Structural change
An acquisition, a sale, an outsourced activity, a method change or a significant error.
Recalculate if it passes your own disclosed threshold.Software · carbon reduction, cited
Carbon reduction software: proving a reduction is real
Carbon reduction software tracks the measures a company takes and shows which falls in its emissions came from them.
Emissions can also fall because a factor changed, a business was sold or a credit was bought, and none of those is a reduction a report can claim.
This page sets out the tests, where reductions are reported in the UK, and 60 vendors in their own words; this site has tested none and ranks none.
What the software does
What does carbon reduction software do?
It links measures to meters, so a reduction can be shown, not just claimed.
Planning a reduction and proving one are different jobs, often done by the same product.
Abatement curves, scenarios and target pathways are covered on decarbonisation software.
This page is about the second job: keeping the evidence that a fall in emissions came from something the company did.
The PPN 006 document itself has its own page, carbon reduction plan software.
- 1
Register
Each measure with an owner, a date and an expected saving.
- 2
Link
The measure tied to the meters, sites or vehicles it affects.
- 3
Measure
Actual kWh and emissions before and after, like for like.
- 4
Separate
Factor changes, boundary changes and instruments kept apart.
- 5
Report
The SECR narrative, the ESOS plan, a Carbon Reduction Plan, target progress.
What counts
When is a fall in emissions a real reduction?
When the physical inventory falls on a like-for-like basis.
A dashboard that shows lower emissions year on year is not yet showing a reduction.
The UK electricity factor fell from 0.19553 to 0.14396 kgCO2e per kWh consumed between the 2025 and 2026 sets, in Table 9 of the DESNZ methodology papers.
DESNZ says 6 to 7 points of that fall came from cutting the data lag from two years to one, according to its major changes report.
So a company that used exactly the same electricity reports about a quarter less, and good software shows that as a factor effect, not as progress.
Four falls that are not reductionsExplore
Four falls that are not reductions
A new factor set
The 2026 UK electricity factor fell about 26%, part of it method.
Four falls that are not reductions
A changed boundary
A sale or acquisition handled by your recalculation policy.
Four falls that are not reductions
A carbon credit
Reported separately; the gross figure stays.
Four falls that are not reductions
A green tariff
Market-based Scope 2 only; location-based does not move.
Separating the factor
How much of your fall is the factor?
Enter your kWh and see the same electricity on the 2025 and 2026 sets.
The calculator beside this applies both years’ UK electricity factors to the same consumption.
The gap between the two answers is the part of any fall that came from the grid and the method, not from the company.
DESNZ’s factors are for activity mostly within their year under ¶1.10 of the methodology paper, so each year’s figure stays on its own set.
A reduction report that holds the factor constant, or shows the split, is one an auditor can follow.
Same kWh, two factor sets
2025 factor set · 0.17700 kgCO2e/kWh17.7 tCO2e
2026 factor set · 0.13096 kgCO2e/kWh13.1 tCO2e
A company that changed nothing sees 26.0% less on this line because the factor moved.
DESNZ attributes most of the fall to grid decarbonisation and 6 to 7 percentage points to methodology.
Factors: DESNZ 2026 methodology paper, Table 9 · 2026 major changes report.
Generated electricity is Scope 2; transmission and distribution losses are Scope 3.
With losses selected, the illustration uses the printed consumed total in DESNZ Table 9, spanning both scopes. It is not your SECR figure; nothing is stored or sent.
Like for like
What happens to the comparison when the company changes?
Structural changes can trigger recalculation; organic growth does not.
Chapter 5 of the Corporate Standard requires a recalculation policy whose significance threshold the company sets and discloses.
The same chapter says base-year emissions are not recalculated for organic growth or decline.
The GHG Protocol sets no numeric threshold; the 5% figure often quoted is the SBTi’s, for targets, according to the GHG Protocol’s technical assistance.
Software should hold the policy, apply it the same way each year and record each recalculation beside the original figure.
Emissions
changed
changed
Organic change
More or less output, new sites built, sites closed.
