FAQs

Everything You Need to Know

We understand that choosing the right partner for your sustainability efforts comes with questions. Here, we’ve gathered clear answers about how we work, what we deliver, and how we can make a real difference for your organization. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, we’re always here to help—reach out anytime!

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About the Process

  • Our process begins with an Entry Model, which provides a comprehensive overview based on research and data gathered by our modeling team.

    1. Onboarding: A 1–1.5-hour meeting to define the problem or hypothesis.

    2. Data Collection: Our modeling team analyzes existing and external data. A 30-minute follow-up meeting may be scheduled for clarifications.

    3. Delivery: A research paper presenting structured, analyzed data with actionable recommendations for the next steps.

    This process typically requires 3–5 hours of your involvement per phase. Additionally, you’ll receive 1–2 hours of training to use our analysis tool.

  • The Joint Development phase begins. We collaborate closely to model precise, tailored data your business needs, divided into milestones. Each milestone dives deeper into your specific challenges, providing insights into metrics like CO₂ emissions, energy use, microplastics, and land use.

    This phase ensures data accuracy and offers a holistic understanding of your sustainability performance. Progression is entirely optional and based on your satisfaction with the Entry Model.

  • Typically, 3–5 hours per phase, including onboarding, follow-ups, and delivery meetings. We adapt to your availability, ensuring minimal disruption to your daily operations.

Costs

    • Entry Model: NOK 45,000

    • Milestones: NOK 50,000 per milestone

    As a non-profit foundation, our mission is to maximize value for our partners without generating profit. We leverage cost-effective collaborations with students and experts in cybernetics and modeling to deliver exceptional quality at an efficient cost.

    • Tailored modeling and sustainability data.

    • Free access to our analysis tool with comprehensive training.

    • Minimal resource demands on your team.

    • Flexible, customized deliverables.

  • With 2–4 milestones, we provide highly accurate data suitable for strategic decision-making, sustainability reporting, and regulatory compliance.

Deliverables and Results

    • The Entry Model delivers:

      • A research paper gathering and analyzing available data.

      • Actionable recommendations for the next steps.

      • An option to use the data for sustainability reporting compliance.

    • Milestones build upon the Entry Model with deeper analyses, updated data, and advanced simulations. Each milestone includes:

      • A flexible tool for internal use.

      • Ongoing support for updates and data maintenance.

      • Customized solutions to address specific challenges.

  • You’ll receive free training in our analysis tool, Terralight, enabling you to simulate and analyze new scenarios internally. Training typically requires 1–2 hours.

Data and Resource Use

    • Our modeling team, consisting of 20 experts in cybernetics and sustainability data, handles all aspects of data collection, structuring, and analysis.

    • You own all data and models generated—they are your insights and decisions. With your consent, anonymized data may support our shared platform, enhancing accuracy for all users.

  • All data undergoes rigorous validatio through academic collaboration and robust quality assurance processes.

  • We are developing a groundbreaking sharing platform that will continuously enhance model accuracy through collaboration. This initiative aims to move beyond generic data, enabling organizations to work together toward more precise and impactful sustainability metrics. Until the platform is live, we work directly with forward-thinking organizations to co-create tailored sustainability data, setting a new standard for innovation and collaboration.

Benefits of Collaboration

    • A unique combination of research-based and practical implementation.

    • Non-profit operations focused on delivering maximum value.

    • Expertise in advanced cybernetics and sustainability modeling.

    • Strategic Use: Identify opportunities and priorities for your business.

    • Sustainability Reporting: Ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

    • Regulatory Compliance: Meet EU Taxonomy and other international requirements.

    • Innovation: Evaluate and validate the impact of new technologies.

  • As demands from investors, customers, and regulators increase, precise sustainability data is essential for maintaining competitiveness and driving future growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • A transparent, data-driven way to understand environmental impact.

    A Terravera Model is a structured, digital representation of how a product, service, company, or activity affects the environment across its entire life cycle. It translates complex scientific data into clear, actionable insight — making sustainability measurable, comparable, and understandable.

    1. A Terravera Model represents the full life cycle

    Every model follows a systems perspective, capturing impacts from start to finish:

    • Raw materials

    • Production and processing

    • Transport and logistics

    • Use phase

    • End-of-life (recycling, landfill, reuse, incineration)

    This ensures conclusions are consistent, comparable, and rooted in real science.

    2. Transparent assumptions — always visible

    A Terravera Model never hides its logic.
    All relevant assumptions are explicitly exposed:

    • functional unit

    • material quantities

    • energy use

    • transport distances

    • methodological choices

    • data sources and uncertainties

    This transparency makes Terravera Models auditable, explainable, and trustworthy.

    3. Inputs in — insights out

    A model is built so that anyone can adjust the inputs and see how outcomes change:

    • Change energy mix → see emissions shift

    • Change transport mode → see avoided emissions

    • Change material type → see updated footprint

    This creates a living, interactive view of impact — not a static report.

    4. Modular by design

    Terravera Models are constructed from reusable building blocks:

    • Material modules (glass, aluminium, plastics…)

    • Energy modules (electricity mixes, fuels…)

    • Transport modules

    • Category-specific modules (clothing, groceries, mobility, restaurants…)

    This modularity allows us to scale across thousands of products and categories while keeping consistency.

    5. Digital, API-ready, and built for real-time use

    Unlike traditional static LCAs, Terravera Models are designed for automation:

    • Real-time API queries

    • Integration with receipts and transaction data

    • Searchable environmental data

    • Instant scenario analysis

    • Portfolio-level insight for investors and companies

    This makes sustainability measurable at scale — from a single product to an entire market.

    6. Objective, science-based, and verifiable

    All Terravera Models follow scientific principles and international standards, drawing from:

    • peer-reviewed literature

    • LCA databases

    • industry reports

    • manufacturer data

    • third-party verification where relevant

    This gives users confidence that results are grounded in robust methodology.

    In short:

    A Terravera Model turns complex environmental science into a transparent, digital, and interactive tool — making it possible for anyone to understand impact and make better decisions.

  • Our models are built for practical decision-making, offering a high level of precision without claiming perfection. Think of it as a GPS—you don’t need every detail, just the essential landmarks and contours to find the right direction.

    Sustainability is inherently complex, and while models can always be refined with additional indicators, our focus is on delivering the clarity you need to act strategically and effectively. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s actionable insights that drive real value.

    • Yes. Our collaborative and research-driven approach enables us to tackle unique and complex sustainability challenges, tailoring models to your specific needs.

    • The Entry Model provides a foundational overview without long-term commitments. It’s an efficient way to evaluate our approach, gather insights, and decide on further milestones.

  • For comprehensive and actionable data, we recommend completing 2–4 milestones.

  • Yes. During the onboarding phase, we work closely with your team to pinpoint the most relevant and impactful problem to tackle.

  • Our process is designed to minimize your resource commitment, requiring only a few hours of your time per phase. You can choose your level of involvement while we handle the heavy lifting.

  • Terravera is proudly Nordic at its core, leveraging the region's innovative sustainability expertise while actively collaborating with global partners across academia, industry, and government to drive impactful solutions worldwide.

  • Terralight is our advanced analysis tool that allows you to simulate and analyze sustainability scenarios internally. It is intuitive, flexible, and comes with free training.

Let’s Build a Sustainable Future Together

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