There has never been greater urgency for companies and organisations to reduce their carbon emissions but how do senior decision makers track progress and know that their measures are having a positive impact on their business environment and the people that work within it?
Bristol-based Atmo Technology provides air quality and data analysis services, delivered by sensors, to monitor air quality pollutants such as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and CO2 levels which are then fed back to a central data processing unit, analysed and visualised.
Guy Barkley, who founded Atmo Technology with his business partner Patrick Thomas, said their system would help provide "hard metrics" for companies looking to become more sustainable.
He said: "We have clients that want us to help them quantify their journey towards net zero.
"They want to use our systems and sensors to benchmark their progress over a long term period and we can provide hard metrics that tell them how close they are to achieving their goals."
Safety
Atmo Technology not only provides a means of ensuring organisations remain on track in their sustainability goals, the company also helps protect workers from breathing in hazardous fumes in the workplace.
Millions of workers around the world die each year as a result of being exposed to chemicals at work.
Guy said: "It is one of the challenges of our time however there is nowhere near enough awareness of the problem.
"Over 12,500 people a year are dying from breathing in chemicals at work and we need to solve it.
"We help companies understand the conditions that they are putting employees into and then help reduce their exposure."
It is this ability to provide real time readings of workplace environments and provide data that can be acted upon that has won Atmo Technology a host of clients across a range of sectors including ports, waste management and storage.
Data from the company's sensors is used by client organisations to minimise and manage emissions and respond to any sudden spike in hazardous chemicals.
Atmo Technology's platform can also be used by companies looking to plan out a new ventilation system or major building infrastructure investment before purchase.
Guy said: "First port of call is to minimise any emissions, beyond that it is about having the data and how you mitigate and control that environment.
"Companies can spend millions of pounds on systems and we help ensure that decisions are data-driven
"We can help spec the system and point out which areas of the site or building need attention before spending millions on a system."
MediaCityUK
Atmo Technology has joined five other start-ups at Salford’s MediaCityUK in a 12-week programme, which is led by UP Ventures Group, to discover and test how cities can use technology to adapt to a post-Covid world in partnership with MediaCityUK and Connected Places Catapult.
UP Ventures enables large organisations and start-ups to create effective innovation and build value together, through innovation programmes, design sprints and workshops while also helping businesses get ready for investment.
Guy said the testbed would allow the team to test their technology in an indoor office environment.
He said: "We want to see if we can apply what we have learned on big industrial sites and apply these to offices and indoor spaces.
"We'll be measuring CO2 and VOCs and measure their effect on people working within these spaces.
"Lots of studies show that, in an office environment, a build-up of CO2 can lead to a loss in concentration or even nausea.
"We are keen to show that our technology can help improve conditions for office workers."
If you think your company could benefit from working with companies on an UP Ventures programme you can contact us here .