Pathways

Core Features

Pathways builds a reusable data and LCA layer around a manufacturer’s operations. It shifts carbon disclosure from one-off consultancy projects to an ongoing information system embedded in routine data flows. Within that architecture, some of the platform’s main features are:

• AI data ingestion and integration - Pathways parses unstructured operational data from procurement, safety sheets, invoices and other sources, automating data collection and reducing manual errors while keeping data pipelines active as supply-chain information changes.

• Real-time emissions portal - An interactive portal provides real-time visibility into plant, product and project emissions, giving manufacturers a consolidated view of environmental performance instead of dispersed spreadsheets.

• Benchmarking, hotspots and scenarios - Users can benchmark their performance against industry averages or selected competitors, identify emissions hotspots across production, and model the impact of alternative inputs.

• Automated EPD generation - Pathways supports seamless, integrated EPD generation, enabling customers to publish unlimited verified EPDs based on their live LCA models rather than rebuilding documentation for each request.

• Program operator collaboration and compliance - The platform works with multiple EPD program operators and bases its models on third-party-verified LCAs following ISO and EN standards, helping customers meet procurement and regulatory requirements.

• Implementation support and LCA expertise - Pathways combines software with hands-on implementation support: its team develops LCAs, liaises with program operators during verification, and evolves the software roadmap based on practitioner feedback.

Closing Insights

Pathways was founded in 2022 by Harvard classmates Leise Sandeman and Alex Cooper to tackle the bottleneck they saw in construction decarbonisation: LCAs and EPDs for building materials were typically produced as slow, consultant-led projects that diverted attention from operational improvements. Sandeman, a former McKinsey consultant who had previously scaled a venture in materials recycling, brought experience in heavy-industry decarbonisation and data-driven strategy. Cooper had spent the preceding decade scaling technology startups including Uber, Clutter and Two Chairs, contributing expertise in building operational software and data systems at speed.

This mix of consulting, industrial and high-growth software backgrounds is reflected in Pathways’ focus on data infrastructure: the founders describe their mission as building the “data-layer for sustainable construction”, using automated LCAs and EPDs to help manufacturers understand and reduce product-level emissions. Early customers include Stella-Jones, a prominent provider of pressure-treated wood products, highlighting the platform’s relevance for high-volume building-material producers. Pathways has also been selected for programs such as Third Derivative’s climate-innovation portfolio and the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, and has raised pre-seed funding led by Pi Labs and Zacua Ventures to scale its technology and commercial teams.

As regulations evolve and procurement teams increasingly require verified product data, demand for EPDs is rising from both compliance and market sides. Pathways’ real-time LCAs and automatically updated EPDs position it as a practical response to that pressure, turning manufacturers’ existing operational data into continuously refreshed disclosures.