CEO FAQ: The Position Green ROI calculator

Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about your role and the collaboration behind the ROI calculator.

I’m Daniel Gadd, CEO and co-founder of Position Green. Our mission is to help companies turn sustainability into measurable business value. Over the past decade we’ve worked with hundreds of organisations across Europe to structure ESG data, reduce emissions and manage sustainability strategically.

The ROI Calculator is the result of that experience combined with financial modeling developed together with Rickard Sandberg, Associate Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics. We wanted to translate sustainability investments into the financial language that boards, CFOs and investment committees understand – showing how initiatives can deliver both environmental impact and financial returns.

“We wanted to translate sustainability investments into the financial language that boards, CFOs and investment committees understand.”

Daniel Gadd, CEO, Position Green

What inspired the development of this new ROI calculator for climate investments?

Many companies today recognise that sustainability and climate transition are strategically important, but they still struggle to quantify the financial value of those initiatives. Sustainability teams often know what needs to be done, but they need stronger tools to demonstrate why it makes business sense.

At the same time, climate risks are increasingly affecting operations, supply chains and capital markets. That means sustainability investments are no longer just about compliance or reputation – they’re about competitiveness. The idea behind the calculator was to make it easier for companies to model the financial impact of climate initiatives, including cost savings, avoided risks and long-term value creation.

Daniel further adds that “the idea behind the calculator was to make it easier for companies to model the financial impact of climate initiatives.”

How can businesses use the calculator to support internal decision-making and budget approvals?

The calculator helps sustainability and finance teams build a structured business case. By entering a few key assumptions – such as investment costs, emissions reductions and operational impacts – companies can estimate metrics like ROI, payback period and net present value.

Teams can demonstrate how climate investments contribute to efficiency, risk management and long-term profitability. It essentially helps translate climate strategy into financial terms that resonate with decision-makers.

“It essentially helps translate climate strategy into financial terms that resonate with decision-makers.”

Why is it increasingly important for companies to understand climate risk as financial risk?

Climate change is already affecting businesses through supply chain disruptions, regulatory shifts, carbon pricing and changing investor expectations. These factors directly influence costs, asset values and long-term competitiveness.

Investors and regulators increasingly expect companies to understand these risks and manage them proactively. Companies that treat climate risk as a strategic financial issue will be better positioned to adapt, attract capital and remain competitive in the transition to a low-carbon economy.

“Companies that treat climate risk as a strategic financial issue will be better positioned to adapt, attract capital and remain competitive.”

What role do tools like this play in accelerating corporate climate action?

One of the biggest barriers to action is uncertainty around the financial implications. When companies can clearly quantify the value of climate investments, it becomes much easier to move from ambition to implementation.

Tools like the ROI Calculator help organisations prioritise initiatives, compare scenarios and make better-informed decisions. In that sense, they help shift sustainability from a compliance exercise to a core part of business strategy.

“When companies can clearly quantify the value of climate investments, it becomes much easier to move from ambition to implementation.”

What do you hope businesses take away from using the ROI calculator?

I hope companies see that sustainability isn’t just about managing risk – it’s also about unlocking opportunity and financial returns. Many climate initiatives can create tangible business benefits, from cost savings and operational efficiency to stronger resilience and access to capital.

If the calculator helps organisations understand that sustainability can deliver both environmental impact and financial value, then we’ve achieved our goal.

“Sustainability can deliver both environmental impact and financial value.” Something you can see for yourself by trying the calculator for yourself, right now. You’ll be able to test different decarbonization scenarios and instantly see how changes in inputs affect financial outcomes, supporting more informed decision-making and stronger internal business cases for climate and sustainability investments.