Automated environmental data collection: 25% reduction in certification costs

Innowise created an automated solution for environmental data management, reducing certification costs, CO₂ emissions, and improving sustainability compliance.

Customer

Industry

Manufacturing

Region

Client since

2024

Our customer is a top global building materials industry player, with factories and subsidiaries across multiple countries. They produce cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates with a strong focus on cutting their environmental footprint and staying in line with sustainability standards.

Detailed information about the customer cannot be disclosed under the provisions of the NDA.

Challenge

Achieving sustainability compliance and reducing certification expenses

The customer was looking for a solution to automatically collect and analyze environmental data across their entire production process. They aimed to cut CO₂ emissions and upgrade operations to meet international sustainability standards like Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). Additionally, they sought to reduce reliance on external support in early stages like data preparation and analysis while reinforcing their leadership in environmentally responsible manufacturing.

Looking ahead, the client plans to go even further by adding metrics for fuel usage and additional supply chain components. These efforts align with their upcoming Carbon Bank initiative focused on tracking, reducing, and offsetting carbon emissions across their operations and supply chain.

Solution

Building integrated ESG and EPD management apps for automated certification

Innowise’s team stepped in and built a solution that helps certify cement products and their components to meet international standards like LCA and EPD. We created apps that manage certification at every step of the production process — from raw materials all the way to the finished products. This way, everything lined up with ESG criteria and made it easier for our customers to stay sustainable.

Development of ESG and sustainability manager app

Innowise built the ESG and sustainability manager, a custom app hosted on Microsoft Azure and fully integrated with Power BI. This tool collects key environmental data from country and factory reps, including:

Resource consumption
Transportation costs
Production data
CO₂ emissions

Once collected, all this data is displayed through interactive dashboards and reports, so stakeholders can track performance in real time and make data-driven decisions to cut down on environmental impact.

Creation of the EPD manager app

At this stage of the project, we are developing the EPD manager app. Our team aims to launch it in 2025 in select EU countries, with plans to expand the rollout later on. Designed to automate EPD certification for finished products and run LCA assessments for intermediate production materials, the app brings efficiency and precision to the process.

Key features include:

Pre-submission data management: users can choose a factory, material, and production year, simplifying data input for certification.
Automated data submission: after selection, the app handles data submission directly to the LCA.no platform for final calculations and certification, saving the company significant time and costs on external services.
Focus on environmental metrics: For now, the app tracks environmental metrics like resource consumption and carbon footprint; social and governance metrics aren’t yet integrated for EPD and ESG tracking.

The team plans to expand features by adding EPD support for complex materials and scaling for a growing user base, in line with the company’s sustainability goals.

The EPD manager app also reinforces the client’s collaboration with LCA.no, a provider of environmental documentation tools, which has committed to tailoring its calculations and adding necessary metrics based on company needs. This partnership keeps the platform aligned with certification requirements and ready to adapt to future data needs.

Integration with external platforms

Our solution integrates smoothly with platforms like LCA.no to automate data validation and certification. This integration means all environmental data gets verified by trusted third parties, keeping things accurate and fully compliant.

Real-time data analytics

The solution focuses on gathering critical data required for EPD certification and comprehensive ESG performance monitoring. The key metrics include:

Declared unit: the standard unit of emissions measurement that sets a baseline for environmental impact assessments.
Carbon footprint of components: detailed emissions data for components like clinker and raw meal, essential for calculating the overall carbon footprint of products.
Environmental impact of materials: insights on both intermediate and finished products, assessing their environmental impact throughout the production cycle.
Fuel consumption data: planned integration to track fuel usage across stages like extraction, transportation, and production.
Other production metrics: additional data on the production process that impacts ESG performance, giving a full picture of environmental impact.

By tracking these metrics, the solution provides a go-to tool for monitoring, reporting, and boosting sustainability practices to stay aligned with global standards and regulations.

Security and user management

We set up solid security measures with Azure Active Directory and Azure Key Vault to keep sensitive environmental data safe. With role-based access controls, only authorized users can access specific data and features — this way, no piece of data gets exposed to the unauthorized personnel.

Technologies

Back-end

Python, FastAPI

Database

PostgreSQL, Snowflake

Integrations

LCA.no API

DevOps

Apache Airflow, Kubernetes

Data analytics and visualization

Power BI, Azure Data Factory

Security

Azure Key Vault, Azure Active Directory

Platforms

Microsoft Azure

VCS

Git, GitLab

Other

Apache Airflow

Process

The Innowise team ran the project using the Scrum approach, working in focused two-week sprints to hit every deadline. With tasks clearly defined by the product owner, the team maintained a sharp focus on high-priority goals.

Each sprint kicked off with refinement sessions to go over upcoming tasks and iron out any details. During planning, tasks were estimated in story points, and the workload was spread out strategically for maximum efficiency.

The product owner kept a close eye on team capacity, balancing high productivity without pushing anyone too hard. Progress was tracked in Jira, with daily stand-ups for quick updates and fast issue-solving.

At the end of each sprint, work demos and retrospectives helped the team review and improve. This flexible approach allowed Innowise to deliver ahead of schedule, demonstrating our dedication and commitment to quality.

Team

Project Manager

Business Analysts

ESG Consultants

Backend Developers

Frontend Developers

Data Engineers

DevOps Engineer

ESG Data Analyst

UI/UX Designer

Results

Reduced certification costs and a significant drop in CO2 emissions

The solution drove substantial benefits for our customer. By automating the certification process, we helped them slash costs by 25% and ditch the need for pricey external certification services. Better monitoring and data analysis shaved 15% off CO2 emissions, making production greener and leaner. On top of that, the client’s entire cement line now ticks all the boxes for international LCA and EPD standards.

With real-time reporting, sustainability decisions became faster and more strategic. Certification coverage expanded by 30%, now including intermediate materials like clinker and raw meal, further bolstering the client’s standing as a frontrunner in sustainable manufacturing for the construction industry.

Additionally, the groundwork is underway for a new major initiative: the carbon bank.

Project duration

June 2024 — Ongoing

25%

reduction in certification costs

15%

decrease in CO2 emissions

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