Sustainability can be profitable, and Clear Standards wants to prove it to organizations by helping them yield a positive return on investment from participating in energy efficiency projects.

Virginia-based Clear Standards, Inc. creates software to help organizations measure, mitigate, and monetize carbon emissions and other environmental impacts. The company’s new “CleanTech Spend Optimizer” software acts as a support system for companies looking to reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions. It evaluates and selects projects that yield the best return on investment, taking into account such factors as regional tax rebates, early action credits, carbon offsets and the value of reduced carbon emissions. The program uses mathematical models developed by the World Resources Institute and the Environmental Protection Agency to supply blueprints for common energy efficiency projects such as solar panels, high-efficiency lighting, hybrid vehicles and wind turbines.

“With Clear Standards, organizations can get a better understanding of project payback, optimize spending across a portfolio of proposals, and elegantly communicate the value of these investments to internal and external stakeholders," said Anirban Chakrabarti, Clear Standards CEO and co-founder.

By helping organizations identify the most financially rewarding opportunities to reduce energy use and waste, Clear Standards puts businesses ahead of the curve when it comes to preparing for regulatory changes and renewable energy portfolio standards, and gives them viability when they want to brand themselves as a green business. Perhaps more businesses would choose to invest in eco-friendly projects if they had a little more of the guidance and fiscal incentives that this company promises to deliver.