Software can help us do things more efficiently, consistently and accurately. We have already seen how software has transformed project management, so why wouldn’t we want to replicate these benefits when measuring our carbon footprints? The idea of collecting your carbon data in one space to calculate your organisational or product footprints is appealing. But can footprinting software help you, and what should you bear in mind when searching for the right software solution for your carbon footprinting needs?
What are some of the benefits of footprinting software?
Carbon footprinting is a complex task but the right solution can help you collect, update, trace, assess and report your carbon emissions and the impact of your carbon reduction efforts in one place. More importantly, it can inform your carbon reduction strategy, helping you set priorities.
Software’s appeal will grow among businesses as carbon assessments demand larger volumes of data to track emissions and make credible sustainability claims. On top of that, software can help improve the sharing of emissions data. The better the data-sharing between suppliers and customers, or between investors and investee companies, the more accurate and reliable everyone's reported emissions become. This data sharing is paramount to companies in industries like agriculture and manufacturing that work with a range of suppliers, but also for financial institutions that seek to track the climate impact and progress of their portfolio companies.
Given these potential benefits, software solutions can improve the quality of footprint measurements and ultimately drive informed decisions and credible reduction claims. Depending on functionality, users can streamline tasks such as data collection, carbon calculations, data sharing, as well as reporting and disclosing emissions in line with regulations and standards such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS). In doing so, software can help businesses focus on what matters most: their climate action.