Businesses have started to become more and more environmentally conscious. One way of doing this is through carbon accounting software. This software helps companies to track their greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately reduce their environmental impact.
This blog post will discuss the ten best carbon accounting software programs of 2023!
What is Carbon Accounting Software?
Carbon accounting software is a program that helps businesses track their greenhouse gas emissions. This information can be used to enable enterprises to reduce their environmental impact.
How does Carbon Accounting Software work?
Carbon accounting software typically works by tracking a business’s energy usage. This information is then used to calculate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions the business produces.
What are the benefits of using Carbon Accounting Software?
There are many benefits of using carbon accounting software. Some of these benefits include:
- It helps businesses track their emissions
- It helps businesses reduce their environmental impact
- It supports businesses in meeting emissions goals
- It can be used to report a company’s emissions
- It helps businesses save money
Glossary of terms related to Carbon Accounting
- Carbon footprint: The amount of greenhouse gas emissions that a business produces.
- Climate change: A long-term change in the Earth’s climate.
- Greenhouse gas: A gas that traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.
- Emissions: The release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
- Reporting: Documenting and sharing information about a company’s emissions.
- Reducing emissions: Taking action to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that a business produces.
- Carbon accounting software: A program that helps companies to track their greenhouse gas emissions.
How do you choose the right Carbon Accounting Software for your business?
When choosing a carbon accounting software program, you should keep a few things in mind. Some of these factors include:
- The size of your business
- Your emissions goals
- The type of data you need to track
- How often do you need to report your emissions
- The cost of the software
Here is the list of carbon accounting software
1. Persefoni
Persefoni is one of the market’s most famous climate disclosure and carbon management software. It is loved by many because of its simple and elegant user interface. In addition, it has a critical relationship with global industry heads like Brain, Workiva, SCSK, CGI, Hitachi, and Patch.
The software is known for its scalability and support and is used by Fortune 500 organizations.
Features
- Audit quality carbon accounting
- Financed emissions calculation
- Climate impact benchmarking module
- Climate trajectory modeling module
- Sustainability reporting and disclosers
Benefits
- No need to have the technical knowledge to calculate your company’s carbon footprint
- It cooperates with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and hence makes easy calculations of Scope 1, 2, AND 3 inventory.
- It provides an easy-to-use interface and endless support for users
- You can easily view the calculation frameworks, formulas, and emission factors with its CO2e ledger
- You can easily maintain the emission factors set by IPCC, IEA, EPA, and DEFRA.
- It provides easy configuration and deployment.
Other details
| Deployment | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based |
| Supported languages | English, Japanese |
| Support | Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base |
| Training | Webinars, Documentation, Videos |
| Customer ratings | G2: 5.0 out of 5 (1+reviews) |
2. IBM Environmental Intelligence Suite
IBM environment intelligence suite offers a comprehensive suite of software for carbon accounting and emissions management with the help of AI capabilities. The IBM Environmental Intelligence Suite allows organizations to track, report, and analyze their greenhouse gas emissions.
Features
- Streamline, automate and operationalize carbon accounting
- Stationary emission API
- Fugitive emissions API
- Mobile emissions
- Location-based emissions
- Market-based emissions
- Transport and distribution emissions
Benefits
- It provides built-in, AI-driven augmentation capabilities.
- Automates data conversion using APIs
- Automatic updation of data points
Supported industries
- Energy, Environment, and Utilities
- Public sector
- Travel and Transportation
- Retail
- Financial services
- Industrial products
3. Net Zero cloud by Salesforce
Net Zero cloud by Salesforce is designed to help businesses achieve net-zero emissions. The Net Zero cloud will be powered by 100% renewable energy, and it will help customers to decrease their carbon footprints through a range of features and services.
