Innovation & Technology

Why Digitizing Climate Action Is a ‘Billion-Dollar Opportunity’

Digital carbon tools are helping more companies increase customer engagement and transparency around their climate efforts. We spoke with ClimeCo Chief Commercial Officer Emma Cox to learn more.

Sponsored Content | This article is sponsored by ClimeCo | Published 2 months ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: ClimeCo partners with organizations such as Yakopi on reforestation projects around the world. | ReforestAction

From shipping carriers that enable customers to understand and offset the impact of their shipments or airlines that reward flyers for offsetting their travel emissions, more companies are using digital carbon tools to enable their customers to easily participate in their sustainability efforts – increasing transparency and furthering their climate action while boosting consumer trust and satisfaction.

We spoke with Emma Cox, Chief Commercial Officer at decarbonization solutions provider ClimeCo, to learn more about the business case behind the trend.

Can you describe digital carbon tools and how companies are benefiting from them?

Emma Cox: Digital carbon tools span a range of solutions – from certification programs and carbon accounting software to digital MRV (measurement, reporting and verification) systems and reporting dashboards. All of them share a common purpose: to make climate action more seamless, credible and scalable. Historically, offsetting was manual, back-office work that rarely connected to customers. Digital tools change that by bringing transparency and accessibility into the core of business and consumer experiences.

Within that category, Digital Carbon Solutions (DCS) go a step further by embedding carbon mitigation directly into everyday transactions – whether that’s buying a laptop, renting a truck or booking a conference.

For companies, this delivers dual value: measurable climate impact and direct business benefit. It drives new revenue streams, improves customer engagement and differentiates brands in crowded markets. For example, Fortune 500 clients in hospitality, electronics and transportation have used DCS to mitigate over 57 million tonnes of CO₂e while also strengthening customer loyalty and meeting stakeholder expectations.

You’ve referred to simplifying consumers’ ability to make traceable climate contributions a 'billion-dollar opportunity' for companies. Is that about consumer willingness to pay, broader operational shifts or new revenue models? What will it take for that to materialize at scale?

EC: It’s all three. Today’s consumers want to make sustainable choices, but complexity and skepticism get in the way – not to mention sustainable products have historically tended to come with a higher price tag. When we make climate contributions traceable, easy, trustworthy and affordable, we unlock willingness to pay. That translates into new revenue streams and differentiation from competitors – like Lenovo enabling consumers to offset a laptop at checkout, or Hilton embedding carbon-neutral events as a standard offering.

Scaling this opportunity requires three things:

Seamless integration – digital pathways that don’t burden operations.
High-integrity credits – credits that are credible, transparent and third-party verified.
Business alignment – treating sustainability not as philanthropy, but as a growth strategy.

When those conditions are met, sustainability becomes a normalized part of the customer journey – much like recycling is today.

What barriers do you see in current business models or priorities that might prevent companies from embracing this untapped potential?

EC: The biggest barrier is viewing climate action as a cost center instead of a value driver. Many companies still silo sustainability into sustainability departments rather than embedding it into revenue-generating activities. That mindset slows adoption.

Additionally, technical friction plays a role – if embedding climate solutions requires heavy IT investment, it won’t scale. That’s why ClimeCo designed DCS for fast, low-lift integration – customized to fit seamlessly into a company’s operations and brand look-and-feel, so sustainability feels authentic and built-in.

Many businesses struggle to embed sustainability meaningfully, not just superficially. How do digital carbon platforms such as ClimeCo’s ensure offsetting feels genuine, and not just a marketing add-on?

EC: Authenticity comes from integration and integrity. With DCS, sustainability isn’t a side campaign – it’s built directly into the product or service, as we saw with Lenovo and Hilton. These aren’t afterthoughts; they’re core offerings.

Equally important, every credit is third-party verified and sourced from high-integrity projects that deliver measurable climate benefits. When companies can point to quantifiable emissions reductions backed by rigorous standards, offsetting stops being a “marketing add-on” and becomes a genuine extension of their business model.

Looking ahead, how does ClimeCo plan to scale these solutions while maintaining both high-integrity offsets and commercial viability?

EC: The way we scale is by proving that climate action and business value go hand in hand. Our clients are already showing that sustainability can deepen customer engagement, drive new revenue and strengthen brand loyalty. We pair that business case with a commitment to high-integrity projects, grounded in the due diligence that defines how ClimeCo has always done business – ensuring impact and credibility are never compromised. Ultimately, our goal is to make climate action a built-in feature of business growth – not a trade-off.