AMPRobotics
AMP Robotics is a US market leader in robotic systems which sort waste through computer vision and artificial intelligence.
AMP Robotics is a US market leader in robotic systems which sort waste through computer vision and artificial intelligence.
Key details
Key metrics
Globally, 2 billion tonnes of waste are generated per annum of which only 19% is recycled or composted. About 37% of global waste ends up in landfills, 11% is incinerated, and 33% is openly dumped risking leakage into the environment, often via local waterways and eventually into the ocean. Inefficiencies in recycling contribute to this poor handling of society’s waste, leading to adverse environmental and social impacts.
Although the goal of landfills is to safely contain waste, even well-maintained landfill sites present challenges and are prone to leakages, releasing harmful and toxic contaminants into the air, soil, and groundwater. Landfills for example are responsible for nearly 11% of global methane emissions, as decaying waste emits methane over time.
These environmental effects directly impact human health. Research indicates that those living near landfills are at an increased risk of eye, lung, and throat irritation, as well as more serious illnesses like certain cancers, asthma, and water-borne diseases. Infants face a significantly higher risk of pre-term birth and congenital abnormalities.
AMP provides a range of solutions that utilize artificial intelligence to identify, sort, and recover recyclable material, thereby materially decreasing the need for landfilling. Compared to manual sorting, AMP’s robotic systems sort waste faster, make fewer errors at a lower cost, sort with more specificity (e.g., red vs green plastic), and pick more types (e.g., construction and demolition material, e-waste). AMP’s technology enhances the value in waste, which enables materials to be recovered that would otherwise be landfilled, incinerated, or openly dumped.
- Current technology – AMP’s robots are currently used in the field as retrofit solutions for recycling facility operators in the US, Canada, Japan, and Europe. AMP has deployed more than 400 AI-enabled systems. Its customers include some of the largest players in the waste industry.
- Next generation technology – AMP also operates a fully automated commercial processing facility outside Cleveland, OH with two more facilities under development. Additionally, AMP has a pilot facility to sort municipal solid waste (MSW) operating successfully in Virginia. AMP’s RSF and MSW pipelines have increased above >500m and >2B in total contract value (over 10-20 years), respectively.
- Climate impact – Reducing waste sent to landfills decreases methane emissions, and reusing recycled inputs in the manufacture of new products emits less greenhouse gases than extracting new raw materials, whilst also eliminating waste and reducing pollution. In 2023 AMP’s facilities and products sorted a total of 300,000 tonnes of recoverable material, which corresponds to total GHG emissions savings of 840,000 tCO2e. From this total material recovered, BlueEarth estimates that the additional impact delivered by AMP over and above what would otherwise have been sorted in the absence of AMP’s products and facilities corresponds to an additional 40,000 tonnes diverted from landfill and avoided GHG emissions of 110,000 tCO2e (this is an estimation conducted by BlueEarth, not reported by the company).
Through our Board participation we have helped support the strategic direction for the business, made potential customer introductions, assisted with capital formation, and helped recruit industry experts to the board and senior executive positions.
On impact measurement, we have engaged with management to better understand the additionality of the positive impacts that the company is delivering and supported them to align their sustainability reporting to leading standards.
“As AMP has reached this later growth stage, it’s become really important to have strong perspectives and deep experience around the table. As a growth investor, BlueEarth has been fantastic. We really have a shared worldview, which is that technology can change the cost of doing the right thing,” said Matanya Horowitz, CEO at AMP. “They bring a real entrepreneurial mindset and decades of experience helping companies understand how to align meaningful sustainability impact against short-term, quarter-to-quarter business needs for the company.”