Ragna: the AI powered sustainability advisor for micro and small businesses in the EU

Innovation Fund Winner

Why this program?

  • Micro and small businesses make up 98% of all enterprises in the EU, employing nearly half of the region's workforce. With increasing sustainability regulations and consumer demands, even small businesses will be required to report on sustainability.
  • The majority of small businesses are struggling to keep up with sustainability demands. 80% of small businesses report that they need more support in their own sustainability efforts.
  • Sustainability poses several challenges for small businesses, including limited funds, as well as lack of knowledge and employee engagement with sustainability efforts.
  • About 54% of small businesses believe they are responsible for achieving carbon neutrality. Nine out of ten small businesses report that the cost of living crisis has driven them to adopt greener practices.

Program overview

In Nordic mythology, Ragna means to seek advice and guide decisions, reflecting the essence of this program with Planethon. Their solution, Ragna, is designed as a sustainability specialist specifically for European small businesses. It addresses the growing EU sustainability regulations affecting even the smallest enterprises and supports them to navigate evolving consumer preferences and regulatory expectations around environmental sustainability. 

Ragna is a conversational, AI-powered guide for all sustainability matters—whether it’s sourcing best practices, exploring new innovations, or understanding regulatory demands relevant to specific industries and sectors.

Ragna offers small businesses an easy-to-use interface for managing their sustainability efforts, including structuring sustainability-related activities, reporting on progress, and benchmarking against industry standards. The solution supports small businesses to create the necessary documentation and data for regulatory compliance and offers strategic advice to meet growing consumer expectations on sustainability. 

It also enables small businesses to build and share knowledge and insights within the wider business community, supporting collective intelligence on sustainability challenges and opportunities.

While most solutions are designed for larger enterprises, Ragna combines advanced language models with an intuitive user experience to support micro and small businesses. It offers tailored, evidence-based advice and support to enable small businesses to stay at the forefront of sustainability practices.

Using Ragna will save small businesses’ time and money by leveraging AI and sustainability expertise. It strengthens the resilience of small businesses within larger value chains and supports their growth and competitiveness. With the support of Mastercard Strive, Ragna will scale to make sustainability compliance support accessible to European small businesses, contributing to a more sustainable economy and inclusive growth across the EU.

About Planethon

Planethon is a women-owned impact agency that supports leaders and companies in their transition towards a sustainable future. Through insights, strategic foresight and change programs, they build sustainable strategies, action plans and capacities for long-term business value within planetary boundaries.

“We are excited to be working with the Mastercard Strive EU program to unlock sustainability solutions and regulatory compliance for micro and small businesses across Europe. This unique grant will enable us to build out our technology and turn complex sustainability issues into opportunities for small businesses, mitigating the risk of falling short on regulatory requirements and customer expectations. Through Ragna, we encourage small business owners to explore sustainability solutions tailored to their unique needs, without compromising on scientific facts.”

Carina Johed

Program manager Ragna & co-founder Planethon

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