Not recalculated: it is the real story.Credits and certificates
Do credits and green tariffs count?
They are reported, but beside the inventory, never as a reduction in it.
UK SRS S2 asks for gross emissions, and ¶36(c) requires a net target to be shown with its gross target, according to the standard.
The SBTi’s Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0 requires actions and market instruments not reflected in the physical inventory to be accounted for and reported separately.
A green electricity contract can lower market-based Scope 2 under the Scope 2 Guidance, while the location-based figure follows the grid.
Good carbon reduction software shows all three, each in its own line.
Beside the inventory, not in itExplore
Beside the inventory, not in it
Gross emissions
UK SRS S2 asks for absolute gross Scopes 1, 2 and 3.
Beside the inventory, not in it
Net targets
Disclosed with the associated gross target.
Beside the inventory, not in it
SBTi V2.0
Actions and instruments outside the inventory reported separately.
Beside the inventory, not in it
Location-based Scope 2
Required; a tariff does not move it.
Where reductions are reported
Where does a UK company report its reductions?
In four places, each asking for something slightly different.
SECR asks for no target, but it does ask the directors to describe the principal measures taken to improve energy efficiency, under Schedule 7.
An ESOS action plan sets out each measure, its date and the estimated savings, in kWh since 22 July 2026, under reg 34A(3) of Part 6A as amended by SI 2026/701.
A Carbon Reduction Plan for a contract above £5 million a year including VAT covers Scope 1, Scope 2 and five Scope 3 categories, with headings for reduction targets and carbon reduction projects, under the PPN 006 Technical Standard.
UK SRS S2 asks for performance against each climate target under ¶35, and the FCA says at ¶2.36 of PS26/19 that the standard does not require a transition plan.
| Report and status | What it asks about reduction | Where it is set |
|---|---|---|
| SECR · in force | The principal energy efficiency measures taken in the year | SI 2008/410 Sch 7 ¶15(3D), ¶20D(4) |
| ESOS action plan · in force | Each measure, its date and estimated savings in kWh | SI 2014/1643 reg 34A(3) |
| PPN 006 · procurement policy | Emissions reduction targets and carbon reduction projects, and a net zero by 2050 commitment | PPN 006 Technical Standard, template 7.1, 7.4, 7.5 |
| UK SRS S2 · comply or explain for listed companies from 2027 | Performance against each climate target | UK SRS S2 ¶35 |
The tests before you sign
Which questions should a demonstration answer?
Seven, each tied to the provision it comes from.
Run them on your own data, with a factor change, a disposal and a credit in it.
A product that passes these keeps a reduction story your board can repeat in public.
This site has tested no products
Nothing on this page is a rating, ranking or recommendation of any product.
Carbon reduction demo questions · tick the ones you need
The pass tests are our reading of the cited provisions.
Nothing you tick is stored or sent.
The vendors
Who sells carbon reduction software?
60 vendors this site files under carbon accounting, alphabetically, which ranks nothing.
The registry covers 73 vendors across all categories, read 11 October 2026 and 30 September–1 October 2026.
60 vendors · carbon accounting
“Altruistiq helps companies with complex value chains go faster and further on sustainability”
“Intelligent AI that measures, reduces, and reports Scope 1–3 and LCA emissions in line with CDP, SBTi, CSRD, and CBAM requirements”
“Benchmark Gensuite is a unified EHS management software platform built on a single architecture—connecting safety, environmental compliance, and operational risk across every site”
“Our software provides companies and financial institutions with precise accounting of the emissions caused by making, shipping and using critical commodities and products around the globe”
“Measure, reduce, and report your Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions”
“The professional benchmarking and reporting platform built for sustainability consultants, SMEs, and the platforms that serve them”
“Coolset gives supply chain and ESG teams the structure, automation and guidance to meet complex compliance requirements like EUDR, PPWR and CSRD, and manage Scope 1-3 emissions”
“One AI-enabled EHS software platform to drive performance across employee health, safety, quality, environmental, and sustainability”
“Cozero helps enterprises steer decarbonization with the same rigor as financial performance, from data collection to investment decisions and regulatory disclosure”
“Dcycle is an ESG software platform founded in 2020 that helps companies collect, manage, and govern sustainability and non-financial data”
Diginex describes carbon accounting, sustainability reporting, supply chain, human rights monitoring and ESG investor intelligence for asset managers, banks and companies.
