Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, demanding innovative solutions to cut emissions, manage waste, and rethink how we live and work. Enter Artificial Intelligence (AI)—a game-changing technology that’s helping us tackle these issues with unprecedented precision and scale. From tracking carbon footprints to turning trash into treasure, AI is powering a new wave of climate tech. In the UK, a hub of innovation, companies are leading this charge, blending AI with sustainability to drive real impact. Artificial Intelligence could cut global emissions by 4% by 2030, according to PwC, and these five UK-based pioneers are showing how it’s done.
- Sylvera
Sylvera is revolutionising the carbon offset market by using AI to verify and rate carbon credit projects, ensuring they deliver real environmental benefits. The company analyzes vast datasets—satellite imagery, LiDAR, and remote sensing—through advanced machine learning algorithms to assess the quality of carbon offset initiatives, such as reforestation or soil carbon projects. This process assigns projects a rating from AAA to D, offering transparency that’s critical in a market often plagued by greenwashing. Trusted by major corporations and governments, Sylvera’s platform helps direct billions in sustainability investments to high-impact projects. As of early 2025, the company has expanded its coverage to over 20,000 carbon projects worldwide, partnering with entities like the World Bank to map forest carbon stocks. Their work not only boosts market trust but also accelerates funding for initiatives that genuinely reduce or remove CO2, making them a linchpin in the voluntary carbon market’s growth.
- Emitwise
Emitwise provides an AI-powered platform that empowers businesses to monitor and reduce emissions in real-time, turning complex carbon data into actionable strategies. By integrating with supply chain systems, the platform automates data collection—covering Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions—and uses machine learning to identify reduction opportunities, such as optimizing logistics or switching suppliers. Adopted by giants like DHL and Atkins, Emitwise has helped companies track and manage millions of tons of CO2, aligning their efforts with science-based net-zero targets. In 2024, Emitwise rolled out enhanced predictive analytics, allowing firms to forecast emissions under different scenarios, a feature that’s proving vital for industries like manufacturing and transport. With a user-friendly dashboard and compliance-ready reporting, Emitwise is making carbon accounting less of a burden and more of a competitive edge, driving decarbonization across global supply chains.
- Greyparrot
Greyparrot is transforming waste management with AI-driven computer vision, tackling the global recycling crisis head-on. Their technology deploys cameras above conveyor belts in recycling facilities, analyzing waste streams in real-time to identify materials—plastics, paper, metals—and sort them with precision. This boosts recycling rates, reduces contamination, and cuts landfill use, diverting thousands of tons of waste annually. Operating in over 30 facilities across 14 countries, Greyparrot’s impact grew in 2024 with a strategic partnership with Bollegraaf, a Dutch recycling giant, integrating their AI into next-gen sorting systems. The company estimates that by 2030, their tech could reduce emissions by 119 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year by enhancing the quality of recycled materials. Greyparrot’s data also empowers facility operators with insights to optimize operations, making them a cornerstone of the push toward a circular economy.
- Orbital Materials
Orbital Materials harnesses AI to design next-generation materials that address climate challenges, from carbon capture to clean energy. Their machine learning platform accelerates materials discovery by simulating molecular structures and predicting their performance, slashing development time from years to months. A standout achievement is their work on porous materials—like carbon-absorbing sponges—that trap CO2 from the air or industrial sources, offering scalable carbon removal solutions. They’re also exploring materials for sustainable fuels and energy storage, such as advanced battery components. Though still early-stage, Orbital Materials gained traction in 2024 with pilot projects alongside energy firms, testing their innovations in real-world settings. By merging AI with materials science, they’re not just inventing greener alternatives but redefining how we build a low-carbon future, with potential applications spanning industries from aviation to construction.
- Better Origin
Better Origin is tackling food waste and unsustainable farming with AI-powered insect farming, a novel approach to circular agriculture. Their autonomous systems, housed in shipping containers, use black soldier flies to convert food scraps into high-protein animal feed, all optimized by AI to maximize efficiency. The technology monitors variables like temperature, humidity, and waste input, adjusting conditions in real-time to boost larvae growth and output. In 2024, Better Origin scaled up trials with UK supermarkets, converting tons of unsold produce into feed that reduces reliance on soy, a major driver of deforestation. With each farm capable of processing 10 tons of waste annually, their solution cuts emissions from both waste disposal and feed production. Better Origin’s vision is a decentralized network of insect farms, offering a scalable, low-carbon alternative to traditional agriculture while enhancing food security.
These five UK companies are spearheading the climate AI revolution, each addressing unique environmental challenges with cutting-edge technology. As AI evolves, its role in fighting climate change will expand, offering new avenues for businesses and governments to build a sustainable future.
By promoting these solutions, the UK is not only driving innovation but also setting a global benchmark for sustainable development. Supporting these pioneers can accelerate our path to a net-zero world.
