Environmental software · a map for buyers
Environmental software: ten kinds, and the UK duties behind them
Environmental software helps an organisation manage and report its environmental duties: permits, waste, water, packaging, emissions and biodiversity.
It comes in ten kinds, and 2026 changed two of them: a new edition of ISO 14001 and digital waste tracking in England.
For what software must hold for each UK duty beyond carbon, see environmental reporting software.
The category map
What counts as environmental software? Ten kinds of tool
| Kind | What it does | What calls for it | Guide on this site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental management (EMS) | Aspects, legal register, objectives, evidence | ISO 14001:2026 | environmental management software |
| Environmental reporting | Figures for UK duties beyond carbon | Permits, UK ETS, s.414CB | environmental reporting software |
| EHS | Incidents, permits to work, audits | Health, safety and environment together | ehs software |
| Environmental monitoring | Emissions, discharges and permit limits | Permitted sites | environmental monitoring software |
| Waste management | Loads, codes and transfer records | Duty of care; digital waste tracking | waste management software |
| Water management | Abstraction, use and discharge | Licences and consents | water management software |
| Packaging EPR | Packaging data by material | Packaging EPR, PPT | epr packaging reporting software |
| Circular economy | Materials in and out | EPR, PPT, design | circular economy software |
| Biodiversity | Net gain and nature risk | BNG, TNFD | biodiversity software |
| ISO 14001 | Certification support | Accredited certification | iso 14001 software |
Many suites cover several rows, so treat the map as jobs to test, not separate products.
What changed in 2026
What should an environmental software buyer date? Two changes this year
- 15 April 202601
ISO 14001:2026 published
The fourth edition; certification moves to it on the UKAS transition timetable. - 1 October 202602
Digital waste tracking, England
Permitted sites receiving waste in England must record loads digitally. - Each year03
Pollution Inventory returns
Permitted sites in England and Wales report releases when served notice. - By 31 March04
Ask any vendor how its product handles both 2026 changes; the UKAS bulletin sets the certification timetable.
One site, run through
What does a permitted manufacturer need? A labelled case
Riverside Coatings Ltd is an illustrative paint manufacturer in England with an environmental permit and ISO 14001 certification.
Its permit covers taking back used drums as waste, so it records each load digitally, and it discharges to sewer under a trade effluent consent.
Five duties, one site: Riverside needs an EMS that holds the legal register and evidence, with waste and permit records feeding it.
Riverside Coatings Ltd (illustrative)
Permit
Riverside Coatings Ltd (illustrative)
Waste
Riverside Coatings Ltd (illustrative)
ISO 14001
Riverside Coatings Ltd (illustrative)
Packaging
Your waste duty
Which waste records reach your business? Check one load
Pick your role and nation beside this text to see which waste records reach you and, for a receiving site in England, the digital tracking deadline for one load.
Every business producing waste keeps duty-of-care records under section 34; digital tracking adds a second layer for receiving sites.
Your waste-record duties
Duty of care on every transfer
Pass the waste only to an authorised person, with written information carrying the List of Wastes code, quantity and SIC code. Both sides keep it for at least two years; it may be electronic.
Digital waste tracking: in force
Record every load received and check it has entered the government system by the end of the second working day; £26 a year per operator.
A load received on Friday, 6 November 2026 must be in the system by the end of Tuesday, 10 November 2026.
Weekends are skipped; bank holidays are not, so a deadline across one falls a day later than shown.
Nothing is stored or sent.
51 vendors
Which platforms say they do it? EHS and ESG vendors, in their own words
51 vendors · ehs, esg reporting
“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”
“We support financial institutions, companies, governments, and consumers in making the right decisions - efficiently, confidently, and at scale”
“Measure, reduce, and report your Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions”
“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”
“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.
EcoOnline sells software to manage EHS and compliance.
“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”.
“Manglai is a platform to manage all of your environmental impact”
“Measurabl makes subjective sustainability data objective”
“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”
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”
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”
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”
SINAI describes “audit-grade Scope 1–3 accounting, automated compliance reporting, complete supply chain visibility” and decarbonisation planning for global enterprises.
“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”
“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 list spans long-established EHS platforms and newer ESG suites, each described in its own words.
Order of work
What should you buy first? The register, then the records
Start with a legal register, because it tells you which records each site must keep.
Then the records, then the management system, then reporting; reversing the order produces dashboards without evidence.
- 1
Legal register
Every permit, licence, consent and duty, by site.
- 2
Records
Waste, water, emissions and packaging data the duties need.
- 3
Management system
Aspects, objectives and audits, to ISO 14001:2026 if certified.
- 4
Reporting
KPIs for the annual report and customers.
