How to Measure and Reduce Your Supply Chain Emissions
Co-founder of ctrl+s, Johannes Scholz, shares insight from his innovative solutions to supply chain sustainability and bootstrapping journey
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Co-founder of ctrl+s, Johannes Scholz, shares insight from his innovative solutions to supply chain sustainability and bootstrapping journey
When Johannes Scholz, co-founder of ctrl+s, first met his co-founder 15 years ago at PwC, they had no idea that they would eventually set out to drive innovation to tackle one of the biggest gaps in corporate sustainability—supply chain decarbonization. Back then, they were starting their careers in sustainability, driven by a data-first mindset. Johannes was passionate about understanding the numbers and turning that insight into action.
Yet, something kept bothering them: while corporate goals were becoming more ambitious, action was often lacking. It was like watching companies set the bar high, only to trip over the hurdles when it came to implementation. The problem? “Many companies set ambitious sustainability targets, and there’s strong momentum with increasing regulatory requirements. Both regulatory pressure and corporate sustainability goals are driving the market forward. However, when it comes to supply chains, companies often lack the means to bridge the gap between their sustainability ambitions and actual implementation,” says Johannes.
New EU regulation is adding to the pressure: with Europe’s new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDD) regulations in effect, businesses must do more than just measure their carbon emissions; they must prove they’re actively reducing them.
These regulations impact around 50,000 businesses across the EU, and any business with operations in Europe must comply, making proper management and measuring supply chains more critical than ever.
“‘Multinational companies rely on complex supply chains that span continents. They purchase thousands of products from thousands of suppliers, each with its own supply chain. To manage sustainability and reduce carbon emissions, they need tons of data.’ Most companies still use old-school surveys to gather data from their suppliers, creating “survey fatigue”—a situation where suppliers are bombarded with countless questions about their sustainability practices. Many suppliers lack the resources or expertise to provide the necessary information, making the process inefficient at best, and impossible at worst,” explains Scholz.
The process was frustrating for everyone involved. Suppliers were bombarded with questions they didn’t have the resources to answer, while companies struggled to gather the necessary data. That’s when we had our "aha" moment: there had to be a better way.
That’s how ctrl+s was born. Instead of relying on the traditional survey model, Johannes developed a solution that uses statistical models and key data points to create accurate carbon emission estimates across the entire supply chain. No more overwhelming suppliers or endless data requests—just streamlined, actionable insights.
Despite bootstrapping the venture throughout a period of major geopolitical and supply chain instability, ctrl+s has gained traction and has now launched a funding round to scale: "We wanted to build something that would make sustainability action scalable and accessible," Ctrl+s is now scaling up—and aiming to become the industry standard.
When Johannes isn’t working on ctrl+s, you can find him in a large garden, trying to build a permaculture-inspired ecosystem—one that not only produces an abundance of food but also acts as a carbon sink and a beautiful space to wander through.
What was it like to bootstrap your idea to get it off the ground?
We had to build the product very closely with companies and real use cases. That helped us stay agile—rather than just having an idea, building and building, and then realizing later that the world has changed, or that we made false assumptions from the start. It was tough, but it also kept us grounded in reality.
For the first three years, ctrl+s bootstrapped, which meant every win and every setback was tied directly to customer satisfaction and trust. We had to deliver real value from day one. Without outside funding, we stayed laser-focused on solving real problems in the market.
We eventually decided to raise VC money, but not because we were unprofitable. We had reached a point where we knew we wanted to scale, and there’s only so much you can do through organic growth. External funding lets us move faster. It’s always a trade-off, but after three years of bootstrapping, I feel confident that we have a solid foundation—our market fit is clear, the business is on track, and now we’re ready to scale.
How does ctrl+s solve supply chain sustainability data issues?
Efficiency & Scalability: we use a simulation-based approach to efficiently gather baseline data on supply chain emissions without extensive surveys of thousands of suppliers.
Minimized Supplier Burden: A standardized, tailored data collection method reduces "survey fatigue," easing the strain on suppliers who often face numerous requests from different customers.
Actionable Insights: Combines supplier data with statistical modelling to provide detailed, comparable insights that help companies make informed procurement decisions.
