This post is also available in: Danish
Aarhus-based startup Naia has set out to tackle one of the biggest challenges in the green transition: the lack of concrete tools to translate sustainable ambitions into action. With an initial investment of DKK 5 million from Energized Investments, which can grow to DKK 10 million, Naia has launched to help companies integrate sustainability into their product design from the very first sketch.
“Going green shouldn’t be flashy or only happen at a strategic level. A lot of reports and PowerPoint presentations are created, but sometimes the real transformation and the right changes don’t happen… and then only good intentions remain. It’s about getting down into the engine room and taking some concrete, pragmatic steps to become better,” says Troels Lange Andersen, CEO and co-founder of Naia, and continues:
“We create a platform that enables companies to work with sustainability in a way that is both realistic and impactful. It’s about making better choices even before production starts.”
A team with a lot of experience
The team behind Naia consists of experienced profiles from companies such as LEGO, Vestas and Grundfos. Their understanding of complex value chains and sustainability in practice has made it possible to develop a platform that not only delivers data, but gives companies a real competitive advantage in the green market of the future.
“Some might think it’s crazy that we’ve left our well-paid jobs, but our ambition is to make green transition practical, affordable and valuable for companies,” says Troels Lange Andersen.
Naia was founded a year ago with a clear hypothesis: manufacturing companies need to understand their environmental impact as early as possible in the product design process. By integrating sustainability in the early stages, companies can optimize their designs and avoid having to adapt to knowledge that comes too late in the process. The hypothesis has now led to the investment of up to DKK 10 million. The first half of the investment has already been received, while the rest is dependent on Naia meeting specific performance-based objectives.
“It’s really about putting action behind the words and all the reports. Companies are stuck because they don’t have the tools they need. We need to change that and it can only happen too slowly,” says Troels Lange Andersen.
Focus on the design phase
Naia’s technology enables companies to see the environmental impact of their choices in real time. The platform analyzes different materials and design decisions and shows how they affect the carbon footprint. This allows companies to quickly make decisions that reduce their impact on the environment – and they don’t have to wait for slow ESG reports.
“We need to think about sustainability differently. For too long the industry has been reactive, but we’re changing that. We need to move away from seeing sustainability as just another compliance task to a more proactive approach where companies can create value for both the environment and their bottom line,” says Troels Lange Andersen.
Naia focuses on the design phase, as this phase often determines up to 80% of a product’s total environmental impact. By providing access to sustainability data early in the process, companies can take a proactive approach to their green transition.
“We see ourselves as industry changers, but without a requirement for companies to make dramatic changes in the way they do things. If we really want to make an impact, we need to start earlier in the design phase and build on existing processes and tools. Sustainability starts with small steps – and we help companies take them,” says Troels Lange Andersen.
