming to bridge the gap between intent and action towards sustainable practices.
Connect Earth’s carbon intelligence platform empowers businesses and consumers to integrate carbon management into their everyday financial products in their journey towards decarbonization.
6. Hoxton Farms
Founded: 2020
Location: London
What it does:
Hoxton Farms develops cultivated animal fats to use in plant-based meats — without the animals. Founded by a synthetic biologist and a mathematician, the company uses cell biology and mathematical modeling to produce cultivated fat that can be used as an alternative ingredient to plant oils in plant-based meat.
There are several advantages to using cultivated animal fat over oils — including better flavor, greater stability in manufacturing, cooking, and storing, and being more sustainable. Whereas plant oils cause deforestation and pollution, cultivated fat requires less land, water, and energy to produce.
7. Airex
Founded: 2016
Location: London
What it does:
Airex specializes in smart ventilation control, offering the world’s first smart air brick designed to reduce energy bills and combat fuel poverty through a simple building retrofit.
Its technology optimizes airflow in naturally ventilated homes with air bricks, making them more sustainable and energy efficient.
This innovative solution not only improves home thermal efficiency with minimal disruption but is also cost-effective, addressing heat loss and contributing to the decarbonization of existing housing stock.
8. FlexSea
Founded: 2020
Location: London
What it does:
FlexSea innovates with a truly home compostable biopolymer material made from seaweed and other sustainably sourced natural products aimed at replacing plastic film packaging. The material is designed to be biodegradable, edible for wildlife and humans, and supports coastal communities by using red macroalgae.
This positions FlexSea as a sustainable alternative in the fight against ocean pollution and plastic waste, with benefits for the environment and society.
9. Clean Power Research
Founded: 1998
Location: California
What it does:
Clean Power Research provides cloud-based solutions to advance the energy transformation, offering utilities and the solar industry tools for interconnection management, renewable energy, transportation, and building electrification.
Its products include PowerClerk® for process automation, SolarAnywhere® for solar resource assessment, and other utilities aimed at reducing CO2 emissions and promoting sustainability.
10. Furbnow
Founded: 2022
Location: London
What it does:
Furbnow specializes in enhancing home energy efficiency through a comprehensive service that includes an initial home survey by a qualified assessor, personalized retrofit planning, and management of energy efficiency upgrades.
It aims to simplify the retrofit process for homeowners, offering end-to-end project management or support, to ensure homes are warmer, more energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly.
Reasons to be hopeful
The weather outside may be frightful, but these ten climate tech startups are proving what’s possible when humans step up for the planet.
Looking for more insights into the intersection of tech and the environment?
Check out this podcast episode about how tech can reduce the environmental impact of veganism.
