Summary
Cut through the green tape
We don’t push agendas. At Net Zero Compare, we cut through the hype and fear to deliver the straightforward facts you need for making informed decisions on green products and services. Whether motivated by compliance, customer demands, or a real passion for the environment, you’re welcome here. We provide reliable information—why you seek it is not our concern.
Details
Deep dive
"Transform your products and their supply chains with us."
Source: makersite.io
Core Features
AI-Enhanced Digital Twin Models
Makersite creates “digital twins,” which are virtual models that represent each stage of a product’s journey, from the raw materials used to make it to when it’s no longer in use. These digital twins, powered by AI, allow companies to see the environmental and financial impact of each design choice in real time. For example, if a designer changes the type of plastic in a product, the digital twin shows instantly how that change would affect the product’s cost and carbon footprint. This approach helps designers and engineers make quick adjustments that keep the product sustainable and cost-effective.
Extensive Data Access
Makersite connects users to an enormous database with over 140 sources on materials, processes, and suppliers. This database helps companies make informed choices based on up-to-date information. For instance, if a designer is choosing between two materials, they can check each one’s carbon footprint or the ethical standards of suppliers (such as fair labour practices). Having access to this data helps companies make responsible, transparent choices.
Multi-Criteria Decision Support
Makersite’s platform lets users consider multiple factors—like cost, carbon footprint, compliance, and supply chain risk—all at once when making decisions. For example, if a designer needs to pick a material, they can see how each choice affects cost, emissions, legal requirements, and supply chain risks, all in one view. This way, they get a balanced understanding of the impact of each option, helping them choose the best fit for the product’s goals in sustainability, cost, and safety.
Automated Reporting
Makersite makes it easy to create different types of reports from a single model, so there’s no need to enter the same data multiple times. The platform can automatically generate reports for compliance, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) (documents showing a product’s environmental impact), Product Carbon Footprints (PCFs), and Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions (emissions from direct, indirect, and supply chain sources). This automation cuts down on manual work and makes sure that reports are accurate and ready when needed.
Collaborative Features
Makersite supports team collaboration by allowing real-time updates and shared access to data. Experts, engineers, and purchasing teams can all see and work with the same data, making it easier for everyone to make decisions that support the company’s sustainability goals. For example, a purchasing team can check with the engineering team on the environmental impact of a supplier’s materials, helping them make consistent choices across departments.
Supply Chain Visibility
Makersite provides deep insights into the supply chain, showing data on each level of suppliers and processes. This level of visibility is especially important for managing Scope 3 emissions, which include emissions produced by suppliers and other indirect sources in the supply chain. By understanding the environmental impact of each part of the supply chain, companies can better control the broader footprint of their products.
Customizable Applications
Makersite’s main tools are flexible, and companies can customize applications or modules to fit their specific needs. This means that businesses in different industries, like electronics or automotive, can adjust the platform to suit their particular processes. For example, a car manufacturer might add a module to focus on emissions tracking in vehicle production, making Makersite adaptable to a wide range of industries and workflows.
To see Makersite in action and get a firsthand look at how it simplifies sustainable product design, check out their demonstration video.
Who Is Makersite For?
Engineers and Designers
One of the key benefits of Makersite's platform for engineers is eco-design, which is the practice of designing products with minimal environmental impact. Makersite supports eco-design by providing real-time data on sustainability, costs, compliance, and other essential factors. This allows engineers to make quick, well-informed decisions on materials or components without waiting for input from sustainability or compliance experts.
Makersite also helps speed up the time-to-market (how quickly a product can be launched) by simplifying material lookups and allowing engineers to weigh trade-offs, like cost versus environmental impact, at every step. On average, Makersite can cut down time-to-market by 10% by reducing the need for repeated reviews and approvals, so teams can move faster from concept to product.
Another advantage is the potential to reduce product failures. In traditional product development, designs are often reviewed in isolation, with compliance, cost, and safety teams involved only later in the process. This can lead to expensive reworks or even product failures. With Makersite, engineers can address these factors early on, reducing the chance of design failures by at least 20%. The software equips engineers with the tools to manage complex requirements like compliance, should costing (estimating the ideal cost of a product), and health and safety standards, allowing them to proceed with confidence.
For more on how Makersite handles product costing, check out this page.
Procurement Teams
For procurement teams—those responsible for sourcing materials and managing suppliers—Makersite offers tools to help make smarter, more sustainable choices. The platform enables sustainable procurement, which means sourcing in ways that minimize environmental impact. Smart sourcing can potentially cut the climate impact of spending by up to 70%, and Makersite helps teams create detailed reduction plans to reach Net Zero targets. By offering these tools, Makersite reduces the need for dedicated sustainability experts in the procurement process, making it easier for procurement professionals to incorporate sustainability into their decisions.
Makersite also helps eliminate risks by providing visibility into the deep layers of the supply chain. Many risks and compliance issues occur in distant parts of the supply chain (like tier 2 or tier 3 suppliers), which can be hard to monitor. With Makersite, procurement teams can see and manage these risks in real time, building more resilient supply chains that help protect the company’s reputation and keep it competitive.
