Primary data
The supplier’s own figures for what it sold you, from its own inventory or product footprint.
Preferred by the Scope 3 Standard where available.Software · ESG data collection
ESG data collection software: what to gather, from whom, with what evidence
ESG data collection software gathers energy, fuel, people and supplier data from the people and systems that hold them, with the evidence attached.
Collection is where most of the reporting effort goes: DESNZ’s evaluation of SECR found about 94 hours of staff time a year for that one duty alone.
This page sets out what UK reporting needs collected, the tests that separate a collection tool from a form, and 70 platforms in their own words.
What collection software does
What does ESG data collection software actually do? Five jobs, before any calculation
ESG data collection software does the work before the calculation: it finds the figures, chases them and keeps the evidence.
The calculation itself, activity multiplied by a factor, is the job of carbon accounting software.
Storage, approvals and version history after the data is in are the subject of sustainability data management software.
The collection layer matters most because every later figure is only as complete as what was gathered.
The GHG Protocol’s Corporate Standard asks for every source in the boundary to be accounted for, and any exclusion to be disclosed and justified.
- 1
Map
List every entity, site, meter, vehicle and supplier inside the reporting boundary, with an owner for each.
- 2
Request
Send each owner the figure, the period and the evidence wanted, with a deadline.
- 3
Receive
Take uploads, connector feeds and questionnaire answers, each with its source document.
- 4
Check
Flag gaps, outliers and estimates; a blank stays a blank, never a zero.
- 5
Hand on
Pass the checked activity data to calculation and reporting, period by period.
What UK reporting needs
What data does UK reporting ask you to collect? It depends on the duty
There is no single UK list of ESG data; each duty asks for its own figures and its own period.
SECR asks an unquoted company for gas, electricity including electricity bought “for the purposes of transport”, and transport fuel it pays for, under ¶20D of Schedule 7.
UK SRS S1 ¶20 sets the reporting entity as the one in the financial statements, and ¶64 the same period, under the standard, so collection has to follow the consolidation, not the org chart.
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 PS26/19.
Read the collection list, duty by duty
| Duty and status | What has to be collected | Period |
|---|---|---|
| SECR · in force | UK energy in kWh, gas, electricity, transport fuel, a chosen ratio denominator | The financial year |
| UK SRS S2 · comply or explain for listed companies from 2027; voluntary otherwise | Scope 1, location-based Scope 2, Scope 3 categories, climate risks and targets | Same as the financial statements |
| ESOS Phase 4 · in force | Total energy consumption across the corporate group | 12 consecutive months under reg 22(5) |
| PPN 006 · procurement policy | Emissions for a Carbon Reduction Plan where a contracting authority applies it | Set by the plan |
UK SRS S2 requires location-based Scope 2, so electricity has to be collected as kWh by location, not only as supplier contracts, as set out on Scope 2 emissions.
One dataset, several dutiesExplore
One dataset, several duties
SECR
UK kWh; gas, electricity and transport-fuel emissions; a ratio; the method; the prior year.
One dataset, several duties
UK SRS S2
Scopes 1, 2 and 3 for the same entity and period as the accounts; comply or explain for listed companies from 2027.
One dataset, several duties
ESOS
Total energy over a 12-month reference period, in energy units.
One dataset, several duties
Customer requests
Supplier questionnaires and tender carbon plans, set by the buyer.
Where the data lives
Where does ESG data come from? Mostly from people, not systems
| Source | What it holds | What a collection tool should keep |
|---|---|---|
| Utility bills and meters | kWh by site and period, including estimated bills | The bill or reading beside each figure; estimates flagged and replaced |
| Fuel cards and telematics | Litres and journeys by vehicle | Fuel type and the UK journey split for SECR ¶20K |
| Expense claims | Business mileage in own and hired cars | The claim, routed to transport fuel where the company pays for it |
| Landlords and facilities | Recharged energy in shared buildings | The recharge basis, labelled as an estimate where apportioned |
| HR and payroll | Headcount and people metrics | Processor terms for personal data |
| Suppliers | Product and company emissions | Whether each answer is supplier-specific or an average |
Expense claims are the source most often missed: the government’s SECR guidance puts the transport test as who is responsible for purchasing the fuel, which reaches reimbursed mileage.
The 40,000 kWh disclosure relief runs on all energy consumed, so even sources outside the three SECR lines have to be totalled before the relief can be used.
Fleet data has its own guide on logistics carbon reporting software.
Which purchase is the problem
Is your problem collection, calculation or disclosure? Find the layer first
Buying a disclosure tool does not fix a collection problem, and the reverse is just as true.
The three questions beside this find the first layer that fails, and cite the provision that makes it matter.
If the answer is collection, the tests on this page apply; if it is calculation, the tests on GHG accounting software do.
If it is disclosure, the output tests are on climate disclosure software.
