Carbon software · a map for buyers
Carbon software: the twelve kinds, and which one you need
Carbon software is any tool that measures, reports, tracks, reduces or trades an organisation’s greenhouse gas emissions.
That covers twelve different kinds of product, and the UK duty you carry decides which one you need.
This page maps each kind to its duty and its guide; the provision-by-provision specification for a reporting platform is on carbon reporting software.
The category map
What counts as carbon software? Twelve kinds of tool
Carbon software splits into twelve kinds, each built for a different job and a different duty.
| Kind | What it does | What calls for it | Guide on this site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon accounting | Activity × factor, by scope: the inventory | Any GHG output | carbon accounting software |
| Carbon reporting | The figures and wording a rule asks for | SECR, UK SRS S2, PPN 006 | carbon reporting software |
| Emissions tracking | A running figure through the year, then a closed period | Monthly management | carbon tracking software |
| Carbon footprint (organisation) | One year’s footprint for a smaller business | Customer and bid questions | carbon footprint software |
| Carbon calculator | A free one-off estimate from bills and mileage | A first number | carbon footprint calculator for business |
| Product carbon footprint and LCA | Emissions per product, cradle to gate or grave | Customer and CBAM data | lca software |
| Scope 3 and supplier data | Supplier requests and value-chain categories | UK SRS S2, CSRD | scope 3 emissions software |
| Reduction and decarbonisation | Projects, pathways and proof that a fall is real | Targets, transition plans | carbon reduction software |
| Carbon credits | A register from purchase to retirement | Offset and neutrality claims | carbon credit software |
| UK ETS | Monitoring, verified reports and allowances | Installations and operators | uk ets software |
| CBAM | Embedded emissions of imported goods | UK CBAM from 2027 | cbam software |
| Targets (SBTi) | Target modelling and progress | Voluntary commitments | sbti software |
Most platforms sell several of these at once, so treat the map as a list of jobs to test, not a list of separate products.
The measurement layer underneath most of them is the same: activity data multiplied by an emission factor, organised by scope under the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard.
Your kind
Which kind of carbon software do you need? Start from your duties
Answer the questions beside this text and the planner returns the capabilities your duties call for, each tied to its provision.
SECR asks for annual energy and emissions lines in the directors’ report (Schedule 7 to SI 2008/410), which is a carbon reporting job.
ESOS asks for an energy audit or ISO 50001 by its compliance date, which is an energy job more than a carbon one (Environment Agency).
UK SRS S2 asks a listed company for Scope 1, 2 and 3 on a comply-or-explain basis from 2027 (FCA PS26/19), which adds supplier data to the reporting job.
A business with none of these duties usually needs a calculator or a footprint tool, not a platform.
Obligations in, capabilities out
A requirements list, not a recommendation: it names no product. Each line is tied to the provision that creates it.
Nothing is stored or sent.
One company, run through
What does a 300-person manufacturer need? A labelled case
Northgate Fabrication Ltd is an illustrative unquoted company with 300 employees, £50 million turnover and two UK sites.
It exceeds two of SECR’s three limits, so its directors’ report must carry energy and carbon lines.
It also has at least 250 persons, so it is in ESOS Phase 4, and it bids for central government work above the PPN 006 threshold.
Three duties, three outputs, one dataset: Northgate needs carbon accounting and reporting that also feeds an energy audit, not three separate tools.
Northgate Fabrication Ltd (illustrative)
SECR
Northgate Fabrication Ltd (illustrative)
ESOS
Northgate Fabrication Ltd (illustrative)
PPN 006
Northgate Fabrication Ltd (illustrative)
UK SRS
Northgate Fabrication Ltd (illustrative)
The tool
The stakes
What does carbon reporting cost without software? The government’s own figures
Organisations in SECR
19,900DESNZ evaluation, 2026Mean ongoing cost
£7,100 a yearPer complier, all costsStaff time
About 94 hoursInternal time per yearPaying for outside help
56%Of compliers surveyedDESNZ’s evaluation of SECR measured about 19,900 organisations in scope, a mean ongoing cost of £7,100 a year and about 94 hours of staff time.
Software is one way to spend those hours differently; it does not remove the judgements the directors still make.
The government’s 2026 post-implementation review recommends keeping SECR with amendments, so the duty is not going away.
Order of work
How do you get from the whole market to a shortlist? Five steps
Start with the outputs your duties require, not with a feature list.
Each duty becomes one row of the map, and each row becomes a test in the demo.
