Customer story Cyclomedia: “At Empact, you sit directly at the table with the experts”

How do you make sustainability concrete for your customers? With that question Cyclomedia knocked on Empact’s door. We spoke with Susanne Arts-Van Straten about the collaboration that started with a specific CO2 question and grew into a broader partnership. Her story shows how a pragmatic approach can lead to surprising insights, and how sustainability becomes better anchored in the organization.

“Empact helps us not only meet the legal obligation, but also make strategic choices.”

The challenge: making sustainability benefits measurable

Cyclomedia specializes in large-scale acquisition, enrichment and analysis of geographic image data. Using AI and data insights, the company provides accurate 3D models of outdoor space that help organizations operate smarter and more sustainably.

Within Cyclomedia, there had long been a suspicion that the Street Smart platform was contributing to CO2 reduction for customers, as physical inspections and travel often become unnecessary. To make this impact measurable and use it more broadly in communications and strategy, the company wanted to back up its assumptions with data.

“Street Smart delivers value in terms of sustainability, but we wanted to be able to demonstrate that quantitatively,” Susanne says. “Both for our external positioning and to provide a better understanding internally of the contribution we make.”

The central question: how much CO2 emissions do customers save annually thanks to Street Smart? To answer this, Cyclomedia sought a partner who could validate this sustainability claim in a methodical and substantiated way.

“Empact is very pragmatic – if it doesn’t work out the right way, they go left to achieve the result.”

Why Empact? Tailored expertise

The choice of Empact came from a previous collaboration through a networking contact. “Their pragmatic approach fits well with us as an innovative company operating globally,” Susanne says. “One of my colleagues still knew Martin from a previous collaboration and was enthusiastic about his approach.”

What was decisive for Cyclomedia was the direct involvement of senior experts. “With large consulting firms, you often get changing consultants and analysts on the floor. At Empact, you sit directly at the table with the experts – the same people who give the advice also carry out the work. It feels like a partnership where you’re really sitting at the table with the right people.”

The down-to-earth approach also fit well with Cyclomedia’s culture. “We needed a club that doesn’t make everything unnecessarily complicated, but just gets to work practically. Other agencies we talked to often came up with expensive, complex proposals that went beyond what we needed. At Empact, we got exactly what we were looking for.”

Honest collaboration leads to valuable insights

Through several case studies, our chain emissions consultant Jeroen Scheepmaker investigated the CO2 emissions avoided when using Street Smart. The research led to insights that partly deviated from initial expectations within Cyclomedia.

“The outcomes were different than we expected,” Susanne says. “We had hoped that we would be able to translate certain sustainability benefits financially into a concrete business case for customers. However, Empact was very transparent about what was and wasn’t possible.”

“What I appreciate is that they listen carefully to what the client wants, but are not afraid to suggest a different course if necessary. They don’t blow with every wind, but stick to the facts. I have found that transparency to be very valuable.”

“With large consulting firms, you often get changing consultants and analysts on the floor. At Empact, you sit directly at the table with the experts.”

From insight to strategic advantage

Despite the unexpected outcomes, the project provided valuable insights for Cyclomedia. “It gave us clarity in our communication: what can we promise customers and what can’t we promise them?” reflects Susanne.

The research shifted Cyclomedia’s focus to its own business processes. “We started looking differently at how we can make more impact ourselves. Which processes can we adjust? What concrete goals do we want to set? The focus has become more on our own core processes and product development.”

Sustainability gets firm footing in the organization

The impact of the collaboration extends beyond just answering the initial question. Through the CSRD implementation process now underway, sustainability is gaining a better foothold within Cyclomedia.

“Empact helps us not only meet the legal obligation, but also make strategic choices,” Susanne explains. “They put us to work, but we can always fall back on their expertise when needed.”

Within Cyclomedia, a sustainability committee is now active with people from different departments and a CSRD expert from Empact, Derk Jan Berends, has also joined in the meantime. “The process with Empact helps us to think critically about what we consider important and why. It forces us to make fundamental choices about what we stand for as a company.”

Pragmatic approach makes the difference

“Empact is very pragmatic – if it doesn’t work out the right way, they go left to achieve the result,” concludes Susanne. “We like this approach so much that we have also asked Empact to help us implement the CSRD and all that it entails.” And at Empact, this goes beyond just reporting: it helps the company make strategic choices about goals and implementation. “That makes it easier to present and justify that as well,” Susanne said.

Thus, a process that began with a specific carbon question is transforming into a broader embedding of ESG in the organization – a development that is helping Cyclomedia not only meet regulatory requirements, but also make a real impact.