How the kinds fit
How do the kinds fit together? Three layers
Each kind on the map sits on one layer: obligations, records, the management system or reporting.
A tool strong on reporting but weak on records will be fed by spreadsheets, so test the records layer on a real site.
Three layers
Obligations
Three layers
Records
In the demo
What should you ask in an environmental software demo? Six tests
Bring one permit, one month of waste loads and one water licence.
No vendor has been scored against these tests here.
Environmental 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.
For the board
Buy environmental software from the legal register outwards, so every dashboard rests on a record the law asks for.
The site’s summary of the buying order above.
Takeaways
Environmental software, in five facts
| Fact | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Environmental software is ten kinds of tool | Name the kind before you compare vendors. |
| ISO 14001:2026 was published on 15 April 2026 | Check your tool maps to the new edition. |
| Digital waste tracking began on 1 October 2026 in England | Receiving sites need it now. |
| EPR 2016 extends to England and Wales only | Scottish and NI sites need their own regimes. |
| 51 vendors carry the EHS or ESG category | Shortlist from their own words. |
Ten kinds, four layers
Obligations
Ten kinds, four layers
Records
Ten kinds, four layers
System
Ten kinds, four layers
Reporting
Frequently asked
Environmental software, answered
What is environmental software?
Software that helps an organisation manage and report its environmental duties and performance: permits, waste, water, packaging, emissions, biodiversity and the management system that ties them together.
What is the difference between environmental software and environmental reporting software?
Environmental reporting software is one kind: the tool that produces the figures UK duties and reports ask for.
Environmental software also covers management systems, monitoring, waste tracking and compliance registers.
What is the best environmental software?
This site has tested no product and names no best.
Start from your duties — permits, waste, packaging, ISO 14001 — and test a shortlist on one real site.
Is ISO 14001 software required?
No law requires software.
ISO 14001:2026 is a voluntary management system standard, published on 15 April 2026; software can hold the aspects register, legal register and evidence an auditor checks.
Do I need software for digital waste tracking?
Since 1 October 2026, permitted sites in England that receive waste must record loads digitally under SI 2026/729.
The government service or approved software can do it; the waste guide on this site sets out the deadlines.
Does environmental permitting software cover Scotland and Northern Ireland?
The Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 extend to England and Wales only.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regimes, so a tool should hold the right one for each site.
What is EHS software?
Environment, health and safety software: incidents, permits to work, audits and management systems. It overlaps environmental software on permits and ISO 14001.
Do small businesses need environmental software?
Often not.
A small business with no permit, little packaging and ordinary waste usually needs good records under the waste duty of care, not a platform.
Can one platform do everything environmental?
Some EHS and ESG suites cover several kinds.
Test each job you need — permits, waste, packaging, reporting — rather than assuming a module is as strong as the core.
How many vendors offer environmental software?
51 vendors in this site’s registry carry the EHS or ESG reporting category, listed on this page in their own words.
Has this site tested any environmental software?
No. The page maps kinds of software to UK duties cited to their provisions; vendor words are their own.
Sources
Primary sources
Every duty on this page traces to the provision listed here; vendor words are each vendor’s own.
- legislation.gov.ukEnvironmental Permitting Regulations 2016, regulation 1
England and Wales only.
- legislation.gov.ukEnvironmental Permitting Regulations 2016, regulation 61
The notice power behind Pollution Inventory returns.
- ISOISO 14001:2026 Environmental management systems
Fourth edition, published 15 April 2026.
- ISOISO 14001 — what has changed
The owner’s summary of the 2026 changes.
- UKASEMS ISO 14001:2026 transition technical bulletin
The UK transition timetable for accredited certification.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2026/729 (digital waste tracking, England)
In force 1 October 2026 for permitted receiving sites in England.
- GOV.UK (Defra)Digital waste tracking service
The policy paper and the other nations.
- legislation.gov.ukEnvironmental Protection Act 1990, section 34
The waste duty of care.
- legislation.gov.ukPackaging extended producer responsibility regulations (SI 2024/1332)
Packaging data reporting and fees.
- legislation.gov.ukFinance Act 2021, Part 2 (Plastic Packaging Tax)
The tax on plastic packaging below the recycled-content threshold.
- legislation.gov.ukWater Resources Act 1991, section 27
Abstraction licensing.
- legislation.gov.ukWater Industry Act 1991, section 118
Trade effluent consent.
- Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroParticipating in the UK ETS
Verified emissions reports for installations.
- legislation.gov.ukCompanies Act 2006, section 414CB
Environmental matters in the non-financial statement.
- legislation.gov.ukESOS Regulations 2014, Schedule 1
Who is in ESOS.
- GOV.UK (DESNZ, Defra)Environmental Reporting Guidelines
Government guidance on environmental KPIs.