For decades, companies have been cooking their climate books—mostly unintentionally. Their CO₂ numbers often rest on industry averages, spreadsheets, and accounting methods that confuse cheapness for sustainability. But a Swedish-Austrian startup called Simple thinks it’s time to retire that outdated math.
The company’s newly launched AI software, also called Simple, promises to bring scientific precision and automation to a space that’s long relied on estimates. Following a successful test phase with European clients, Simple has gone public with its mission: to make accurate, real-time emissions data available to any organization, from global manufacturers to city governments.
Killing Off the “Spend-Based Method”
If you’ve ever wondered why your company’s sustainability report shows lower CO₂ emissions the year procurement teams negotiated better prices, you’re not alone. That’s the logic flaw behind the “spend-based method,” where emissions are inferred from how much money was spent, not what was actually bought.
“Lower prices, less CO₂e—it’s absurd,” says founder Mattias Brodendal. “Strategically sound decisions need precise data, and right now, most organizations are operating on little more than guesswork.”
Simple replaces those averages with AI-driven, activity-based calculations. Instead of linking carbon output to cost, the platform reads real-world business documents—invoices, purchase orders, delivery notes—and extracts the actual items and quantities involved. From there, it calculates emissions based on scientifically verified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) datasets sourced worldwide.
The result? Instant, item-level CO₂e reporting, without the million-dollar consulting fees or month-long data collection cycles companies have grown used to.
Scope 3 Made Simple
The toughest challenge in emissions reporting isn’t your company’s direct footprint (Scope 1 and 2). It’s the Scope 3 data—the emissions buried deep within your supply chain, often accounting for up to 90% of total corporate emissions.
Traditional tools either skip this complexity or rely on crude modeling. Simple’s platform does it automatically. Users can upload data manually, in batches, or link their ERP systems for continuous monitoring. Emissions are calculated “per invoice,” costing just a few cents each—turning what used to be a compliance headache into an operational metric.
“With Simple, you can identify which suppliers are really sustainable, and make that decision at the quotation stage,” says co-founder Andreas Wiesmüller. “It’s actionable intelligence, not a bureaucratic burden.”
Predict, Don’t Just Report
Beyond regulatory compliance, Simple’s founders see predictive potential. By analyzing planned purchases or investment proposals, companies can forecast future emissions before signing a contract. That turns sustainability from a reporting exercise into a strategic decision tool.
Fellow founder Felix Miller adds: “Ease of use was key. We didn’t want a product only big corporates could afford or implement. Cities, municipalities, even SMEs can start using it within days.”
Why This Matters Now
Corporate sustainability reporting is fast becoming mandatory under EU law and other global frameworks. Yet even large enterprises struggle with the accuracy of their disclosures. The lack of robust data has created fertile ground for greenwashing—often unintentional, but increasingly risky as regulators tighten rules and investors demand transparency.
“Reliable emissions data isn’t just a climate issue,” says Prof. Dr. Kai Andrejewski, Senior Partner at Agora Strategy and former KPMG executive. “It’s a resource issue. CO₂e in your supply chain is a KPI for spotting future bottlenecks and costs.”
Sustainability expert Klaus Rainer Kirchhoff agrees: “With AI tools like Simple, CO₂e data finally becomes strategic. Companies can not only report but also predict and act.”
Early adopters, including logistics firm Scanfast, are already using Simple to automate sustainability reporting. “It’s changed the way we work with data,” says Scanfast’s CDO Henrik Kleveros. “We’ve moved from spreadsheets and assumptions to automation and precision.”
Simple’s pitch is, well, simple: better data, faster insights, smarter decisions. As climate disclosure rules toughen and resource scarcity looms, it’s not hard to see why that’s becoming a business necessity—not just a sustainability slogan.
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