With the Climate Change goals and deadlines laid down in the Paris Agreement fast approaching, this decade is finally beginning to see more serious movement in emissions monitoring and
reduction, and thus an upstart of support providers. One such company is Berlin, Germany-based, Climate Tech start-up, Cozero. Its Climate Action Platform (CAP) offers seamless tracking,
reduction, and reporting capabilities for corporate and product emissions in a single end-to-end SaaS solution.
Cozero contacted CargoForwarder Global (CFG) with customer news regarding Nippon Express Europe GmbH, last week and CFG took the opportunity to find out more about the company itself,
from Cozero’s Marketing Manager, Elise Devaux (ED).
CFG: What led to the founding of Cozero in 2020? What was the motivation and did the three founders already know each other?
ED: Cozero was founded in 2020, in response to the need for businesses to adopt sustainable practices and transition towards a low-emission future. The three founders, Helen
Tacke, Fabian Schwarzer, and Tiago Taveira, united their strengths to establish Cozero, motivated by a collective commitment to address climate change and contribute to a more sustainable future.
They wanted to build a tool that would allow enterprises to take control of their carbon footprint and decarbonization strategy.
Helen and Fabian had crossed paths during their academic journey at HHL Leipzig School of Management. Helen developed a keen interest in sustainability and climate action after having immersed
herself in the startup world through VC experiences. Her interest intersected with Fabian's journey, who had been working in a consultancy firm with a digital focus. After meeting with Tiago,
they embarked on this journey with a commitment to build a solution to improve the accuracy of emission accounting and simplify the decarbonization process for enterprises.
CFG: Was it a challenge to found in a pandemic year, or was this actually helpful?
ED: Founding Cozero in a pandemic year presented challenges and advantages for the founding team. Cozero, being in its early stages, was fortunate to avoid some of the obstacles
many other startups face, such as cost-saving measures and administrative hurdles. The team was small and able to stay focused on product development and client engagement during this time.
In parallel, the adoption of virtual communication tools (Zoom & co), increased the availability of people for discussions, especially on climate topics. It allowed the team to connect with
potential clients, generate discussions, and receive valuable feedback. For the founding team, this created a supportive environment that allowed them to progress in their early stages.
From a financial perspective, the pandemic influenced Cozero to adopt a more conservative approach, extending its bootstrapping period and relying on internal resources for longer. While external
financing became less attractive due to uncertainties in the funding market, the founders saw this as an opportunity to strengthen their focus on the client side and develop a more sustainable
approach to sales.
CFG: How did Cozero go about attracting clients initially? What is its link to the air cargo industry?
ED: During our commercial journey, we prioritized collaboration and a deep understanding of our client's needs from the outset. In the early stages, we involved our clients, such
as Rhenus Logistics, in the development process. This collaborative effort was instrumental in shaping Cozero into a solution that directly addressed real-life challenges within the logistics
industry. The evolving landscape, including the intensification of global regulatory pressures, presented numerous commercial partnership opportunities as the need for granular carbon accounting
and actionable solutions emerged.
A decision we took early on, was to concentrate on industries with complex operations and high emissions. In recent years, Cozero has solidified its position as a market leader in sustainability
solutions by establishing partnerships with industry giants such as Maersk, Nippon Express, Mosolf, and Forto.
While we don't have airlines in our customer base, most of our customers operate in the logistics sector. Air transportation is often part of the supply chain, so it is of the utmost importance
for us to provide air transport related emission calculations.
CFG: How does Cozero work, exactly? And how much of the logistics supply chain is it able to cover?
ED: Our idea is to offer an integrated carbon management platform that aligns with the logistics supply chain and addresses the entire carbon management process.
The solution covers the three emission scopes: Scope 1 (direct emissions from company activities), Scope 2 (Indirect emissions from purchased energy), and Scope 3 (Emissions from the entire
supply chain). We provide insights across various dimensions, including modes of transport, products, business units, contractors, and upstream/downstream activities. The platform accommodates
multimodal and Well-to-Wheel calculations, offering a comprehensive view of emissions across different transport dimensions. Cozero also enables users to analyze emissions based on specific
criteria, such as business units, suppliers, shipments, or product-based emissions.
Customers start by mapping their company structure, processes, and supply chain within the platform. This digital twin establishes a foundational understanding of the organization's carbon
footprint. Users collaborate on the data collection process, and the platform handles the emissions calculation process. Users get real-time and precise insights into their supply chain and
company emissions. We additionally provide insights into decarbonization opportunities and forecast future emissions trends to help enterprises reduce their carbon footprint. Cozero supports
customers in the reporting phase to help them meet regulatory and industry-specific reporting standards.
CFG: Is Cozero purely Europe-based? And supports EU requirements or global ones?
ED: Our company is based in Berlin, Germany, but we operate globally, with teams utilizing our software in over 50 countries and 750 locations.
We recognize the global nature of our customers' operations, and as such, our approach to requirements is industry-centric. We are actively aligning our solutions with global standards like the
latest ISO 14083 and adhering to international frameworks such as GLEC. Our commitment extends to following the globally recognized scientific framework for emissions accounting, exemplified by
the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Standards, the Carbon Disclosure Project, or the Science Based Targets Initiatives. This ensures that our platform caters to the diverse and international needs of our
clientele.
CFG: When and where did Cozero begin working with Nippon Express?
ED: Cozero and Nippon Express Europe GmbH (NX Europe) began collaborating in 2023 as NX Europe was seeking a solution that would allow them to measure logistical and
non-logistical emissions and support the forecasting and planning of decarbonization efforts.
Nippon Express Europe intensifies sustainability strategy with Cozero
Cozero’s press release from 21NOV23, announced that NX Europe (part of Japan’s NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC.), implemented Cozero's Climate Action Platform “within weeks” at 30 of its European
locations, in order to report on Scope-1, Scope-2, and Scope-3 emissions. NX Europe aims to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 50% by 2030 (compared to 2013), and its parent company submitted a letter
of commitment to obtain Science Based Targets (SBT) certification in MAY23.
Olaf Zimmlinghaus, Executive Director - General Affairs and Finance EMEA at NX Europe, stated: “Achieving our sustainability goals to combat climate change holds a special place within the NX
Group. Our well-defined sustainability goals are not only deeply embedded in our operations but also subject to continuous monitoring of success. The data-driven solution provided by Cozero
enables us to implement sustainability transformation into our corporate planning.”
Helen Tacke, Co-Founder and CEO of Cozero GmbH, commented: “The NX Group is an exceptional example of the integration of financial and sustainability performances. Recognizing that corporate
strategy and sustainability must walk hand in hand is pivotal for transformative success. We are proud to be able to contribute with data insights and measures through our software solution to
support this synergy.”
Brigitte Gledhill
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