Diligent’s carbon accounting page describes a solution that “automatically collates your data and produces up to 80 different pre-configured audit-ready reports”.
Ecologi describes itself as a B Corp-certified climate action platform.
EcoOnline sells software to manage EHS and compliance.
“The Emitwise platform is now part of Green Project, where the team continues to build and deliver end-to-end decarbonization solutions”
“Enablon is Wolters Kluwer’s integrated software platform for environment, health and safety, PSM, and enterprise oversight, with ESG capabilities embedded as part of a broader risk approach”
“Collect, analyze, and report sustainability, financial, and risk KPIs with 10+ software modules – individually or in line with official standards”
“Manage safety, compliance, ESG, sustainability and operational risk from a platform built to keep programs reliable across sites, teams and operational change”
“The climate management platform built on AI, backed by dedicated sustainability experts”
“Measure, report, and reduce your company's emissions on one audit-ready sustainability management platform”
IBM describes Envizi as a “compliance ready solution for ESG data”.
“Ideagen Carbon Accounting is an AI-powered solution designed to address complex multi-region ESG reporting challenges in carbon accounting”
“Bring safety, environment, and quality workflows into one connected platform”
IsoMetrix sells software to “manage their environmental, health, safety, sustainability, and social risks”.
“Makersite’s Product Lifecycle Intelligence software brings together your cost, environment, compliance, and risk data in one place”
“Manglai is a platform to manage all of your environmental impact”
“Measurabl makes subjective sustainability data objective”
Microsoft Sustainability Manager
“Track and reduce your environmental impact using data and AI”
A carbon management platform that, in Novisto’s words, “simplifies the collection, calculation, and reporting of corporate carbon footprints”.
“Net Zero Now exists to provide a simple, credible and affordable route to Net Zero for SMEs and to celebrate and promote those that achieve this vitally important goal”
“Normative is a carbon accounting platform that helps companies calculate, report, and reduce Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions using 349,000 verified emission factors”
“Novata is a sustainability data management platform built for private market investors, deal teams, banks, and companies that need a scalable way to collect, manage, and act on sustainability data”
“One digital solution for sustainability planning, data management, reporting, analysis and action - built for enterprise”
“Our platform empowers organizations to accurately measure and manage scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions with direct and actionable information”
Oracle Fusion Cloud Sustainability
“Oracle Fusion Cloud Sustainability is a new offering to capture environmental, social, and governance data for any kind of activity that has a sustainability impact”
“osapiens is the AI platform for compliance and supplier intelligence to help companies manage risk and become more resilient”
Persefoni describes software and AI tools to manage an organisation’s “sustainability data, disclosures, and performance”.
“Your certified software for reliable emissions intelligence to measure, report and reduce your carbon footprint”
“We guide businesses in understanding their emissions, empower them to develop carbon reduction plans, and supporting them on their journey to net zero”
Position Green describes “a sustainability reporting and management platform that combines powerful software with expert advisory services”.
“Pulsora is an AI-powered sustainability and carbon management platform that automates data collection, measurement, and reporting workflows for sustainability teams”
“Digitally handle occupational safety, quality, sustainability, and environmental management”
“It leverages the full power of the Salesforce ecosystem by pulling an organization’s sustainability data into one place and creating actionable insights to guide strategic decisions”
“Measure your full carbon footprint, build your net zero strategy and develop in-house expertise with a single partner”
SAP Sustainability Footprint Management
“Decarbonize your value chain and calculate your corporate and product carbon footprint at scale with ERP-centric, AI-enabled carbon management”
“Seedling is an all-in-one carbon accounting and Net Zero planning platform for businesses of up to 2000 FTEs”
ServiceNow Operational Sustainability Management
“ServiceNow Operational Sustainability Management helps organizations manage, visualize, and report on sustainability efforts and risks across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs”
“SimaPro is life cycle assessment software that helps organizations measure, analyze, and reduce environmental impacts using robust datasets, scientific methods, and transparent modeling”
SINAI describes “audit-grade Scope 1–3 accounting, automated compliance reporting, complete supply chain visibility” and decarbonisation planning for global enterprises.
