Former banking executive launches innovative project to revolutionize the way businesses operate: 'Actionable insights'
Jonathan Horn, former J.P. Morgan managing director, and Caroline Grey, former UiPath CCO, founded Treefera in 2022. It's a platform that utilizes AI to help businesses find sustainable solutions.
With this new platform, Horn and Grey want to prove that sustainability isn't always costly and time-consuming. In an interview with Sustainability Magazine, Horn said, "We provide actionable insights that help industries decarbonize, from supply chains to regenerative agriculture."
What kind of "actionable insights" does Treefera provide? Pretty much everything you can think of. Using data captured by satellites and drones, Treefera's AI can analyze soil composition on potential work sites, for example.
Treefera's ultimate purpose is to steer businesses toward the most eco-friendly path. The AI tracks pollution rates and aligns them with changing global standards, keeping projects within allotted carbon credits. It can also explore potential climate risks for business ventures.
Platforms like these are sorely needed. A 2022 survey of over 600 businesses across 12 countries found that only 49% had a clearly defined set of sustainability initiatives for the next three years. While many executives said they wanted more sustainable business practices, putting them into action proved difficult.
Treefera actually makes things happen. For example, the company shortened a methane avoidance project with Royal Family Farms from two-and-a-half years to a quick seven weeks.
Horn strongly believes in AI's potential to bring about a greener future. He told Sustainability Magazine that it could even be used to forecast extreme weather events, which have been rapidly intensifying. Treefera's AI has already provided timely reports on floods, storms, and fires for multiple clients.
Of course, AI is controversial. Generative AI like ChatGPT sucks up 10 times more energy than a Google search.
However, Treefera uses deep learning models. This is different from generative AI or large language models (LLMs), which create wholly new content that mimics humans. Machine learning analyzes and finds patterns within existing data.
Would you be more likely to shop at a store that paid you for your old stuff?
Absolutely
Only if they make it easy
Depends on the store
Nope
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Most of the scholarship on AI's environmental impact seems skewed toward LLMs. Even with a similar impact, however, Treefera's deep learning AI could lead to less pollution in the long run — unlike generative AI, which typically isn't used for environmental purposes.
Eco-friendly mainstream brands like Treefera are key to a greener future. If large companies set the tone, smaller businesses are sure to follow, setting a new standard for business across the board.
"This real-time data ensures projects stay on track," Horn told Sustainability Mag. "It's a clear example of technology accelerating climate solutions."
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