Vendor profile · in its own words
Seedling: software, a named adviser, and reports for buyers
Seedling describes its carbon accounting as software paired with a dedicated carbon expert, aimed at businesses that need a credible footprint and the reports their customers ask for.
This profile uses only Seedling’s own pages, read on 1 October 2026, and sets each claim beside the UK rule it touches — PPN 006 above all, then SECR and ESOS.
It is not a review: nothing here has been tested, and there is no score.
What it says it is
Seedling, as Seedling describes it
Seedling’s pitch is that most smaller businesses need a person as much as a platform.
Its homepage describes a dedicated carbon expert who reviews the data, sense-checks assumptions and builds the decarbonisation plan, and a five-step process from kick-off call to report.
Its features page lists the modules beside this, and says every report is “pre-formatted to spec — simply review, sign if needed, and export”.
The certification it offers is its own mark, which its pricing page calls “Climate Committed”, recognising businesses that have measured, set targets and made a plan; it is not an accreditation by a public body.
Seedling’s homepage FAQ says it suits businesses of up to 2,000 employees.
| Seedling’s module | What its features page lists |
|---|---|
| Measure | A full Scope 1, 2 and 3 inventory; Scope 3 “deep dives” beyond spend data; an emission-factor library |
| Reduce | Hotspot analysis, SBTi target-setting tools, a reduction-action library, decarbonisation modelling |
| Invest | An offsetting project marketplace |
| Engage and report | Supplier and employee surveys; a public impact dashboard; a GHG report; reports for PPN 006, B Corp, SECR and EcoVadis |
| Certify | Its own “Seedling Business Certification”, renewed annually |
Seedling carbon accounting methodology
Spend data first, activity data as it arrives
People search for Seedling’s methodology by name, and Seedling answers the question on its own footprint measurement page.
It says the methodology is built on the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, covers Scopes 1, 2 and 3 across all fifteen categories of the Scope 3 Standard, and fills gaps “with approved estimation methods”.
A business can start from spend data — Seedling connects to Xero and sorts transactions into categories with AI — and then replace estimates with activity data such as fuel, materials by weight, shipping and travel.
Seedling’s argument for that order is that a spend-based figure moves with the budget, while an activity-based one moves with real reductions.
It also says footprints are measured in line with ISO 14064-1 and that every footprint is reviewed by the client’s adviser before it is published.
For UK energy, the figure a SECR report or a Carbon Reduction Plan relies on should use the government’s conversion factors for the activity year, so the factor set behind each UK line is the first thing to check.
The wider choices — boundaries, Scope 2 methods, restatements — are set out on carbon accounting.
PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plans
The report most Seedling clients will need — check whether you do
A Carbon Reduction Plan is the document central government asks bidders for under PPN 006, and Seedling lists it first among its pre-formatted reports.
PPN 006 binds central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies, on contracts with an estimated value above £5 million a year including VAT, for procurements advertised on or after 24 February 2025.
It is procurement policy: it does not oblige any company to hold a plan unless it bids for such a contract.
The Technical Standard asks for Scope 1, Scope 2 and five Scope 3 categories — upstream transport, waste, business travel, employee commuting and downstream transport — and a commitment to net zero by 2050 at the latest.
One of Seedling’s pages still refers to PPN 06/21, the note PPN 006 replaced for procurements advertised from 24 February 2025; a bid for a current tender works to PPN 006.
The checker beside this takes the buyer, the advertised date, the contract value and term, and says whether PPN 006 reaches the contract; the template is on the Carbon Reduction Plan page.
PPN 006 threshold check · ¶¶2–4
Enter the total contract value and the term to see the annual average the notice tests.
PPN 006 ¶¶2–4, 7, 9 and footnote 5; PPN 06/21 FAQ; NHS England CRP requirements v3.
An account of the notices, not advice on a tender.
Nothing you enter is stored or sent.
SECR and ESOS
SECR is for large companies — and so is ESOS
Seedling’s own homepage puts it plainly: carbon accounting is mandatory for large UK companies under SECR.