In addition, Makersite supports preventing losses caused by supply chain disruptions, like the recent shortages of semiconductors (crucial components for electronics and cars). These shortages highlighted the importance of reliable supply chains. With Makersite, procurement teams can benchmark (compare performance and costs) the same materials from different suppliers, understand threats to the supply chain, and make quick decisions to reduce potential losses. This approach ensures that companies stay productive and can deliver their products on time, even during supply chain challenges.
Sustainability Experts
For sustainability experts, Makersite is a valuable tool that simplifies the journey toward Net Zero—a goal where a company balances the amount of greenhouse gases it produces with an equivalent amount removed from the atmosphere. Today, around 90% of countries and many large companies have set Net Zero targets. However, typical methods of assessing environmental impact can be slow and don’t always provide the details needed to make meaningful changes. With Makersite, sustainability experts get a comprehensive platform that helps them identify the main sources of environmental impact in both products and supply chains. This makes it easy to create plans for improvement and track progress toward Net Zero in real-time, cutting down processes that used to take months to just minutes.
Makersite also helps meet growing reporting requirements. As more governments enforce stricter emissions rules, reporting on Scope 3 emissions (indirect emissions in the supply chain) is becoming a must. Reporting on these emissions is often challenging, but Makersite’s automated system simplifies it, making it up to 100x faster than traditional methods. This automation reduces the need for specialized knowledge in life cycle assessment (LCA), helping companies comply with regulations and avoid potential fines.
Compliance and Product Lifecycle Experts
For experts who work in areas like product development, compliance, sustainability, and risk management, Makersite provides a powerful platform that reduces the need for constant manual effort and specialized knowledge. One of the key benefits is automating manual work—the software collects and analyzes huge amounts of data, handling tasks that would otherwise require significant time and expertise. Instead of manually searching for information or running calculations, users get instant insights and recommendations, freeing them up to focus on more strategic work.
Makersite also eliminates the need for other external specialists. With advanced features and an intuitive interface, it simplifies complex data analysis, so users can understand and act on information without relying heavily on consultants. The platform pulls data from regulatory databases and supply chains, turning it into easy-to-read visuals and clear action points. This makes it straightforward to navigate the often-complicated fields of sustainability, compliance, and supply chain risk.
Additionally, Makersite helps reduce risks in the supply chain by providing visibility into deep-tier suppliers where most of the compliance and sustainability challenges occur. Users can proactively address issues in real time, protecting the company’s brand and maintaining a competitive edge.
Recent Partnerships
Autodesk Partnership
In September 2024, Makersite announced an expanded partnership with Autodesk, a leading company in design software, to bring Makersite’s sustainability insights directly into Autodesk’s popular programs, like Autodesk Inventor. This integration allows engineers and designers to access real-time data on things like a product’s environmental impact, cost, and compliance (meeting regulations) as they work on designs. For example, if an engineer is choosing between two materials, Makersite can show how each choice affects carbon emissions or costs, right within the design program. This feature is also available as an add-on for Autodesk Fusion users, helping them make more sustainable choices without leaving the design tools they’re already comfortable with.
A key reason this partnership matters is that 80% of a product’s environmental impact—such as energy use, waste, and emissions—is determined in the design phase. So by making this data accessible early on, Autodesk and Makersite are empowering engineers to create environmentally friendly products from the start, potentially saving both costs and emissions down the road.
Sources: makersite.io, prnewswire.com, themanufacturingconnection.com
Ansys Partnership
In June 2024, Makersite joined forces with Ansys to combine its sustainability data with Ansys Granta, which is known for advanced engineering simulations. Simulations are like virtual tests that allow engineers to see how different design choices might work in the real world without needing to build physical prototypes. For example, if a company is designing a new car part, they can use Makersite’s data with Ansys’ simulation tools to see how different materials or designs would impact things like durability, cost, or carbon footprint—all before any physical materials are used.
This integration feeds Makersite’s extensive material and supply chain data into Ansys’ software, so engineers can get instant insights on the environmental impact, supply chain risks, and costs associated with various design options. For instance, if a designer wants to know the emissions impact of a specific material, Makersite’s data can show them how it compares to other materials.
Sources: makersite.io, prnewswire.com, digitalengineering247.com
Plans and Pricing
Makersite offers three main pricing plans, each designed to meet the needs of different types of users:
Pro: Priced at €12,000 annually, this plan is ideal for consultants and small businesses. It includes essential access to Makersite's core tools and data, providing a solid foundation for sustainability and product lifecycle insights.
Teams: This plan is tailored for teams, such as product engineers, development, sustainability experts, and procurement professionals. It includes enhanced features and support, allowing teams to collaborate on projects and leverage more advanced tools. Pricing is customized based on the team’s specific needs.
Enterprise: Designed for larger organizations with more complex requirements, the Enterprise plan offers comprehensive access to all Makersite features. It includes advanced support options, custom integrations, and additional scalability. Like the Teams plan, pricing for the Enterprise plan is available upon request.
To see how Makersite can transform your product development and sustainability strategies, book a personalized demo here: Book a Demo.
Closing Insights
Makersite is a great choice for teams that want to make better product decisions faster. With its smart use of AI and access to a huge range of data, it helps companies see the full picture—from environmental impact to costs and compliance—all in one place. This tool is especially helpful for anyone working in engineering, procurement, or sustainability, as it makes complex tasks easier and speeds up decision-making. If your company is serious about hitting sustainability goals while staying efficient, Makersite is definitely worth a look.
