Swedish Startup Klimato Raises US$785K For Its Carbon Labelling Tool Aimed At Foodservice

As carbon labelling becomes more mainstream, Stockholm-based startup Klimato has closed 6.5 million SEK (approx. US$785,000) in a recent investment round. The capital will be used to fuel the company’s growth and expansion of its software that helps foodservice businesses such as restaurants and caterers calculate the climate impact of their dishes and carbon label their meals. 

Klimato, the startup providing its smart climate labelling platform for food businesses, has raised 6.5 million SEK (approx. US$785,000) in a recent funding round. The financing saw participation from a number of local Swedish investors, including government-backed venture capital Almi Invest, leading the round with its 2.9 million SEK (approx. US$350,000) contribution. 

The Swedish startup says that the funds will primarily be used to continue growing its technology and software, which enables “smart climate labelling” for its clients. Founded in 2017 by CEO Anton Unger, the company’s user-friendly online tool allows restaurants and caterers to calculate and communicate the climate impact of their meals. 

It also provides restaurants with insights about its overall climate footprint, changes over time, and comparisons between different outlets of a chain or seasonal menus. Klimato hopes that empowering food companies with information about the carbon footprint of their meals will enable them to make sustainable shifts over time and lower the emissions of their dishes. 

It offers a similar service to Helsinki-based startup Biocode Impact, whose computer software allows businesses to identify ways to decarbonise their food production and reliably measure their food products’ climate impact. My Emissions, on the other hand, aims to help food blogs carbon label their recipes. 

Other properties of Klimato’s software include climate goal-setting and sustainability reporting, geared towards either their customer base, investors and other stakeholders. Among some of the clients that Klimato has worked with include catering giant Sodexo, and a number of Sweden-based restaurants like Bastard Burgers, Oh Poké, Crème Filmhuset and Debaser. 

Since collaborating with Klimato, Bastard Burgers, now the fastest-growing burger chain in Sweden, has seen the sales of its climate-smart meals jump from 7% to 28%. Crème Filmhuset, on the other hand, has managed to reduce the carbon footprint of its meals by 29%. 

Klimato’s funding news comes as carbon labelling in food becomes a growing trend in the food industry, especially as businesses look to attract increasingly climate-conscious customers who are beginning to couple their individual footprint with what’s on their plates. 

SaladStop recently became the first restaurant chain in Asia to begin carbon labelling its entire menu, following the same move made by Just Salad, who pioneered the move in the U.S. restaurant industry. 

Carbon labelling has also become popular on retail food products, such as British natural plant-based energy drink Tenzing, Upfield, the maker of plant-based dairy-free spreads like Flora and Becel, and legacy meat-free brand Quorn. 

The latest to join the list is the animal-free ice cream brand Brave Robot, whose lactose-free real dairy products are made using Perfect Day’s precision fermentation whey proteins. Brave Robot’s ice creams will now feature not only emissions associated with production, but also a QR code for customers to learn more about the brand’s sustainability practices. 

All images courtesy of Klimato.