An unquoted company is in scope when it exceeds at least two of the paragraph 20B qualifying conditions — “not more than” £36 million turnover, £18 million balance sheet and 250 employees — so most of the businesses Seedling serves are outside SECR.
Those inside it owe a directors’ report section under paragraph 20D: energy in kWh, emissions, at least one intensity ratio, the methodology, the efficiency narrative and comparatives, or a statement where consumption was 40,000 kWh or less.
The government’s SECR guidance covers the method; the full checklist is on the SECR reporting guide.
ESOS reaches a different set again: an undertaking with at least 250 employees, or with turnover above £44 million and a balance sheet above £38 million, and its group, under the Environment Agency’s scheme.
ESOS is an energy audit signed off by a lead assessor, with Phase 4 notification due by 5 December 2027, and it was not named on the Seedling pages read; who qualifies and what the audit covers are set out in the ESOS Phase 4 overview.
UK SRS is further away still for most Seedling clients: S1 and S2 are voluntary standards, and the FCA’s PS26/19 applies them on a comply-or-explain basis only to listed companies, replacing the mandatory proposal in CP26/5 (consultation page).
Verification and claims
Seedling measures; someone else verifies
Seedling’s ISO 14064 verification page describes an end-to-end route: measure in Seedling, then verify through a panel of partner verifiers it says are accredited by UKAS.
It is explicit that it does not verify its own clients’ figures, because the verifier must be independent — “otherwise we’d be marking our own homework”.
Verification of a greenhouse gas statement is the subject of ISO 14064-3, and an accredited verifier’s scope can be checked on UKAS’s own register; the background is on UKAS accreditation and GHG verification standards.
Seedling also runs an offsetting marketplace whose purchases it says flow into reports and certification.
Under the SBTi’s near-term criteria carbon credits never count as reductions toward a target, so ask how the reports keep the two apart.
Your regimes
Seedling’s claims, against your own list
Step 1 · which regimes apply to you?
Step 2 · 12 outputs to see on a demo · 0 confirmed
What Seedling says on its own site
- SECR (unquoted / LLP): Reports “pre-formatted to spec” for PPN 006, B Corp, SECR and EcoVadis
- PPN 006: PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plans among its pre-formatted reports
Vendor pages read 30 September–1 October 2026; re-read 11 October 2026.
A missing claim is a question to ask, not evidence of a missing feature.
Outputs are the duties in the cited provisions; the demo tests are our reading of them.
Nothing you tick is stored or sent.
Pricing
Price: TBC
Seedling’s pricing page asks for headcount and business type and emails a personalised quote.
It sets out three plans — Starter for those exploring, Core for “streamlined, compliant reporting” with one-to-one onboarding and the detailed reports, and Advanced for mid-sized firms with unlimited sites and expert support — without figures.
This site does not estimate a price, so the entry reads TBC.
The Core plan’s summary on that page lists reports such as GHG, B Corp and PPN 006, so ask in writing which plan produces each report you need.
Demo questions
Six questions to put to Seedling
Each question tests one of Seedling’s claims against the rule it touches, with a pass test.
Ask them on the kick-off call, with your own data to hand.
Every vendor’s claims are compared on carbon reporting software.
Demo questions · tick the ones you need
The pass tests are our reading of the cited provisions.
Nothing you tick is stored or sent.
Frequently asked
Seedling, answered from its own pages
What is Seedling’s carbon accounting methodology?
Seedling says its methodology is built on the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, covers all fifteen Scope 3 categories, and lets a business start from spend data and replace it with activity data — fuel, materials by weight, shipping, travel and commuting — as that comes in.
It also says every footprint is reviewed by the client’s dedicated adviser before it is finalised, and that footprints are measured in line with ISO 14064-1.
What does Seedling carbon accounting include?
Seedling describes software plus one-to-one support from a dedicated carbon expert: a full Scope 1, 2 and 3 footprint, decarbonisation modelling and SBTi-aligned target setting, supplier and employee surveys, a shareable impact dashboard, and reports it says are pre-formatted for PPN 006, B Corp, SECR and EcoVadis.