Which layer is your problem?
Three yes/no questions; the first “no” decides.
Nothing is stored or sent.
Supplier data
How should supplier ESG data be collected? Label every answer by its kind
Supplier data is the hardest collection job, because the people who hold it do not work for you.
The GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard distinguishes primary data from suppliers and other value-chain partners from secondary data such as industry averages.
Its calculation guidance sets out methods by category, from supplier-specific to spend-based.
A good collection tool records which kind each answer is, so the share of supplier-specific data can be reported and improved year on year.
The Scope 3 categories themselves are on Scope 3 emissions software.
A supplier
answer
answer
Secondary data
Industry averages, databases or spend-based factors standing in for the supplier’s own figure.
Acceptable, labelled, and improved over time.Evidence
What evidence should sit behind each figure? Enough for someone else to follow
A figure without its source document is a figure nobody can check, including next year’s team.
No UK law requires assurance of ESG data today; the FRC issued ISSA (UK) 5000 for voluntary use, for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026.
Evidence collected now is still what an assurer, an auditor or a board would ask to see, which is why collection tools keep the file beside the number.
DESNZ’s own 2026 flat file showed some blanks as 0 until a July 2026 reissue, so a tool that turns empty cells into zeros under-counts silently.
The controls that sit on top of the evidence are on ESG data management.
Four kinds of emptyExplore
Four kinds of empty
True zero
The site was closed or used nothing; a zero with its evidence.
Four kinds of empty
Missing
The owner has not answered; the period stays open.
Four kinds of empty
Estimate
An estimated bill or an apportionment, labelled with its basis.
Four kinds of empty
Blank factor
DESNZ has no value; the line needs another factor, not 0.
The tests before you sign
How do you test ESG data collection software? Eight questions, each tied to its source
Each question beside this names the provision it comes from and what a passing answer looks like.
Run them on your own sites and suppliers, because a demonstration dataset never has a late site manager or a supplier who answers with an average.
The wider buying sequence is on how to choose ESG reporting software.
This site has tested no products
Nothing on this page is a rating, ranking or recommendation of any product.
Data collection demo questions · tick the ones you need
The pass tests are our reading of the cited provisions.
Nothing you tick is stored or sent.
A collection year
When does collection happen? Before, and after, the factors arrive
- 1 January 202601
Activity year begins
Requests go out for the first months; the year’s factor set does not yet exist. - 11 June 202602
2026 factor set published
For activity data falling entirely or mostly within 2026. - July 202603
- 31 December 202604
Year closes; ESOS Phase 4 qualification date
The last collection requests for the year; ESOS reference periods must include this date. - 1 January 202705
UK SRS periods begin for listed companies
Comply or explain under PS26/19 for UKLR 6, 14, 15, 16 and 22.
Collection runs all year; the reported figure is fixed only once the period closes on the factor set for its activity year.
The platforms
Which platforms collect ESG data? 70 of them, in their own words
Every vendor this site files under ESG reporting, carbon accounting or supply chain, alphabetically, which ranks nothing, each in its own words and linked to its own site.
The registry covers 73 vendors across all categories, read 11 October 2026 and 30 September–1 October 2026.
70 vendors · esg reporting, carbon accounting, supply chain
“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”
“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”.
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”
“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.
These platforms put real effort into making collection easier, from supplier portals to automated connectors; the demonstration questions above are the fairest way to see each at its best on your own data.
70 platforms, own wordsExplore
70 platforms, own words
Three categories
ESG reporting, carbon accounting and supply chain.
70 platforms, own words
Alphabetical
The order ranks nothing.
70 platforms, own words
Their own words
What each vendor says about itself, read 11 October 2026 and 30 September–1 October 2026.
70 platforms, own words
73 in the registry
The full registry, across all categories.
Do you need software?
When is a spreadsheet enough for ESG data collection? For one duty and a few sites
An unquoted company is in SECR only if it exceeds two of £36m turnover, £18m balance sheet and 250 employees, under ¶20B of Schedule 7.
For a handful of meters and one fleet, a shared spreadsheet with a column for the evidence file does the job.
Collection software earns its keep when owners, deadlines and evidence across many sites, entities and suppliers outgrow an inbox.
The government’s 2026 review lists a standardised SECR template among five candidate areas for a planned consultation, none decided, so no tool can yet promise the official format.
What platforms tend to cost, and how to compare quotes, is on ESG software pricing.
ESG data collection software earns its place when every figure can show who supplied it, when, and from what evidence.
Frequently asked
ESG data collection software, answered
What is ESG data collection software?
Software that gathers the figures behind sustainability reporting — energy, fuel, waste, people and supplier data — from the people and systems that hold them, with the evidence attached.
It sends requests, tracks who has answered, keeps the source document beside each figure and hands the result to calculation and reporting.