Only then compare vendors, and only on what their own pages say and what their demo shows on your data.
- 1
List your duties
SECR, ESOS, PPN 006, UK SRS, customer asks — each with its output.
- 2
Name the kinds
Use the map: one row per job the duties create.
- 3
Filter the registry
Vendors whose own pages claim those jobs; the directory below filters by category.
- 4
Demo on your data
The six questions on this page, on a real bill and a real boundary.
- 5
Check the exit
What leaves with you: activity lines, factors, years.
73 vendors
Which platforms say they do it? The registry, in their own words
| Kind in the registry | Vendors carrying it |
|---|---|
| Carbon accounting | 60 |
| ESG reporting | 51 |
| EHS | 11 |
| LCA and product footprint | 29 |
| Supply chain | 41 |
| Real estate | 5 |
| Financed emissions | 16 |
| SMEs | 13 |
| API | 3 |
73 vendors · every category
“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”
“AI workflows that extract answers from your documents with full source references”
“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”
“We support financial institutions, companies, governments, and consumers in making the right decisions - efficiently, confidently, and at scale”
“Climatiq delivers the reliable data, easy-to-use tools, and deep integrations businesses need to understand their carbon impact”
“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”
“Datamaran’s AI platform empowers business leaders to confidently navigate the complex ESG landscape by transforming vast amounts of information into actionable insights”
“Dcycle is an ESG software platform founded in 2020 that helps companies collect, manage, and govern sustainability and non-financial data”
“Deepki centralizes your sustainability data, strategy and operations in one place so you can act on carbon, climate risk, and finance”
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”.
“Ecochain is an LCA automation software company with one purpose: to make LCAs accessible for manufacturers”
Ecologi describes itself as a B Corp-certified climate action platform.
EcoOnline sells software to manage EHS and compliance.
“A connected system built on a global standard for measuring and understanding sustainability performance across supply chains”
“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”
Greenomy offered ESG reporting software for “compliance with key frameworks, including CSRD, EU Taxonomy, and VSME”, in Position Green’s words.
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”
IntegrityNext describes itself as a “supply chain sustainability intelligence & orchestration platform”.
“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”
“One home for your ESG data, mapped to every framework and rating”
“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”
One Click LCA describes automated life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental product declarations (EPDs) “across the construction value chain”.
“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”
“Run risk screening, corrective actions and reporting across your global supply chain, backed by verified SMETA audits”
“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”
“Worldfavor is a supply chain due diligence platform founded in Stockholm in 2016”
“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.
The vendors here describe a broad and capable market, from specialist SME tools to enterprise suites; each description is the vendor’s own.
How the registry is kept
Own words
How the registry is kept
Alphabetical
How the registry is kept
Prices
How the registry is kept
Ownership
How the registry is kept
Read
Published prices
Which carbon software publishes a price? 13 of 73
The rest quote on request; the ESG software pricing guide explains what drives a quote.
In the demo
What should you ask in a carbon software demo? Six questions
Each question comes from a duty, so a passing answer is a test, not a preference.
Run them on one real bill, one real site and last year’s disclosed figures.
The questions are drawn from the cited provisions; no vendor has been scored against them here.
Carbon 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.
How the kinds fit
How do the kinds of carbon software fit together? Three layers
Every kind on the map sits on one of three layers: the data, the accounting, or the outputs and action built on them.
A tool that is strong on outputs but weak on data will be worked around in a spreadsheet, so test the data layer first.
The 2026 UK electricity factor fell about 26%, and DESNZ attributes 6 to 7 points of that to a methodology change (major changes report), so a tool must store which factor year each line used.
Three layers
Data
Three layers
Outputs
Three layers
Action
For the board
Buy the carbon software your duties call for, and test it on your own data before you sign.
The site’s summary of the order of work above.
Takeaways
Carbon software, in five facts
| Fact | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Carbon software is twelve kinds of tool | Name the kind before you compare vendors. |
| SECR reaches companies over two of £36m, £18m and 250 employees | Below that, a calculator or spreadsheet may be enough. |
| ESOS Phase 4 compliance date is 5 December 2027 | An energy audit job, often bought beside carbon software. |
| UK SRS is comply or explain for listed companies from 2027 | Scope 3 and supplier data move into the reporting job. |
| 13 of 73 vendors publish a price | Expect to request quotes for most. |
Frequently asked
Carbon software, answered
What is carbon software?
