Sustainable Innovation Lab

What Sustainable Innovation Lab does

Sustainable Innovation Lab (SILAB) is a privately held, UK-domiciled environmental and sustainability consultancy founded in the 1980s and operated by a team of 11-50 multi-disciplinary senior professionals. The firm delivers strategic advisory, research, training, conference facilitation, communication/marketing, and commercialisation services focused on 'innovation for sustainability', with particular depth in eco-design, sustainable consumption and production, climate change and energy, clean technology, eco-city planning, and Green ICT. SILAB is the UK convenor for ISO 14006 (Eco-design) and a participant on BSI/ISO/TR 14062 working groups, lending it formal standards-setting authority that it converts into compliance advisory work (e.g., WEEE, RoHS, EuP, Energy Labelling, BREEAM).

SILAB's go-to-market is sales-led and project-based: it engages governments, multinationals, SMEs, and NGOs through direct consulting engagements, customised training programmes, co-organised conferences (e.g., Green Innovation Taiwan 2012 with BCSD-Taiwan and the Centre for Sustainable Design), and event facilitation across Europe, South-East Asia and North America. The firm operates from offices in Farnham (Surrey) and Brighton (Sussex) in the UK and Copenhagen in Denmark, and monetises a portfolio that includes Research & Business Intelligence, Consultancy, Training, Conferences & Events, Communication & Marketing, Commercialising Products & Services, and a specialised ICT Testing and Certification Project Management offering for EuP and Energy Labelling compliance. Pricing is per-engagement and per-day (workshops disclosed at ~250 GBP/day with early-bird discounting), with no publicly disclosed recurring or subscription pricing.

The customer base is broad and diversified — over 20 named logos spanning government (Defra, European Commission, METI Japan, Hong Kong Productivity Council), multinational enterprise (HP, Dell, Toyota, Johnson & Johnson, P&G, InterfaceFLOR, Centrica, Woodside, Water Corporation of Western Australia), standards and research bodies (BSI, UL, TNO), and NGOs (WWF, UNEP) — and the firm cites 500+ workshops/conferences delivered in 35+ countries and 200+ reports plus 3 books in the Greater China region as evidence of operating scale. No external funding rounds, parent company, or M&A activity are disclosed.

Name

Sustainable Innovation Lab

Legal name

Sustainable Innovation Lab

Website

https://the-si-lab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sustainable Innovation Lab (SILAB) is a UK-based environmental consultancy founded in the 1980s that delivers strategy, research, training, events, and commercialisation services on eco-design, clean technology, climate change, and sustainable consumption to governments, multinationals, SMEs, and NGOs across Europe, Asia, and North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Consultancy Services: Strategic consultancy on sustainable product and service development for governments and corporations
2. Research and Business Intelligence: Market research and analysis services with focus on Great China region and EU/EU markets for clean tech, ICT and sustainable construction sectors
3. Training Programs: Customized seminars and training on sustainable innovation topics delivered in Europe, South-East Asia and North America
4. Conferences and Events: Creation, organisation and management of workshops and conferences on sustainability topics in multiple countries
5. Testing and Certification Project Management: ICT testing and certification project management services for EuP and Energy Labelling Regulations compliance
6. Commercialising Products and Services: Market entry support for green products and clean tech, including market analysis, business strategy, and sales team services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sustainable Innovation Lab is a specialist sustainability consultancy that advises governments, multinational corporations, SMEs, NGOs, and research bodies on innovation-for-sustainability initiatives. It delivers research and business intelligence, strategic consultancy, training, conferences and events, communications and marketing support, product and service commercialization assistance, and ICT testing and certification project management, with particular depth in eco-design, green ICT, clean technology, and climate-change strategy.

