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MiracleDevs is a business-centric software development company founded in 2009 to help clients navigate change and better integrate technology into their processes. 

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Under the leadership of CEO Nico Badano, MiracleDevs has grown from three employees to over sixty team members across the U.S., Europe, and Argentina. Their client list has also expanded significantly.

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In 2018, they began working with Microsoft, supporting over 600,000 retail demo devices — everything from the content and configuration used in kiosk mode to backend infrastructure and management systems.

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As Microsoft raises the bar on sustainability across its supplier network, MiracleDevs was asked to begin measuring and reporting their carbon emissions.

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Companies like Microsoft aren’t just setting ambitious climate goals for themselves — they’re asking the same of their suppliers.

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For many smaller companies, this shift can be sudden and overwhelming. But as MiracleDevs discovered, carbon accounting doesn’t have to be a burden. It can be a business advantage.

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Watch the full recording of this conversation: Carbon Accoutning for SMBs: Lessons from Microsoft’s Supplier Standards. 

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A surprising ask

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In 2024, MiracleDevs received two major requests: their ISO certifying body asked for carbon emissions data due to changing standards, and Microsoft, one of their biggest clients, submitted a similar request shortly after.

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“It did take us by surprise,” Nico said. “That was the moment where we started to ask: What is this? Why does it apply to us? What should we do?"

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"It felt impossible to grasp at first. I did some research on what Microsoft was asking of us and my conclusion was that there was no way I could do it alone.”

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“We hadn’t really thought about sustainability before. We were just too small for it. Our footprint wasn’t large enough."

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"To focus on sustainability, we would’ve needed an entire person dedicated to it, and small companies like us don’t have the budget or resources for that.”

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“Then Green Project came into the picture, and we started working together. All of the fog disappeared, and the process became much clearer, the direction became clear, the actionable items became clear."

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"Green Project helped us understand what was needed from us and how we could get there.”

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From box-checking to business intelligence

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“We started collecting the data with Green Project, and it didn’t turn out to be that painful,” said Nico.

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“There was a lot of data to collect to fulfill Microsoft’s requirement, but we changed our mindset from compliance to gaining our own visibility on our carbon footprint over the past five years." 

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“I thought: let’s put the compliance part to the side and just focus on seeing our impact on the environment. We’re software people. We like to track everything. We like data. And if we don’t have data, then we can’t make decisions.”

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“Building our data set around our carbon footprint has been aligning in many ways. Now, we can structure and visualize our data, and decide what to do with it, and we plan on keeping that going." 

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“All of a sudden, it turns out that emissions and sustainability are another benchmark by which we can measure ourselves and our clients and leads can measure us. It’s become a decision-making factor.” 

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A new differentiator for clients and talent

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“Sustainability is now a value proposition that we can bring to the table for new clients, as we did with our other tracking and standardization metrics,” said Nico. “We put everything on the table, because it matters to our clients, and translates to them."

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"They know how we’ll impact their emissions and they know that they can work with a supplier that’s knowledgeable, or at least has some degree of certification or tooling”

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“Carbon is becoming a key differentiator between companies, and even for retaining employees."

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"If someone has two options, and one is committed to tracking, managing, and lowering their carbon emissions, and the other treats these things as an afterthought — no judgment, we’ve been there — which are they going to pick?”

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“We are not far from being asked about carbon emissions when we budget for projects,” said Nico. “The more conscious or the more involved companies are with their carbon emissions, the more concerned they’ll be about our emissions."

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"They want to know what we’re bringing to the table if they purchase from us. They want to know how much the project is going to cost them, and how many emissions it will lead to. We’re not far from that becoming a part of the quoting process.” 

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“For prospective employees at MiracleDevs, we’re seeing that preference and attitude, too. It’s another differentiator we can bring forward to help sway them in our direction, so there is definitely value there.” 

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Transparency without fear

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“We were initially a bit nervous about sharing our carbon emissions with potential clients,” said Nico. “It’s like they’re eating at your restaurant and they want to take look around the kitchen, and we don’t really want to open that door, you know?”

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“But as we understood the process more, we understood that what we were providing was just a snapshot in time, and we can tell potential clients about what we plan to do, and how we’re going to improve over time.”

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“So, it’s not a concern anymore. No more than sharing any other sensitive information about our company. It’s all part of the process now.”

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Start today, reap the benefits later

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“The more of a head start we have on carbon accounting and sustainability, the better of a position we’ll be in when clients and potential employees start caring more and more about these things,” said Nico.

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“What I like about tracking this early is that it allows us to scale the company without necessarily scaling our emissions alongside it. We’re always concerned about efficiency, and Green Project gives us a way to stay on top of things.”

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“One piece of advice I would give to other small- and medium-sized companies who are beginning this journey is to just get started."

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"If you are on the fence about investing in carbon accounting, the sooner you do it the better. It’s not only about compliance: it opens doors, and prepares you better for what’s coming.”

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“This is not going away. These requests are just getting started, and sustainability will only get more and more embedded. So if you’re on the fence, do it. And if you haven’t thought about it yet, then start considering it.” 

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“Even if you don’t have an immediate need, think about getting started. Because in the end, with the right partner like Green Project — this is not a journey that can be taken alone — the process was easy, and it really got us to a better place.” 

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