Is Seedling easy SECR software for small UK businesses?
Seedling lists SECR among its detailed reports.
Most small businesses are not in SECR at all: it reaches quoted companies and large unquoted companies and LLPs, and an unquoted company is in scope only when it exceeds at least two of £36 million turnover, £18 million balance sheet and 250 employees.
A small firm is more often asked for a footprint or a Carbon Reduction Plan by a customer.
Does Seedling produce a PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plan?
Seedling says PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plans are among its pre-formatted reports.
PPN 006 binds central government buyers on contracts above £5 million a year including VAT, advertised from 24 February 2025, and asks suppliers for Scope 1, Scope 2 and five Scope 3 categories. It is procurement policy, not a legal duty on companies.
Does Seedling verify my footprint?
No, by its own account: Seedling measures, and verification is done by partner verifiers it says are UKAS-accredited, because the verifier must be independent — in Seedling’s words, otherwise “we’d be marking our own homework”.
Verification of a GHG statement is covered by ISO 14064-3.
How long does a first footprint take with Seedling?
Seedling’s own answer is that most businesses complete a first footprint within two to four weeks, depending on the business’s complexity and how quickly its data is available.
That is the vendor’s statement, not a figure this site has tested.
Who is Seedling for?
Seedling says it suits businesses of up to 2,000 employees calculating a footprint with software and expert support, and its plans run from Starter, for those exploring, to Advanced, for mid-sized firms.
How much does Seedling cost?
Seedling’s pricing page asks for headcount and business type and emails a personalised quote; it names Starter, Core and Advanced plans but publishes no figures (read 1 October 2026). This site records it as Enterprise level · TBD.
Sources
Primary sources
Seedling’s pages are cited only for what Seedling says about itself.
Every regulatory statement traces to the instrument’s owner.
- SeedlingCarbon management software with expert support (homepage)
Software plus a dedicated carbon expert; its five-step process. Vendor’s own material.
- SeedlingOur features
Measure, reduce, engage and report, certify; reports “pre-formatted to spec”. Vendor’s own material.
- SeedlingPricing — Starter, Core and Advanced
Plan contents; a personalised quote, no figures. Vendor’s own material.
- SeedlingFull-scope carbon footprint measurement
Its methodology answer: GHG Protocol Corporate Standard; spend then activity data. Vendor’s own material.
- SeedlingISO 14064 verification
Verification through partner verifiers it says are UKAS-accredited. Vendor’s own material.
- Cabinet OfficePPN 006: taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans in the procurement of major government contracts
Who it reaches: central government, above £5 million a year including VAT.
- Cabinet OfficePPN 006 Technical Standard for completion of Carbon Reduction Plans
Scope 1, 2 and five Scope 3 categories.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2008/410, Schedule 7 paragraph 20B
Who SECR reaches among unquoted companies.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2008/410, Schedule 7 paragraph 20D
The SECR disclosures and the 40,000 kWh statement.
- GOV.UK (DESNZ, Defra)Environmental Reporting Guidelines, including SECR requirements
The government SECR guidance.
- Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroGovernment conversion factors for company reporting
The UK factor sets.
- Environment AgencyEnergy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS)
Phase 4 qualification and deadline.
- Department for Business and TradeUK SRS S1 and UK SRS S2
Voluntary standards, published 25 February 2026.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityPS26/19 — final rules
UK SRS for listed companies only, comply or explain from 2027.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityCP26/5 — the consultation (PDF)
The proposal the final rules changed.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityCP26/5 — consultation page
Closed 20 March 2026.
- GHG Protocol (WRI, WBCSD)Corporate Standard
The basis Seedling says it follows.
- GHG Protocol (WRI, WBCSD)Scope 3 Standard
The fifteen categories.
- ISOISO 14064-1:2018
Organisation-level quantification and reporting.
- ISOISO 14064-3:2019
Verification and validation of GHG statements.
- UKASUnited Kingdom Accreditation Service
The UK’s national accreditation body.
- Science Based Targets initiativeSBTi
Target validation; credits never count as reductions.
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