Product overview

Sustainable Innovation Lab (SILAB) is a consultancy offering an integrated portfolio of professional services focused on innovation for sustainability. The core offering consists of six interconnected service areas: Research & Business Intelligence (market research and policy analysis), Consultancy (strategic advisory on sustainability), Training (professional development programmes), Conferences & Events (workshop and conference management), Communication and Marketing (green PR and digital strategies), and Commercialising Products and Services (market entry support). These services are applied across six project focus areas: Sustainable Innovation, Climate Change and Energy, Eco City and Sustainable Community, Clean Tech, Sustainable Consumption and Production, and Green ICT/Green Building and Products. A specialized offering includes ICT Testing and Certification Project Management Services for EuP and Energy Labelling compliance. The services are designed to work together, with consultancy and research informing training and communications, while commercialization services leverage the firm's expertise across all focus areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research & Business Intelligence Research and business-intelligence support for clients exploring sustainability, clean technology, eco-design, and green ICT topics, typically delivered to governments, corporates, SMEs, NGOs, and research bodies.
• Consultancy Strategic consulting engagements covering sustainability strategy, eco-design, climate change, green ICT, and clean technology, delivered to governments, multinationals, SMEs, NGOs, and research institutions.
• Training Structured training programs that build client capability in eco-design, ISO 14006, sustainable product/service development, green ICT, and clean technology for corporate, public-sector, and SME audiences.
• Conferences & Events Organization of conferences, workshops, and sustainability-focused events that bring together public, private, NGO, and research stakeholders around innovation-for-sustainability themes.
• Communication and Marketing Communications and marketing support that helps clients position sustainability, eco-design, green ICT, and clean-tech narratives to external stakeholders and markets.
• Commercialising Products and Services Advisory support helping clients commercialize sustainable products and services, including market positioning, partner engagement, and go-to-market strategy.
• ICT Testing and Certification Project Management Services Project management services for ICT testing and certification engagements, helping clients in the public and private sectors manage and complete certification processes for sustainable ICT products and services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Carbon offset over 125,000 tonnes over first 4 years for InterfaceFLOR's Cool Carpet product
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Business Council for Sustainable Development – Taiwan (BCSD Taiwan)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organiser of Green Innovation Taiwan 2012 conference, held 1st-3rd August 2012 in Taipei. Partnership focused on delivering three workshops on eco-innovation and eco-design for Taiwan's business leaders, providing access to European experts on green growth and sustainable consumption/production.
• The Centre for Sustainable Design (CFSd)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organiser of Green Innovation Taiwan 2012 conference with BCSD Taiwan and SILAB. The Centre, based at University for the Creative Arts UK, provides expertise in sustainable design and eco-innovation training.
• Co-creativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on various projects including H2PIA hydrogen city concept development, Re-Think City publication, and Danish Energy Association concept development and communication strategy.
• IHOBE (Spain)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated on global eco-design/ecotech cluster research including EC, USA and Asia regions.
• Nordic Council of MinistersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner on sustainability research and consulting projects in Nordic regions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): ERM is the world's largest pure-play sustainability and environmental consultancy, offering climate, eco-design, supply chain, and ESG advisory services to the same multinational and government client base that SILAB serves. It is a scaled incumbent against which SILAB competes on specialization and boutique service.
• Carbon Trust: Carbon Trust is a UK-headquartered climate and sustainability advisory organization working with governments and corporates on carbon footprinting, energy efficiency, and product labeling — closely mirroring SILAB's UK Defra, energy labelling, and climate change project portfolio.
• WSP Environment & Sustainability Practice: WSP offers environmental and sustainability consulting within a global engineering platform, serving the same government and corporate clients as SILAB across eco-city, climate, and clean tech mandates — a scaled incumbent competitor.

Direct peers

• Anthesis Group: Anthesis is a mid-sized sustainability consultancy focused on eco-design, circular economy, climate strategy, and product sustainability — directly overlapping SILAB's core service lines and target customer segments (multinationals, electronics, consumer goods).
• BSR (Business for Social Responsibility): BSR is a global sustainable business advisory network working with large corporations on supply chain sustainability, climate, and human rights — directly comparable to SILAB's enterprise sustainability and clean tech advisory work.
• EcoAct: EcoAct is a European climate change consultancy specializing in carbon strategy, GHG reporting, and sustainability advisory for multinationals — directly competing with SILAB's Climate Change and Energy and Sustainable Consumption practice areas.
• South Pole Group: South Pole is a global climate solutions and advisory firm offering carbon offsetting, climate strategy, and ESG advisory — overlapping SILAB's carbon offsetting (InterfaceFLOR), eco-city, and climate action planning work.

Emerging players

• GreenBiz Group: GreenBiz provides cleantech research, events, and advisory content serving sustainability professionals — a niche peer to SILAB's research, conferences, and cleantech intelligence offerings.
• Sustainia / SustainBusiness: Sustainia is a Nordic-origin sustainability advisory and think tank doing sustainability strategy, scenario work, and innovation research — comparable to SILAB's Clean Tech and Sustainable Innovation focus areas.

Regional players

• DG MOVE / European Commission Sustainability Consultancies: EU policy and sustainability framework consultancies compete for European Commission framework contracts (e.g., Industrial Competitiveness for a Sustainable Future) — a peer set SILAB has historically participated in alongside.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SILAB_global
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100002336615375
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainable-innovation-lab-silab-uk-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sustainable Innovation Lab