Creating the Consumer Carbon Market – Interview With ATLAS

ATLAS allows and enables consumers to be able to make environmentally conscious choices when shopping and buying things in their day to day lives. The more carbon neutral a product and company, the more credits the consumer can earn to then redeem, later.

TechRound sat down to discuss this in more detail with ATLAS.

How Did You Come Up With The Idea For The Company?

Jonas: My background was originally in commodity trading, while dealing with a large number of industrial companies I saw most had no reason to adopt sustainable practices.

Then when I moved to working in recycling, it became evident that even consumer-facing companies weren’t investing in sustainable practices simply because there was no direct incentive for them to do so. It struck me that we needed to have some sort of tangible reward for companies to lower their carbon emissions.

Feeling impassioned to drive change, I shared the idea with Naman, a software engineer I’d known since school, and we decided to create a mobile app that would promote sustainable choices while benefiting both companies and consumers.

Naman: The foundation of the app is simple: reward users for choosing products and services from companies with lower carbon footprints. The more consumers opt for sustainable options, the more points they earned, redeemable for rewards. Simultaneously, companies can increase their revenue participating by gaining exposure to a wider audience and from positive branding associated with their commitment to sustainability.

We believed that by aligning consumer choices with sustainable practices, we could create a virtuous cycle that drives both businesses and consumers toward a more sustainable future.

How Has The Company Evolved Since It Was Just An Idea?

Naman: We faced hurdles in developing an app that could accurately measure carbon footprints and reward users in a user-friendly and scalable manner. Finally, after months of rigorous development and testing, the app was ready for launch. We were excited to see the response from consumers. Two months since launch the user base has grown to over 2,000 active users, and we believe the more companies we get to join the platform the more carbon conscious we can make consumers.

What Can We Hope To See From ATLAS In The Future?

Jonas: We would like to develop what we call the Consumer Carbon Market that aims to revolutionize the way carbon offsets are perceived and valued. Currently, carbon offsets are heterogeneous and lack a standardized value. We believe that for sustainability efforts to be truly effective, carbon needs to have a tangible financial value, just like any other commodity.

Naman: Our vision is to create a more liquid and dynamic carbon market where consumers actively participate in reducing carbon emissions. Through our app, we want to bridge the gap between companies and consumers. Companies can advertise their sustainability initiatives and offer attractive rewards to consumers who align with their vision for a more sustainable future.