Features
- Analyze scope one emission
- Analyze scope two emissions
- Dashboard
- Emissions forecasting
- Analyze scope three emissions
- Automated data gap filling
- Data model and calculation
- Procurement emission management
- Transportation and distribution
- Waste management module
- Business travel module
Pricing
It offers two editions
- Starter – It costs $48,000 per organization per year (billed annually) with three full CRM license
- Growth – It costs $2,10,000 per organization per year(billed annual) with 5 full CRM license
Apart from this, it offers some add-ons.
| Net-zero analytics license | It costs $150 per user per month (billed annually) |
| External engagement management | It costs $60,000 per organization per year (billed annually) |
| Net Zero Cloud additional users | It costs $60,000 per organization per year (Billed annually) |
Benefits
- It provides detailed dashboards for scopes 1, 2 and 3
- Offers actionable insights
- Provides secure supplier collaboration
- It allows the integration of data from many sources
- It is scalable, flexible, and agile
Supported industries
- Energy and utility
- Education
- Financial services
- Governments
- Healthcare and life science
- Manufacturing
- Media
- Retail
- Non-profit
- Transportation and hospitality
- Technology
4. Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability
Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability is a carbon accounting software introduced recently. The software manages environmental data and reports on an organization’s carbon footprint.
In addition, the software includes various features, such as tracking facility emissions, fleet, and air travel. Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability is a web-based application that can be accessed from any internet-connected device.
Features
- Recording and reporting of environmental impact
- Measurement and monitoring of emissions
- Dashboards to visualize emissions activities
- Actionable data insights
- Energy management
Pricing
Microsoft sustainability manager costs USD$4000 per tenant per month
Benefits
- It helps to reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption
- It allows you to get insights into reducing carbon emissions, energy costs, and waste
- Helps to collaborate with sustainability team members like stakeholders and contributors
- Increases transparency and accountability
Supported Industries
- Automotive
- Energy
- Financial services
- Manufacturing
- Retail
- Smart places.
5. Sphera
Sphera is one of the most popular carbon accounting software. It helps businesses to manage their emissions and greenhouse gas data with its integrated Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance(ESG) solutions.
It offers a variety of features, such as data management, tracking, and analysis. Sphera also provides consulting and training services to help businesses reduce their emissions.
Features
- Sustainability
- Chemical management
- Master data management
- Health and safety management
- Operational risk management
- Control of work
Benefits
- Identifies the scope of three categories
- Calculates corporate carbon footprint
- Gathers data for energy consumption and number of products per period
- Determines emissions sources
Supported industries
- Building and Construction
- Chemicals and life science
- Government
- Manufacturing
- Metals and mining
- Oil and gas
- Energy and mobility
- Retail and consumer goods
6. Sinai Technologies
Sinai Technologies is the world’s leading decarbonization software. The software helps businesses to manage their emissions and set targets for reducing their carbon footprint. It measures, analyzes, and helps to reduce emissions.
Features
- GHG inventories
- Reports
- Baseline projection
- Emissions target
- Carbon budget
- Carbon price
- Risk management
- Stakeholder engagement
- Value chain management
Benefits
- It defines opportunities for carbon reduction
- It provides multiple database capabilities; hence you will get accurate data.
- It offers strict architectural concepts that provide proper security.
- Determines valuable information and provides real-time analytics
- Enhances data tracking and reporting
Supported industries
- Transportation
- Industrials
- Utilities
- Consumer goods
- Buildings and construction
7. Greenly
Greenly is a leading carbon accounting and management software developed to help businesses and organizations reduce their carbon emissions. It provides features like tracking emissions data, creating reports, and setting targets. The software also allows users to compare their emissions performance with other businesses and organizations.
Features
- Digitized GHG assessment
- Employee engagements
- Action plans
- Offset
- Life-cycle assessment
Pricing
You can get a quote by mentioning the information about your industry and the number of employees on their website.
- Starter-It starts from Pound 99/month for 50 employees max
- Essential- To get details, contact the vendor.
- Optional-Contact the vendor for more details on pricing
Benefits
- It is a good platform for SMBs to track their carbon emissions.