“Small99 Hero creates a pathway to net zero for you based on your industry, outlining how long your Net Zero journey will take and how much it will cost”
“Sphera unifies risk, safety and sustainability into a single enterprise-wide view — connecting intelligence across operations, products and supply chains”
“Sweep's AI turns sustainability data into measurable business performance”
“Manage sustainability metrics intelligently in medium-sized businesses - through automated processes, AI-powered carbon accounting, and audit-proof ESG reports”
“Terrascope is an enterprise carbon management and decarbonisation platform for companies with complex supply chains”
“Trace combines AI-powered software with expert advisory support to help organisations meet their mandatory climate and sustainability reporting obligations, efficiently and with confidence”
“Unravel Carbon is the climate platform helping companies with global supply chains make data-driven decisions”
“Carbon accounting is often the first step companies take toward climate disclosure, compliance, and action—and with Watershed, it’s part of your complete enterprise sustainability platform”
Workday (supplier sustainability)
“Turn sustainable sourcing into a competitive advantage with Workday supplier sustainability solutions”
“Workiva Carbon is an end-to-end carbon accounting software solution that enables organizations to measure, manage, collaborate on, and report emissions data”
“Carbon management software with experts built in, so you can move from measurement to action without spreadsheets or one-off consulting projects”
Alphabetical, which ranks nothing.
Each description is the vendor’s own words from its own site, read 11 October 2026 and 30 September–1 October 2026; prices appear only where the vendor publishes one.
No product here has been tested by this site.
Many of these vendors put reduction at the heart of how they describe their products, and their own pages are the best place to see how each approaches it.
Ask each one the seven questions above on your own data.
60 vendors, own wordsExplore
60 vendors, own words
Filed under carbon accounting
60 vendors in this site’s registry.
60 vendors, own words
Alphabetical
The order ranks nothing.
60 vendors, own words
Their own words
What each vendor says about itself, read 11 October 2026 and 30 September–1 October 2026.
60 vendors, own words
73 in the registry
The full registry, across all categories.
Order of work
What should a company do first?
Fix the baseline rules, register the measures, then report.
- 01 / Policy01
Write the recalculation policy
Your own threshold, disclosed, applied the same way each year. - 02 / Register02
- 03 / Separate03
Split factor, boundary and instruments
Each shown in its own line beside the like-for-like change. - 04 / Report04
Write the narrative from the evidence
SECR measures, ESOS plan, Carbon Reduction Plan, target progress.
UK electricity factor, consumed
0.14396kgCO2e per kWh, 2026 setSaid SECR cut their energy use
25%SECR compliers, self-reportedSaid SECR cut their emissions
26%SECR compliers, self-reportedPPN 006 threshold
£5m a yearIncluding VAT, averaged over the contractA reduction is only worth reporting if it would survive the factor, the boundary and the credit being taken out.
Frequently asked
Carbon reduction software, answered
What is carbon reduction software?
Software that records reduction measures, links them to the emissions inventory and shows how much of a change in emissions comes from the company’s own actions rather than from new factors, a changed boundary or purchased instruments.
What is carbon reduction planning software?
The planning end of the same market: abatement curves, scenarios and target pathways.
That is covered on decarbonisation software; this page is about evidencing and reporting reductions once measures are under way.
Is a fall in reported emissions a reduction?
Not always.
The 2026 UK electricity factor fell by about 26%, 6 to 7 points of it from a change of method, so a company using the same electricity reports lower emissions.
