These 16 Colorado Companies Are Focused on Sustainability

Colorado helped define the new energy economy, and is a bustling market for agtech and biotech.

Written by Ross Charles Langley
Published on Jan. 23, 2025

It doesn’t take much imagination to come up with reasons to live in Colorado. Anyone who grew up here, or moved for school and chose to stay, probably can’t get through a sunny day without noticing something profoundly beautiful. The state also happens to have some of the top job growth prospects in the country, and is a great place to start a business.

Coloradans have always made the environment a top priority, so it’s no coincidence that a lot of local companies put a strong focus on sustainability. Colorado helped define the new energy economy, and is a bustling market for agtech and biotech, so we’re featuring a handful of local startups keeping the Rocky Mountain State green.

Top Sustainability Companies in Colorado

  • SRAM
  • Crusoe Energy Systems Inc.
  • AMP
  • Sunrun
  • Agribotix
  • Coolerado

 

Back when they started in 2004, Coolerado received a letter from the Department of Energy that said, “Dear Inventors, the design for your energy-efficient air conditioner is not possible. It violates the laws of thermodynamics.” Today, they have an entire line of air conditioning units for light commercial and residential use that expend 90 percent less energy than traditional cooling systems. They’re hailed as revolutionaries in new energy, with a system completely free of chemical refrigerants and compressors.

Sunrun is the nation’s largest residential solar, storage and energy services company. They are on a mission to make solar energy affordable for more people. They help people upgrade their home to solar energy without the big upfront costs.

 

Crusoe Energy Systems Inc. makes cloud-based energy services for oil and gas companies. By replacing traditional oil and gas operations with technology known as gas flaring, the company converts natural gas into power for energy-intensive computing, such as bitcoin and other cryptocurrency mining. This solution cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions and essentially reuses spent energy for computing. 

 

FirstBank provides consumers and businesses with online and in-person banking services. The company says its ESG strategy plays an important role in fulfilling its mission of “banking for good.” That effort has included working with One Tree Planted to get more than 100,000 trees planted across Colorado, Arizona and California and partnering with Colorado Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy, also known as C-PACE, to deliver financing for energy efficient commercial building improvements. FirstBank has also achieved the LEED green building certification for its headquarters and implemented energy efficient technologies to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and water usage throughout its 100-plus branch locations.

 

Arrow Electronics makes electronic components used in computers, networking devices, medical devices, audiovisual tools and a long list of other tech products. The company’s ESG commitments include a focus on reducing emissions across its operations with specific science-based targets for different types of emissions.

 

Artifact Uprising allows individuals to transform their digital photos into products like premium photo books, invitations, wedding albums, holiday cards, calendars and framed prints. Customers can either customize their products or select from a variety of pre-designed options, with themes and styles tailored for special events. The company claims an emphasis on sustainability, utilizing recycled materials for its hardcover books and reclaimed fallen pine for its wooden calendars. Artifact Uprising has its headquarters located in Denver.

 

Sunday delivers customized lawn care products and services with plans designed for the needs of individual lawns. The company employs eco-friendly and sustainable practices, and its impact report for 2022 lists all of its sustainability efforts. For instance, Sunday redesigned its packaging to reduce and improve material sustainability.  

 

Invenergy develops and operates sustainable energy solutions, including wind, solar, natural gas, storage, transmission and more. With over 31,000 megawatts of projects in operation, construction or contracted, Invenergy powers more than 9 million homes globally. The company’s goal is to advance cleaner, more reliable, affordable energy.

 

AMP focuses its robotics engineering on the recycling industry, deploying its tech to increase sustainability, decrease waste and improve efficiency within the recycling chain. It started as a small business with designs on the intersection of machine learning and robotics in the municipal recycling space, and has grown to a roughly 200-person team bringing recycling solutions to businesses, governments and other organizations. 

 

InspiringApps is a Boulder-based company that builds custom mobile and web apps. Its work has included sustainability-focused projects such as collaborating with the Boulder Watershed Collective on a guided hiking app that promotes conservation. InspiringApps created its IA Commits program to provide affordable access to digital development services for nonprofit groups pursuing positive change.

 

Launched in Boulder in 2013, Agribotix developed a software platform that provides cloud-based data and analysis for precision agriculture. They obtain that data with drones — one of which they designed themselves. They use near infrared image processing to analyze crop health and merge collected intelligence into a ‘geo-referenced mosaic’ that can be accessed through their software, Google Earth, or any platform that supports GeoTiff data.

 

KPA makes software for environmental, social and governance (ESG) management and sustainability. On its platform, clients can report and review their company data on ESG and sustainability, project it against standards for their industry and create internal goals with specific milestones. Its sustainability monitoring products create an assessment of a company’s greenhouse gas emissions totals and carbon footprints while also including data on sustainability across each client’s supply chain. 

 

SRAM makes performance components for bicycles, which are used in manufacturing for large bike companies. Founded by cyclists, the company is deeply invested in sustainability and providing an alternative to high carbon-use sedentary lifestyles. The company ethos is based on the ability of bicycles to improve the environment, ease traffic congestion, reduce transportation costs, improve health and reduce obesity. 

 

Vorto offers an AI-powered software that aims to improve its client companies’ supply chain sustainability and efficiency. It says its mission is to make businesses more environmentally and economically sustainable through digital transformation of the supply chain. The company has an office in Denver.  

 

Serving the agricultural industry, Halter develops wearable technology for cows. These solar-powered devices helps farmers track their cows’ health and behavior using sensors and data analytics. Its tech can be controlled via mobile app, enabling users to manage virtual fencing, grazing, feeding and more. Halter aims to help farmers run more sustainable farms while caring for their animals. 

 

Scythe Robotics builds autonomous, electric mowers that are able to navigate off-road environments, avoiding people and other obstacles while keeping grass healthy and even. With sustainability positioned as a central focus of its mission, Scythe Robotics produces emissions-free machines that are quieter, come with a lengthy battery life and rely on 360-degree sensors to ensure no spots are missed.

 

 

Rose Velazquez, Margo Steines, Ana Gore, Ashley Bowden and Sara B.T. Thiel contributed to reporting for this story. This article was originally published in 2015.

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