Harju Elu investigates
“Harju Elu investigates” is the series where our media organisation conducts an in-depth financial and operational investigation into a business to really find out what is under the surface and bring any controversies, hidden secrets and other issues to light and give our comments on that business. Harju Elu is a highly regarded media group which has existed as a leading media brand for over 80 years.

Investigated: Quantum2
Quantum2 is a British (UK) company with a compact team spread across UK, Europe, America and Asia. It has developed a unique ecosystem, which is currently patent-pending, transforming sustainable spend into an income.

Summary
Our readers may be disappointed that there is no scandal here. Quantum2 is trustworthy, financially solid, accredited or supported by a number of strong and proven third parties and is achieving its sustainable targets. Its product does what it says, its clients are very satisfied and we conclude that Quantum2 is rather more modest in its promotion and claims than it could be – We believe that Quantum2’s Sustainable Unit really is a revolutionary product that could make a significant impact in the world in coming years.

Innovative technology
The concept of Qunatum2’s Sustainability Units is that companies, government (and perhaps later individuals) who have certain sustainable/ESG/CSR/ UN SDG goals, for example, CO2 reduction, improvement in human health or elimination of plastics, can meet or exceed their targets without giving away assets from their balance sheet (or pocketbook), but instead gain profit while achieving their goals. Quantum2 defines this as a new type of product/ market where “Profit and Planet are in Harmony, not conflict”.

This is potentially a revolutionary and highly disruptive technology, perhaps even world-changing, if it works.

Let the investigation begin.

Patent Check
The company does indeed hold a pending patent, in the name of the founder, licensed for its use.

Financial Check
The company claims on its website to have around £8.5m (€/$ 10m) of land under sustainable management. We investigated a number of associated companies and their balance sheets and we looked at third party land valuations. This was all true. We verified the land ownership.

There are no financial losses, rather a modest profit which is a very positive sign at this stage. Major costs are for product development, research and innovation.

Quantum2 is financially solid, trustworthy and its claims here are correct.

Sustainable Verification
Next, we looked into claims of sustainable improvement of the land under management. Here we analysed third party lab reports, photographic and drone photos, We also obtained an opinion from a sustainable verification body regarding the Quantum2 360 Sustainability Methodology and analysed their project reports.

The results check out and everything was in agreement with the metrics presented.

We have verified the sustainable improvements are correct.

Does the Technology really work and do what it says?
Is it really possible to change a cost into an income? We tested this new technology in reality.

First: companies/ government or others who would otherwise give away money on salaries, direct impact projects, donations or perhaps invest that in a somewhat sustainable company, asset or activity, can now make a strategic choice to use some of their spend to purchase Quantum2 Sustainability Units.

We purchased Sustainability Units. These Units remained on our account. As a business, these Units are an asset on our balance sheet. We had not given money away, simply exchanged cash for Sustainability Units. From that point of view, the thesis is correct. So far so good.

We reviewed the ecosystem and Sustainability Units daily over three months. Quantum2 uses a dashboard to display the financial value of the Units and direct impact delivered by those Units purchased. The Units steadily increased in value as indicated and it was clear and easy to see the sustainable metrics we had achieved. We conclude that the algorithm is proven in practice and the sustainable benefits/outcomes are achieved.

We then sold a small number of Units. The process worked. A new buyer purchased he Units (we do not know who, as the matching is done by the ecosystem but buyers and sellers and not known to each other). We received the money on our bank account

This is quite an amazing result, since we had bought Units, gained sustainable benefits while holding them and then sold these Units later for a higher value, meaning that during the whole period we were holding the Units, we had sustainability benefits for free – that we could report to clients, shareholders, employees. We were validly helping the planet but we had not pad anything to do it. Not only that, but we also make a profit! This is truly revolutionary. It could potentially disrupt the whole market for sustainable spend, at the top end, this is a market estimated in the International Business Review (Elsevier) at $50 trillion, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969593125000319 .

We also tried a transfer to another account we created (emulating a “sustainable bonus payment” to an employee), the transfer worked, So here we have the option, instead of a share or cash bonus, to make an “environmental bonus” payment to employees so they can be involved with the same program as our company. This is also quite unique. Perhaps this could be a tax-free transfer since it benefits the planet and that in itself would disrupt the market for bonus payments, employee dividends or share ownership.

All the transaction reports, reports of financial value and direct impact matched and were relatively easy to interpret.

We note that similar to less liquid assets such as land, Sustainability Units, especially if a large number are being sold could take some time to sell. The thesis from Quantum2 is that the sale of the Units is s bonus because the goal of buyers is to gain environmental and social benefit and it is already enough that these buyers gain many sustainable benefits without giving away any net assets. Ie. It is enough that Sustainability Units remain on the balance sheet and increase steadily in value. This is a fair point because that in itself means instead of giving away money or assets, the buyer keeps assets and still gets all the sustainable benefits as well as keeping and increasing their total asset value.

Clients and Success Stories
We spoke to a number of buyers and potential buyers of Units. The main concern was that Quantum2 should undertake a lot more promotion and bring more clients on board because the more clients, the more positive environmental impact and liquidity, but in terms of the purchase, sustainable outcomes and the working ecosystem, clients were very satisfied.

A New Future
Quantum2 has a tagline “a Quantum Leap 2 a Better Future”. They ask “why shouldn’t we design products that inherently improve the environment instead of damaging it and still generate profit” and “what if all assets in the future are valued not in financial terms but based on the positive impact they bring to the environment and society”. These are questions that are fundamental to our economic systems and should most certainly should be asked. What we liked about Quantum2 – they are not just asking it, they are doing it.

We investigated and thoroughly tested Quantum2’s claims, its financial data, validated the environmental benefits and shook its technology until something should fall out. But nothing fell out. Rather the contrary, we were very impressed with the achievements of Quantum2. The concept and technology itself, in our opinion, is highly disruptive and could be world-changing. It is not often you can say that. As more and more clients join and buy Sustainability Units, we could be looking down the telescope at a new and better future.