European Space Agency: Space Supporting Environmental Claims

ESA Space Solutions can provide funding to perform Kick-Start activities to any company (economic operator) residing in an ESA Member State, which includes the UK. For companies outside the UK, see the list on ESA’s website for eligibility.

Kick-Start activities explore the business opportunity and the technical viability of new applications and services that exploit one or more space assets (e.g. Satellite Communications, Satellite Navigation, Earth Observation, Human Spaceflight Technology).

This call for Kick-Start activities is dedicated to the theme “Space supporting Environmental Claims”, and the call is open to companies that intend to develop space-enabled applications and services providing support and evidence to environmental claims and labelling.

Greener Value Chains

Companies will have to trace each component, ingredient, or material from origin to endpoint in order to prove environmental claims, and space applications can support this.

Ensuring Carbon Credit Integrity

Carbon credits encourage greener operations and provide an alternative for companies unable to directly reduce emissions. With stricter carbon targets on the horizon, their demand and value are expected to rise.

The system’s success hinges on reliable data to ensure offset claims reflect genuine emission reductions. Satellite applications are indispensable for validating these claims, offering unparalleled reach and consistent data capture.

Authenticating Green Finance

In 2023, greenwashing cases by European banks and financial services increased by 70% compared to 2022. This happens when financial institutions, knowingly or unknowingly, claim to invest and support unsustainable projects. Consequently, there is a need for financial institution to investigate and confirm the ESG performance of projects they endorse. Tracking the environmental impact is crucial for ensuring transparency and accountability in green financial mechanisms.

Satellite Earth Observation (SatEO) can measure and monitor greenhouse gas emissions at scale across complex supply chains. Real-time operational data from remote sensing – such as water usage on farms – can be an invaluable input on platforms, which track goods from origin to endpoint.

SatEO provides a holistic view of vast landscapes, sometimes in near-real-time, which can support the monitoring and quantification of a variety of environmental parameters e.g., methane emissions, water pollution, nitrogen dioxide emissions etc. This can help companies to validate their sustainability labels and can help a focal company detect unsustainable activities from partners in the value chain. This is also relevant for financial institutions to verify claims made by companies they invest in.

SatEO can be used to identify and predict potential adverse environmental impacts of a company’s activity, helping them to comply with the new EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and ESG policies.

SatEO can provide a high degree of accuracy in capturing carbon sequestration rates and deforestation activities. The expansive view and precision that SatEO provides make them ideal for validating claims in the carbon credit market.

For green finance, SatEO can detect illegal activities – like illegal logging, piracy, and illegal mining – that could be linked to a project or company. This way financial institution can track the projects they invest in.

Satellite Communications (SatCom) can be used to increase a supply chain network’s robustness and resilience. It enables seamless connectivity to supply chain actors when terrestrial communications are not available or unreliable. Since supply chains can be complex, satcom enables data transfer in scenarios where goods are being transported from remote regions or data transfer from in-situ sensors collecting environmental indicators (emissions, weather, water, soil health etc.).

Green projects can rely on SatCom for reporting and communicating their ESG performance. This is beneficial when they are based in a region where terrestrial communication is lacking.

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Satellite Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) are key to providing accurate positioning and to track and trace goods along a supply chain. This is key to understanding efficiencies and optimising routes for greener operations.

GNSS can help to pinpoint the precise location of polluting or illegal events in real-time, thereby highlighting greenwashing activities. This can be applied to support claims from green projects.

ESA will hold an online briefing on Wednesday 29 January 2025 at 11:00 CET (10am UK time): click here to register for a webinar place.

If you would like help to find a collaboration partner or to contact the UK National Delegate, please contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Space team.