New BCG offering helps corporates scale sustainability ventures

The Digital Ventures arm of Boston Consulting Group has launched a new offering aimed at helping corporates accelerate their progress to a net-zero economy. Branded as ‘Green Ventures’, the new offering will basically help corporates build and scale their sustainability ventures.

Over the last decade, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has been working to expand its footprint and diversify its offering to clients. The MBB strategy giant has upped its international presence from 42 to 51 countries, while its expanded capabilities, particularly in the realms of digital and analytics work, now represent nearly 40% of BCG’s revenues, up from less than 10% a decade ago.

Key to this success has been the launch and scaling of BCG Digital Ventures, created to collaborate with clients to build and accelerate the growth of digital business, and BCG GAMMA – which delivers cutting-edge advanced analytics, machine-learning, and AI capabilities. Meanwhile, BCG Platinion brings technology know-how to support digital transformations in partnership with BCG’s sector and function teams.

Now, as BCG looks to help clients with their drives to be net-zero by 2030, it has launched a climate investment wing: BCG Green Ventures. Led by BCG Digital Ventures, the proposition comes as part of BCG’s $400 million commitment to new sustainable work – and will co-build, scale and invest in the sustainable corporate ventures as a long-term partner to accelerate climate action.

Stefan Gross-Selbeck, BCG Digital Ventures, commented, “Many corporates have already committed to ambitious ESG goals. Achieving these will take a strong embrace of innovation. BCG Green Ventures will play a key role in supporting companies in this work and building a sustainable future, helping to limit emissions, and working to develop the solutions required to rise to the climate challenge.”

According to Gross-Selbeck, as much as 60% of decarbonisation could be achieved at relatively limited cost. However, the world is “facing a 20–30% innovation gap in new green technologies needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions” in line with the 1.5°C ambition of the Paris Agreement, halving emissions by 2030, or achieving global net-zero by 2050. This is where BCG is looking to help – with a wealth of broad, cross-sector climate and sustainability innovation expertise and experience, including more than 750 sustainability projects, supported by a strong ecosystem of connections across the climate innovation community.

One example of this work is Utopus Insights. The data-driven energy analytics platform is accelerating the integration of renewable energy into the modern grid. Built in collaboration between BCG, BCG Digital Ventures and IBM, the Software as Service company produces digital intelligence leveraging the power of advanced data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence to unlock insights from vast amounts of IoT data including sensor, smart meter and weather data.

Another collaboration comes in the form of SiFab – created by BCG Digital Ventures and Unifrax. The new proprietary silicon fibre anode battery technology that enables greater energy density, faster charges, and longer battery life – something with wide-ranging implications for the future of electric vehicles, power tools, portable electronics, and grid storage.

Elsewhere, CO2.AI is a third BCG-built solution helping to curb pollution. Crafted by BCG GAMMA, it tracks, forecasts and simulates Co2 emissions along the value chain to help companies optimise emissions and costs working to limit emissions.