Any software that measures, reports, tracks, reduces or trades greenhouse gas emissions.
The term covers at least twelve different kinds of tool, from carbon accounting platforms to UK ETS registry tools, so the first job is to name which kind you need.
What is the difference between carbon software and carbon reporting software?
Carbon reporting software is one kind of carbon software: it produces the figures and disclosures a rule asks for.
Carbon software also includes calculators, tracking tools, product footprint and LCA tools, reduction planners and credit registers.
What is the best carbon software?
This site has tested no product and names no best.
The right tool is the one that produces what your duties ask for — SECR lines, an ESOS audit, a PPN 006 plan, UK SRS S2 metrics — on your own data.
The map on this page points each duty at its kind of tool.
Do I need carbon software for SECR?
Not necessarily.
An unquoted company is in SECR only when it exceeds two of £36 million turnover, £18 million balance sheet and 250 employees, and with a few meters and one fleet a spreadsheet and the DESNZ factors can produce the lines.
Software earns its place on multi-site estates and group boundaries.
How much does carbon software cost?
Most vendors in this site’s registry do not publish a price.
13 of 73 do, and their own price lines are listed on this page.
DESNZ measured a mean ongoing SECR compliance cost of £7,100 a year per complier, of which software is one part.
Is carbon accounting software the same as carbon software?
Carbon accounting software is the measurement layer: activity data multiplied by emission factors, organised by scope.
It is the core of most carbon software, but reporting, reduction and product tools sit on top of it or beside it.
Which carbon software do listed companies need?
Listed companies in UKLR 6, 14, 15, 16 and 22 report against UK SRS on a comply-or-explain basis for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027, under FCA PS26/19.
That points to a platform that produces UK SRS S2 metrics, including Scope 3, with an audit trail.
Is there free carbon software?
Some vendors in the registry publish a free plan, and the DESNZ conversion factors are free to download.
Check what a free plan exports: a figure without its factor year and source records is hard to defend.
Do small businesses need carbon software?
Often not.
A business outside SECR, ESOS and PPN 006 usually has no statutory carbon output at all, and a customer questionnaire can often be answered from a year of bills and the government factors.
Is CRC software still needed?
No. The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme was revoked from 1 October 2018.
SECR took on the reporting role for companies.
Has this site tested any carbon software?
No. This page maps the categories against UK duties cited to their provisions, and lists vendors only in their own words, alphabetically.
Sources
Primary sources
Every duty on this page traces to the provision listed here.
Vendor descriptions are each vendor’s own words, linked on its profile.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2008/410, Schedule 7 (SECR)
The energy and carbon lines in the directors’ report.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2008/410, Schedule 7 ¶20B
The size test: more than two of the three limits, over two years after the first.
- GOV.UK (DESNZ)SECR regulations: evaluation
19,900 in scope; £7,100 mean ongoing cost; about 94 hours of staff time.
- GOV.UK (DESNZ)2026 post-implementation review of the SECR regulations
Retain with amendments; a template is a candidate for consultation, not a decision.
- legislation.gov.ukESOS Regulations 2014, Schedule 1
At least 250 persons, or turnover over £44m and balance sheet over £38m.
- Environment AgencyComply with ESOS Phase 4
Qualification date 31 December 2026; compliance date 5 December 2027.
- GOV.UK (Cabinet Office)PPN 006: carbon reduction plans
Major central government contracts over £5 million a year.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityPS26/19 — final rules on UK SRS reporting by listed companies
Comply or explain for UKLR 6, 14, 15, 16 and 22, periods from 1 January 2027.
- Department for Business and TradeUK SRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures (PDF)
Scope 1, 2 and 3; location-based Scope 2.
- Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroGreenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2026
Published 11 June 2026.
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero2026 conversion factors methodology paper
Factors chosen by the year of the activity.
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero2026 conversion factors: major changes report
The electricity methodology change.
- GHG Protocol (WRI, WBCSD)Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard
Scopes, boundaries and the seven gases, as amended.
- GHG ProtocolCorporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard
The fifteen Scope 3 categories.
- HM Revenue & Customs / HM TreasuryUK CBAM policy summary
The UK carbon border adjustment from 1 January 2027.
- legislation.gov.ukCRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (Revocation and Savings) Order 2018
CRC revoked from 1 October 2018.
- ISOISO 14064-1
Organisation-level GHG quantification and reporting.
- Science Based Targets initiativeStandards and guidance
Voluntary target-setting criteria.