Root Sustainability Launches Automated LCA Platform

Helping retailers Fast-Track their Net Zero goals, SaaS startup introduces fast, affordable environmental footprinting software—no experts needed

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, May 14, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Root Sustainability, a SaaS based climate tech company, announced the official launch of its automated Product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) platform marking a breakthrough for organisations with large, complex product portfolios. The SaaS-based product unlocks product-level environmental insights in minutes even with limited or scattered data, to drive smarter, faster business decisions.

Traditionally, calculating a product’s carbon footprint has been slow, costly, and heavily reliant on internal experts or external consultants. With the CSRD rollout delayed by the Omnibus decision, many companies have either deprioritised footprinting or limited it to bare-minimum compliance. Root changes that. Built for speed, scale, and usability, the platform transforms product data into carbon and environmental insights in minutes, now empowering teams to make informed decisions on core business goals around green engineering, supplier selection, and product development.

“As an LCA consultant at Philips, I saw firsthand how slow, expensive, and fragmented the process of footprinting products could be—especially at scale,” said Gijs de Mol, Co-Founder of Root Sustainability. “Root was born out of the need to change that. We built a platform that is 20x more efficient than traditional methods to give retailers a simple, automated way to measure and manage environmental impact across thousands of products—accurately, affordably, and fast.”

The launch comes at a pivotal moment. While the EU has delayed parts of its sustainability reporting agenda, several countries are pressing ahead. The UK is advancing its own Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR), and Nordic countries like Sweden, Denmark, and Norway are reinforcing climate disclosures through national legislation. Meanwhile, global frameworks such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and B Corp certification have strengthened their criteria—raising the bar on climate accountability across supply chains.

“Certain shifts within UK, Nordics and even DACH coupled with changes to SBTi and B Corp are putting pressure on businesses to move beyond basic compliance and embrace tools that support real, data-driven sustainability decisions at scale,” adds Gijs.

Early adopters of the platform include several Benelux-based companies who are already gaining value from the Root’s platform and are actively making faster carbon reduction decisions such as Bon Ton Toys and O’Neill - a leader in circular, low-impact retail.

At O'Neill, sustainability is more than a goal, it is core to every product we create. As our product range and data complexity grew, we recognized the need for data-driven insights to guide our sustainability decisions with no compromises across our entire portfolio. When we came across Root, we were impressed by the way it was built with deep LCA expertise plus how much time it saves us through its simple, automated, and scalable solution." – Joffrey Delfgaauw, Head of Tech, Innovation and Sustainability at O'Neill.

About Root: Deeper Product Level Insights for the Retail Ecosystem
Root is an automated LCA platform built for companies managing large and complex product portfolios. Designed with scale and usability in mind, Root enables retailers to upload existing product and supply chain data—no matter how incomplete—and generate portfolio-wide LCAs in line with the full ISO-14000 family of standards.

Every product is mapped across its life cycle—from materials and manufacturing to transport, use, and end-of-life. With just a few key data points, such as a bill of materials, Root’s built-in intelligence delivers high-confidence environmental impact assessments in minutes.
Additionally, Root supports Ecoinvent 3.11 and the Agri-footprint database, unlocking deeper insights into agricultural inputs and natural materials especially relevant for retailers in food, fashion, and home goods.

Founded by Gijs de Mol and Maud Schijen in 2022, Root has tested the platform with multiple clients generating over 4000 product LCAs. As a member of Rockstart’s emerging tech portfolio, Root not only delivers insights into carbon footprints, but also enables companies to analyse their impact across an extensive list of environmental footprints including environmental costs, human health impacts, and biodiversity loss across land, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.

Join the Pioneer Program
Root is now inviting forward-thinking retailers and B Corps to join its Pioneer Program—a 3-month fast track to simplify product footprinting at scale.

Estee Chaikin
Fractional Impact
+31 6 25187995
thefractionalteam@gmail.com
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