Promotes Collaboration: Facilitates alignment between companies and suppliers on sustainability goals and progress, breaking down traditional silos and fostering a cooperative approach.
Cost-Effective: The automated, data-driven method is more affordable than traditional consulting or manual data collection approaches.
How did the crises and geopolitical instability impact your launch?
Ctrl+s launched in January 2022, just before the world was rocked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It was a tough moment to build a startup focused on innovation, especially with all the global uncertainty. But the instability only emphasized how urgent it is to have resilient, well-managed supply chains.
Navigating the maze of changing regulations, supply chain disruptions, and rising costs has created a perfect storm of challenges. But these obstacles are driving a surge in demand for smarter, more efficient sustainability solutions. Companies are realizing that new sustainability-focused technologies can cut through bureaucracy, improve efficiency, and—best of all—save money.
It’s a win-win, making supply chains stronger and more resilient in this unpredictable world.
What were key lessons you learnt on the founder journey?
One major lesson is to avoid trying to predict the market at a high level
There’s just too much uncertainty—whether it’s regulation, geopolitical events, or shifting investor trends. If you try to build a company based on these macro-level factors, you can lose sight of what actually matters. Instead, we focused on solving a real problem for real companies. Does our solution help them? Do they understand it? Are they willing to pay for it? That’s what truly matters.
There’s always noise—like big competitors with lots of VC money, market shifts, or industry consolidations. Some of it is relevant, but if you focus too much on it, you’ll lose track of your own strengths and what actually makes your product valuable to clients. You have to strike that balance—being aware of industry trends but not letting them completely dictate your direction.
Another big lesson is understanding that business decisions take time
The more complex the problem, the longer it takes for companies to make purchasing decisions. So, you can’t get too nervous if things don’t take off immediately. We built a strong partner network with consultancies, and it’s working well, but it didn’t happen overnight. You have to be patient and stay close to your customers while also filtering out unnecessary distractions.
How do the new EU supply chain regulations impact how businesses approach sustainability?
The biggest regulations in Europe are CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) and CSDD (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence).
Mandatory Emissions Reporting:
Companies must measure and report emissions, with stricter auditing requirements. While large companies were previously reporting voluntarily, it’s now legally required, elevating the seriousness of the process.
Expansion Beyond Carbon Reporting:
Regulations are expanding the scope beyond carbon emissions to include resource efficiency and circular economy metrics. Companies must assess the entire supply chain's environmental impact, including raw materials and resources.
Focus on Actionable Sustainability:
The shift is moving from simply reporting emissions to actively managing and reducing them, particularly in supply chains. Decarbonization of supply chains is now a major focus.
Challenges in Data Availability:
Many companies lack the necessary data to comply with these regulations. The cost of building entire departments to track sustainability is prohibitive, making simulation tools a practical solution for gathering data efficiently.
What’s ahead for ctrl+s?
The goal for Control S is to grow its supplier innovation platform into an industry standard. The platform already has thousands of suppliers, and new clients typically find that about 30% of their suppliers are already on it. The vision is to scale this up so that companies don’t have to start collecting data from scratch—suppliers will already be sharing relevant data, instead of having to complete different surveys for each client, making the whole system more efficient. That’s the kind of efficiency ctrl+s wants to drive—making sustainability easier, more scalable, and widely adopted.
What personal experiences drive your passion for sustainability?
I see climate change happening in my own garden—plants that once struggled in the German climate are now thriving, a shift that is both intriguing and deeply unsettling. As a gardener, it’s fascinating to witness how ecosystems adapt, but as a parent, the bigger picture it represents is frightening. I think about my daughter and the world she will inherit, and that fuels my drive to act.
What’s a piece of advice you wish you received when you first started out as a green techpreneur?
I’ve received plenty of advice along the way—most of it extremely valuable, some of it contradictory—but at the end of the day, experience trumps it all.
What stands out to me the most, though, is the importance of the people you work with. I guess this is always true, but for an early-stage startup, it’s twice as important.
….……………………if Johannes could teleport himself into the future, and be anywhere, doing anything, he’d in his garden..’though hopefully, it won’t have turned into a tropical one. Instead, I’d want to look around and know that the tide of climate change has turned.”
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Further reading:
EU Supply Chain Regulations are Reshaping Business - Here’s What You Need to Know
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