SCDI accelerates efforts to tackle climate change with new tie-up

The Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) has inked a partnership with Edinburgh-based eco tech app Pawprint to help its staff boost their green credentials.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

SCDI said the tie-up builds on its mission of building sustainable, inclusive economic growth for everywhere in Scotland by letting its staff measure, understand and reduce their own carbon footprints via the Pawprint For Business offering.

The latter, designed specifically for workforces, was launched earlier this year by Pawprint, which describes itself as a behavioural change platform empowering people to make small changes in their daily routines to deliver a lasting, positive impact on the environment.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Pawprint For Business provides tailored information highlighting users’ carbon savings and more, as well as how employees feel about sustainability, and their employers’ efforts in tackling the climate crisis.

From left: SCDI CEO Sara Thiam with Pawprint's Mark McCafferty and Christian Arno. Picture: contributed.From left: SCDI CEO Sara Thiam with Pawprint's Mark McCafferty and Christian Arno. Picture: contributed.
From left: SCDI CEO Sara Thiam with Pawprint's Mark McCafferty and Christian Arno. Picture: contributed.
Read More
University of Edinburgh students serve up record 100 start-ups in one year

Sara Thiam, the chief executive of SCDI, and Christian Arno, founder and chief executive at Pawprint, came together as part of the Pawprint Summer Sprint Tour to talk about all things climate tech. SCDI has featured Pawprint as a case study in its recent Innovation Nation – Scotland’s Net Zero Mission and Climate Tech Opportunity report.

Mr Arno said: “Having personally conducted interviews with many, many businesses, I know there’s a huge appetite from organisations of all sizes for Pawprint.

"Climate change affects us all and it's inspiring to have an organisation such as the SCDI leading by example with their employees living the values the organisation embodies and using Pawprint themselves, as they seek to build a more sustainable economic future for Scotland.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ms Thiam said: “Organisations want to do the right thing when it comes to climate change but many of us struggle with where to start. Pawprint offers us a unique opportunity to walk the walk by giving us the data we need to inform our decisions. I’m delighted to take part in this home-grown initiative, which has huge potential for adoption around the world."

Pawprint has to date raised £2.2 million from angel investors, entrepreneurs, and two overfunded crowdfunds. Backers include tech entrepreneurs Gareth Williams (co-founder of Skyscanner), Kevin Dorren (Dietchef), and Oli Norman (Itison) – and signed up clients including Abrdn. Its founder Mr Arno previously established Lingo24.

Pawprint has also seen its shirt sponsorship agreement with Heart of Midlothian Football Club extended for the 2021-22 season.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.