Grove Collaborative Holdings, Inc. (“Grove” or “the Company”), one of its kind plastic neutral retailers, leading sustainable consumer products company, Certified B Corporation, as well as Public Benefit Corporation, announced a new set of commitments to measure, mitigate, and report the environmental impact of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in partnership with Gravity, the Company’s existing carbon accounting platform.
The company wants to prove AI can be a force for good without ignoring its environmental cost by becoming the first retailer to measure their AI-related carbon footprint, disclose as well as mitigate their environmental impact, and issue an open-source measurement approach so that industry can simultaneously pursue both innovation and environmental responsibility.
At present Grove is utilizing AI to enhance workflow and project management, streamline content and creative development, and improve predictive modeling to better meet customer needs.
By utilizing the open-source formula disclosed in today’s announcement and based on the best available data from large language model providers today, Grove and Gravity estimate that Grove’s projected 2025 AI-related carbon footprint is 17.8 metric tons of CO2e, which is equivalent to roughly 6% of the Company’s 2024 Business Travel emissions (299 metric tons of CO2e).
Executive Statement
According to Jeff Yurcisin, CEO of Grove Collaborative, AI is essential to Grove’s future and – like the rest of the industry, they are testing and learning with tools as they become available to stay competitive, be more efficient, and fuel growth. While they are still learning about the climate impacts of society’s AI adoption, they will not and cannot choose between innovation and sustainability. Being a sustainable business and adopting artificial intelligence are not at odds, but every organization must prioritize ethics, emissions tracking, and environmental stewardship in their AI strategies – regardless of the size of that impact.