Umami: Sustainability as a driver of systemic change
Umami’s mission is to fundamentally transform today’s food system. Instead of resource-intensive and often climate-damaging production methods, the company relies on the principles of urban farming: locally produced microgreens grown in a time-, space- and energy-efficient manner at its own facility in Zurich-Altstetten. Sustainability is not merely a value at Umami, but the strategic core of its business model.
The collaboration with myclimate: from conviction to robust decision-making
Although Umami was convinced of its approach from the outset, one crucial element was missing: a quantitative validation of its actual environmental impact. To close this gap, the start-up conducted a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) analysis for its microgreens together with myclimate.
The assessment provided valuable insights into the environmental impact of different process steps and highlighted key areas for optimisation. One central finding was the significant influence of seeds on the overall footprint. As a direct consequence, Umami automated parts of the seeding process in its new, highly scaled production facility. More precise seed distribution and reduced losses now allow for savings of up to 20% in seed use — a significant lever for further emission reductions.
Sustainability with economic impact
The PCF analysis had not only environmental but also clear economic effects. One of Umami’s key objectives was to use robust data to gain access to public funding — successfully:
Based on the analysis, Umami secured CHF 2.5 million from the Swiss Technology Fund.
Martino Corti, Head of Innovation at Umami, emphasises the importance of the collaboration:
The PCF analysis conducted by myclimate provided us, for the first time, with a quantifiable basis to measure the positive impact of our work on sustainable food production. It reinforced our commitment and played a decisive role in securing CHF 2.5 million in funding from the Technology Fund. This was a major milestone for our company.
With the support of the Technology Fund, Umami will further expand its highly scaled production
facility. The collaboration with myclimate thus clearly illustrates how scientifically sound carbon accounting not only creates transparency, but also accelerates innovation, enables investment and actively drives sustainable growth.
