Founded in 2021, the Cologne-based climate tech company Planted has quickly evolved from a CO₂ offset provider to become a leading player in the field of ESG (environmental, social and governance) software. Planted's comprehensive solution for CO₂ management and sustainability reporting helps companies meet legal requirements efficiently and turn sustainability into a real competitive factor. At the heart of this is the AI assistant "Kaia", which automates ESG processes and makes knowledge accessible. This supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular in getting started with ESG.
In an interview with NRW.Global Business, Wilhelm Hammes, the CEO and founder of Planted, talks about why the company has transitioned from a reforestation project to an ESG tech platform, how AI is accelerating sustainability change within companies, and the role that NRW plays as a location for innovation.
Planted originally started out planting trees and then quickly transformed into a full-fledged provider of ESG management software. How did this change come about, and what was your motivation?
When we founded Planted in 2021, our goal was to make climate protection tangible for everyone by supporting regional reforestation projects and offering simple CO₂ offsetting solutions. This was an important first step, but we quickly realized that the greatest opportunity for meaningful climate protection lies within the economy. Companies are responsible for the majority of emissions and have the power to transform entire value chains. At the same time, we realized that offsetting alone is insufficient. To achieve decarbonization, we must empower companies to understand, reduce, and strategically manage their emissions. This realization marked the beginning of our transformation. We wanted to create a system that would guide companies through the entire ESG process, from carbon accounting and reporting to strategy development. This is how Planted became a holistic ESG software company.
The upcoming implementation of the EU's new ESG reporting requirements poses a real challenge for many companies, especially SMEs. Why? And how does Planted specifically support SMEs?
Many SMEs currently face the same challenge. They recognize the importance of ESG, but lack the time, budget, and internal expertise to address it. Although the legal obligation no longer applies to smaller companies, pressure remains from banks, supply chains, and customers who expect transparency. The problem is that ESG is often perceived as a complex topic requiring extensive consulting. This is exactly where Planted comes in. Our software provides companies with a simple, automated process for managing their ESG initiatives, eliminating the need for prior knowledge. Automation reduces manual effort, and our team of ESG experts is available to answer technical questions. The result is reliable data, clearly structured reports, and, most importantly, a fast, understandable, and economically sensible introduction to ESG, especially for SMEs.
By adding the AI assistant "Kaia," you have incorporated a central element into your product. What is the idea behind Kaia, and how does it transform the management of ESG data?
Kaia is our solution to the central challenge in the ESG sector: complexity. Many companies fail not due to a lack of willpower, but because of insufficient resources and data confusion. With Kaia, we provide a digital team member: an AI-supported sustainability manager with real, practical training. Kaia can explain, classify, and translate ESG data into concrete action steps. In the future, Kaia will collect data independently and automatically prepare reports. This means less effort and fewer errors for companies, who will have more time for what really matters: sustainable measures with measurable impact.
How important is the startup ecosystem in NRW for you, especially with regard to networking, funding, skilled workers, and proximity to customers?
NRW is an ideal location for us. Here, industrial strength, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and an innovative spirit converge. There is hardly another region in Germany with as many companies actively engaged in ESG and climate protection. This ensures a close, practical exchange. We also benefit greatly from the regional startup ecosystem. Support programs, networks, initiatives, and partners such as NRW.Global Business are essential to our market entry and growth. And last but not least, proximity to skilled workers plays a major role. NRW boasts strong universities, technological expertise, and a rapidly growing sustainability and AI sector. For us, this is the perfect combination, especially since we combine ESG expertise with tech innovation.
Planted recently completed a five-million-euro financing round. What does this success mean for your future growth and product development?
This financing enables us to accelerate even further. The ESG market is rapidly changing away from pure reporting requirements and toward strategic sustainability management. With the new capital, we are investing in three key areas:
- Product development to further expand Kaia as an AI assistant,
- Market expansion, especially in the SME sector, and
- Team growth in the areas of tech and sustainability.
Our goal is clear: we want to make ESG so accessible that every company, regardless of its size or resources, can make real progress in climate protection.