What is the difference between ESG data collection and ESG data management software?
Collection gets the data in: requests, owners, deadlines, uploads and connectors.
Management keeps it right once it is in: storage, approvals, version history and controls.
Most platforms do both; the collection side is where most of the first year’s hours go.
What is ESG data software?
A broad label for any tool that holds sustainability data.
For UK reporting the useful split is three layers: collection of activity data, calculation into emissions and metrics, and disclosure in the form a regime asks for.
What is carbon data collection software?
The part of a carbon platform that gathers activity data — meter readings, invoices, fuel cards, mileage claims and supplier answers — so it can be multiplied by emission factors.
The factor set for UK reporting is published once a year by DESNZ, for activity mostly within that year.
What data does SECR need collected?
For an unquoted company: UK energy use in kWh, emissions from gas, from electricity including electricity bought for transport, and from transport fuel the company pays for, at least one intensity ratio, the method and the prior year’s figures.
Quoted companies report global figures and the UK share.
Does ESG data collection software have to collect Scope 3?
Not for SECR, which asks only for transport fuel beyond Scopes 1 and 2.
UK SRS S2 reaches Scope 3, and listed companies in UKLR 6, 14, 15, 16 and 22 report against it on a comply-or-explain basis for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027.
How do platforms collect supplier ESG data?
Usually by questionnaire, portal or file exchange.
The GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard distinguishes primary data from suppliers from secondary data such as industry averages, so a good collection tool records which kind each answer is.
How much time does ESG data collection take?
There is no general figure.
For SECR alone, DESNZ’s evaluation found a mean of 94 hours of internal staff time a year, with a total ongoing mean cost of £7,100 and 56% of compliers paying for outside help.
Does collected ESG data need to be assured?
Not by UK law today.
The FRC issued ISSA (UK) 5000 for voluntary use, for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026, so evidence collected now is what an assurer would later ask to see.
Can a spreadsheet do ESG data collection?
Yes, for a small set of sites and one reporting duty.
Collection software earns its place when owners, deadlines and evidence across many sites and suppliers outgrow an inbox.
Is staff and supplier data in an ESG platform personal data?
Often, yes: names, contact details and sometimes people metrics.
The vendor then acts as a processor, and UK GDPR requires a written contract with specified terms, as the ICO sets out.
Has this site tested any ESG data collection software?
No. This page is built from the provisions cited, and the vendor list quotes what each vendor says about itself, alphabetically, ranking nothing.
Sources
Primary sources
Every test 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 18 sources fromlegislation.gov.ukGOV.UK (DESNZ, Defra)Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroDepartment for Business and TradeFinancial Conduct AuthorityGHG Protocol (WRI, WBCSD)
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2008/410, Schedule 7 Parts 7 and 7A
The SECR lines: energy, emissions, ratio, method and the prior year.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2008/410, Schedule 7 paragraph 20D
Unquoted companies: gas, electricity including for transport, and transport fuel.
- GOV.UK (DESNZ, Defra)Environmental Reporting Guidelines, including SECR guidance (PDF)
Who is responsible for purchasing the fuel decides the transport line.
- Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroStreamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting regulations: evaluation
94 hours of staff time, £7,100 mean ongoing cost, 56% paying for outside help.
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero2026 post-implementation review of the SECR regulations
Five candidate areas for a planned consultation, none decided.
- Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroGovernment conversion factors for company reporting
One factor set a year.
- Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroGreenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2026
Published 11 June 2026; the July 2026 flat-file reissue restoring blanks shown as 0.
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero2026 conversion factors methodology paper
Factors are for activity data falling entirely or mostly within the year.
- Department for Business and TradeUK SRS S1 General Requirements (PDF), ¶20 and ¶64
Same reporting entity and same period as the financial statements.
- Department for Business and TradeUK SRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures (PDF)
Location-based Scope 2; Scope 3 in the value chain.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityPS26/19 — final rules on UK SRS reporting by listed companies
Comply or explain for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027.
- GHG Protocol (WRI, WBCSD)Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard
Completeness, consistency, transparency and accuracy.
- GHG ProtocolCorporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard
Primary data from suppliers and secondary data from averages.
- GHG ProtocolScope 3 calculation guidance (PDF)
Calculation methods by category, from supplier-specific to spend-based.
- legislation.gov.ukESOS Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/1643), regulation 22
The Phase 4 reference period of 12 consecutive months.
- Financial Reporting CouncilISSA (UK) 5000 (PDF)
Issued for voluntary use; periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026.
- GOV.UK (Cabinet Office)PPN 006: Carbon Reduction Plans in major government contracts
Procurement policy on contracting authorities, not a duty on every company.
- Information Commissioner’s OfficeUK GDPR: what needs to be included in a processor contract
The terms that govern a vendor holding staff or supplier personal data.