A reduction is a fall in the physical inventory on a like-for-like basis.
Do carbon credits count as a reduction?
No. UK SRS S2 asks for gross emissions and a net target must be shown with its gross target, and the SBTi’s net-zero standard keeps market instruments separate from the physical inventory.
Do renewable electricity tariffs reduce emissions?
They can lower market-based Scope 2.
The location-based figure, which UK SRS S2 requires, reflects the grid and does not move with a tariff.
Where does a UK company report its reductions?
SECR asks for the principal energy efficiency measures taken in the year.
An ESOS action plan lists measures and estimated savings in kWh.
A PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plan sets out emissions reduction targets and carbon reduction projects.
UK SRS S2 asks for performance against any climate targets.
Does SECR require a reduction target?
No. SECR requires figures, a ratio, a method and a description of efficiency measures, but no target.
Do listed companies have to publish a transition plan?
No. The FCA says UK SRS S2 does not require a transition plan, but a company that has one must disclose certain information about it, and some listing categories must say whether they have published one.
What should happen to the base year when the company changes?
Under the GHG Protocol, a company sets its own recalculation policy and significance threshold.
Structural changes can trigger recalculation; organic growth or decline does not.
The 5% figure often quoted is the SBTi’s, for targets.
Does carbon reduction software reduce emissions?
No software does that on its own.
In DESNZ’s survey of SECR compliers, 25% said SECR led to less energy use and 26% to lower emissions, on their own account.
Software helps by keeping the evidence straight.
Do small businesses need carbon reduction software?
Often not.
A list of measures, dates and meter readings in a spreadsheet can carry a small company’s reduction story, especially outside SECR and ESOS.
Has this site tested any carbon reduction software?
No. The tests come from the standards and rules cited, and the vendor list quotes what each vendor says about itself.
Sources
Primary sources
Every requirement on this page traces to the provision listed here.
Vendor descriptions are cited on each vendor’s profile to the vendor’s own page.
Checked against 17 sources fromDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroGHG ProtocolScience Based Targets initiativeDepartment for Business and TradeFinancial Conduct Authoritylegislation.gov.uk
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero2026 GHG conversion factors methodology paper, ¶1.10 and Table 9
The activity-year rule and the UK electricity factors.
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero2026 GHG conversion factors: major changes report
The electricity data lag cut from two years to one.
- Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroGreenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2026
Published 11 June 2026.
- GHG ProtocolCorporate Standard, Revised Edition, Chapter 5
Recalculation policy; no recalculation for organic growth or decline.
- GHG ProtocolScope 1 & 2 GHG Inventory Guidance (2019)
Recalculation triggers.
- GHG ProtocolTechnical assistance: when to recalculate base-year emissions
No set significance threshold.
- GHG ProtocolScope 2 Guidance
Location-based and market-based methods.
- Science Based Targets initiativeCorporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0
Market instruments reported separately (CNZS-C5.4).
- Department for Business and TradeUK SRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures (PDF), ¶29(a), ¶¶33–36
Gross emissions; target performance; gross alongside net.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityPS26/19 — final rules on UK SRS reporting by listed companies
Comply or explain from 2027; ¶2.36, no transition plan required.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2008/410, Schedule 7 Parts 7 and 7A
Principal energy efficiency measures; the ratio; the prior year.
- Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroSECR regulations: evaluation
What compliers said SECR changed, self-reported.
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero2026 post-implementation review of the SECR regulations
Retain with amendments.
- legislation.gov.ukESOS Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/1643), Part 6A
The ESOS action plan, with savings estimated in kWh.
- legislation.gov.ukESOS (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/701)
kWh substituted from 22 July 2026.
- Cabinet OfficePPN 006: Carbon Reduction Plans in major government contracts
Above £5 million a year including VAT.
- Cabinet OfficePPN 006 Technical Standard for Completion of Carbon Reduction Plans
Scope 1, Scope 2 and five Scope 3 categories; net zero by 2050.
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