Mandatum

Mandatum

Mandatum

Redirecting trillions in shopping wasted spending to fix Nature’s funding crisis in the Global South by providing hundreds of billions at no cost.

Miami, FL, USA

United States

Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit

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Mandatum tackles the critical lack of funding for biodiversity conservation, a key driver of deforestation, climate change, and poverty in the Global South. Forests and oceans sustain 1.6 billion livelihoods and feed 3.5 billion people, yet they are being destroyed due to financial pressures like illegal logging and unsustainable farming. Governments and corporations fail to close the $200 billion annual conservation gap, leaving communities vulnerable. Biodiversity loss is accelerating, with wildlife populations declining by 73% since 1970. Deforestation alone drives 6 gigatons of CO₂ emissions annually—equivalent to total U.S. emissions. Protecting nature could prevent up to 8.83 gigatons of CO₂ emissions by 2050, stabilizing the climate and securing the livelihoods of billions. Mandatum unlocks trillions hidden in shopping fees to create a sustainable funding stream for conservation—at no cost to consumers or small businesses. Existing solutions rely on new funding, but Mandatum redirects existing waste into nature protection, ensuring ecosystems and the communities that depend on them thrive. By empowering individuals and SMEs, we create a scalable, people-powered solution that bridges the funding gap, drives climate resilience, and protects our planet’s most vital resources.

Mandatum unlocks trillions in hidden commerce fees to fund nature conservation at no cost to consumers or businesses. By leveraging Sustainable Discounts™, we enable individuals and small businesses to redirect excessive retail markups into protecting forests and oceans—solving the affordability barrier to philanthropy. How It Works: Across all commerce—both e-commerce (23% of the opportunity) and brick-and-mortar stores—retail markups take up to 40% of product prices. Mandatum partners with brands and merchants to recover part of these hidden fees and give consumers control over where the savings go: back into their pockets, to conservation, or both. For example, a $100 product might carry a $40 markup; instead of all going to middlemen, Mandatum redirects $10 to conservation, $10 to shoppers, and $20 to sustainable brand initiatives. We launched our MVP in e-commerce (leveraging Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.) for rapid scalability. Once proven, we will expand into brick-and-mortar commerce, unlocking the full potential of the model to fund conservation globally. By transforming everyday purchases into a force for good, Mandatum creates a sustainable, people-powered solution to close the $200 billion conservation funding gap and protect nature.

Mandatum serves two key groups: Vulnerable communities dependent on nature – 1.6 billion people rely on forests for their livelihoods, 3.5 billion depend on oceans for food, and 4 billion use natural medicines. These communities are underserved by existing conservation funding models, which rely on unstable government and corporate donations. Mandatum provides a reliable, people-powered funding stream to protect their ecosystems and ensure their survival. Everyday consumers and businesses – 90% of people want to support sustainability, but affordability is a major barrier. Mandatum removes this financial obstacle by allowing people to fund conservation effortlessly through Sustainable Discounts™, making philanthropy accessible to all. Small and medium businesses (SMEs), which struggle to invest in sustainability, also benefit by attracting eco-conscious customers while contributing to global conservation. Impact: At scale, Mandatum can generate up to $150 billion annually by 2030, protecting 466 million hectares of forests, preventing 8.83 gigatons of CO₂ emissions, and reversing biodiversity loss. By transforming commerce into a conservation engine, Mandatum safeguards ecosystems, strengthens local economies, and builds climate resilience for future generations.