- Calculates emissions across scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3
- It provides a detailed dashboard for carbon footprint
- Offers good support with climatic specialists to your net-zero journey
- Includes concrete and actionable alternatives
Supported industries
- Tech and Digital
- Construction
- Fashion and Textile
- Food
- Chartered accountants
- API and Banks
- Media and Press
Other details
| Deployment | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based |
| Support | Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support, Chat |
| Training | Live Online, Documentation, Videos |
| Customer ratings | Capterra: 4.2 out of 5 (2+reviews) |
8. Diligent
Diligent is a carbon accounting software that helps non-profits, executives, and governments to account for their greenhouse gas emissions.
Diligent was founded in 1994, and its headquarters is in New Zealand. It acquired Accuvio, an ESG vendor, in 2021, and both streamlined the connection between risk, compliance, audit, and ESG.
Features
- Board and leadership collaboration
- Board management
- Entity and subsidiary management
- Risk management
- Sustainability and ESG reporting
- Carbon accounting
- Audit management
- Internal controls management
Benefits
- It provides climate leadership certification
- Helps to plan ESG data against standards like SASB, GRI, TCFD, CDP, and WEF
- You can easily track and monitor your ESG progress and compare it with your competitors.
- Provides real-time alerts
- Provides reports on ESG progress
- Streamlines carbon, energy, waste data collection and reporting
Supported industries
- Financial services
- Broadcasting and telecommunication
- Government
- Higher education
- Manufacturing
- Private Equity
- Technology
- Advisory and legal research
- Energy
- Healthcare
- Non-profit
- Real estate and construction
- Retail
- Transportation and warehousing
9. Sweep
Sweep is a software solution for carbon emissions management. It organizes, measures, and reduces carbon emissions. It mainly focuses on the collaboration of features that helps track and visualize tasks in a centralized system.
Features
- Assign teams
- Connect with other companies
- Track progress
- Emission factor database
- Create composite factors
- Import factors
- Coordination and controls
Benefits
- It enhances assigning and tracking of tasks
- It is very flexible
- You can view all your climate strategies at a single glance.
- It provides an easy-to-use emission factor database
Pricing
It offers two types of plans
- Growth – This is for up to 20 users. It costs $950 per month(billed annually) or $1100 per month (if billed monthly)
- Enterprise – This is for 50 users. To get details, contact the vendor
Apart from this, it charges $50 for extra users
10. Watershed
Watershed is a newer software for environmental accounting that started in 2019. It helps businesses and organizations measure and manage their environmental performance. It offers a comprehensive carbon accounting solution to help organizations understand their greenhouse gas emissions and take action to reduce them.
Features
- Rigorous carbon accounting
- Dashboard with drag and drop file facility
- Analyze emissions with real-time data
- Carbon removal technologies
- Invenstor grade reports
Benefits
- It measures scope 1, scope2, and scope 3 of the greenhouse gas
- It helps to track the carbon emission of every supplier
- It helps to reduce the emission with net-zero goals
FAQs
What is Carbon Accounting?
Carbon accounting is the process of tracking a business’s greenhouse gas emissions. This information can be used to help enterprises to reduce their environmental impact.
What type of data does carbon accounting software track?
Carbon accounting software typically tracks a business’s energy usage. This information is then used to calculate the company’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
How often do I need to report my emissions?
The frequency of reporting can vary depending on the software you use. For example, some programs allow you to report your emissions monthly or yearly, while others may require more frequent reporting.
Conclusion
As the world progresses towards a more sustainable future, businesses must adopt carbon accounting software to track their emissions and greenhouse gas production. This blog post highlights 10 of the best carbon reporting software options today.
We hope this list will help you make an informed decision about which carbon accounting software is right for your business. Thanks for reading!
References:
- Official documentation of Persefoni
- Documentation guide of IBM Environmental Intelligence Suite
- Help Center of Salesforce
- Technical documentation of Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability
- Sphera spark
- Resources of Sinai Technologies
- Documentation guides of Greenly
- Buyer’s Guide to Diligent
- Whitepaper for Diligent
- Guidance of Sweep
- Watershed guides
