Software · ESG, choosing worksheet
How to choose ESG software: a six-step worksheet
To choose ESG software, write down your duties, map your data, shortlist three platforms, run one demo on your own data, test the exit, then decide on written answers.
Each step below ends in a sentence you write, not a score, so the decision can be explained to a board.
For the full checklist and RFP question set, read how to choose ESG reporting software.
Step 1
Which duties does the software have to serve?
Write one line for each duty that applies to you, with its status.
| Duty | Status | Applies to us? (write it) |
|---|---|---|
| SECR | In force for quoted companies, large unquoted companies and LLPs | — |
| ESOS | In force for large undertakings | — |
| UK SRS | Comply or explain for UKLR 6, 14, 15, 16 and 22, periods from 1 January 2027; voluntary otherwise | — |
| PPN 006 | Procurement policy for major government contracts | — |
| GRI, CDP, EcoVadis | Voluntary, often requested by customers | — |
Answer to write: “The software must serve these duties, in this order of urgency.”
- 1
1 Duties
What you must or choose to report.
- 2
2 Data
Where it lives and who owns it.
- 3
3 Demo
One script, your data, every vendor.
- 4
4 Shortlist
Three platforms, own words.
- 5
5 Exit
How everything comes back.
- 6
6 Decide
Written answers, then the contract.
Step 2
Where does your ESG data live, and who owns each part?
List each source system and the person who owns it, before any demo.
UK SRS S1 ¶20 asks for sustainability disclosures for the same reporting entity as the financial statements, under the standard, so the software’s group structure has to match the accounts.
The number of data owners, more than the number of frameworks, decides how much work the platform saves.
Answer to write: “Our data comes from these systems, owned by these people.”
Your data map
Energy
Your data map
People
Your data map
Suppliers
Step 3
Which demo should every shortlisted platform run on your data?
Send every vendor the same script and the same anonymised extract of your data.
Each question beside this names its source and what a passing answer looks like.
Answer to write: “Each platform did or did not complete each task, and here is what we saw.”
Nothing here is a rating, ranking or recommendation.
One demo script for every vendor · tick the ones you need
The pass tests are our reading of the cited provisions.
Nothing you tick is stored or sent.
Step 4
Which platforms should go on the shortlist, in their own words?
The 51 vendors this site files under ESG reporting, alphabetically, which ranks nothing. Each sets out its offer clearly, so three that match your duties are quick to find.
| Platform | What its own site says on UK SRS | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| Altruistiq | Get compliant with CSRD, SRS, California Climate Disclosures and more. | Enterprise level · TBD |
| ASUENE | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Benchmark Gensuite | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Briink | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Clarity AI | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Climatise | “One spine: SECR · ESOS · UK SRS” — the same client data “also serves SECR and UK SRS” | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Coolset | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Cority | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Datamaran | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Dcycle | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Deepki | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Diginex | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| EcoOnline | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Enablon Part of Wolters Kluwer since July 2016 | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Envoria | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Evotix | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Green Project Technologies Part of ACT Group (date not stated on its site) | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Greenly Merger with Normative announced, September 2026 | “Connect your GHG Protocol data to UK SRS reporting” | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Greenomy Acquired by Position Green, September 2025; its platform now integrated into Position Green’s | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| IBM Envizi ESG Suite Part of IBM since January 2022 | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Ideagen Part of Hg since June 2022 | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| IntegrityNext | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Intelex Part of Fortive since July 2019 | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| IsoMetrix | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Manglai | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Measurabl | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Free solution 'at no cost, in perpetuity' (tracking incl. Scopes 1–3, benchmarking, secure sharing); premium/paid upgrades (Navigate, Optimize, Comply) have no published price. |
| Nossa Data | ISSB and UK SRS disclosure, done right. | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Novata | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Novata for Companies: Manage 20K, Grow 50K, Lead 100K a year (currency not stated) |
| Novisto | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Oracle Fusion Cloud Sustainability | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| osapiens | Cover CSRD/ESRS, VSME, GRI, ISSB, HKFRS SDS, UK SRS and more from a single source of truth your teams can always rely on. | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Persefoni | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Persefoni Pro “completely free”, single user; Advanced by quote |
| Plan A Part of Diginex since January 2026 | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Position Green | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Pulsora | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Quentic Part of AMCS since July 2022 | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Salesforce Net Zero Cloud | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Net Zero Cloud Growth £168,000 per organisation per year, billed annually, including one full CRM licence |
| Sami Part of SGS (majority stake) since November 2025 | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| SAP Sustainability Footprint Management | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| ServiceNow Operational Sustainability Management | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| SINAI Technologies | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Sphera Part of Blackstone since September 2021 | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Sweep | “Pre-mapped to UK SRS S1 and UK SRS S2” | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Tanso | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Terrascope Part of XeleratedFifty since February 2026 | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Trace | Generate audit-ready ASRS, ISSB, and UK SRS-aligned disclosures with guided workflows, templates, and expert support. | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Unravel Carbon | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Watershed | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Workiva Carbon | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Enterprise level · TBD |
| Worldfavor | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | A free plan for suppliers responding to data requests; buyer plans by quote |
| Zevero Acquired, 2024 (buyer not named on its site) | No claim found on the pages we read: ask in writing | Zevero Lite (Scope 1 & 2) starts from £1,500 / year; main plans (Essential, Leading, Premium) by quote; add-ons: Product Carbon Footprint starts at £500 / product; EPD from £10,000 / product; AI-powered ESG Reporting starting at £1,000; Decarbonisation Strategy from £2,000; B Corp Audit from £750. One-year minimum. |
Each line is the platform’s own description, linked to the page it is on, read 11 October 2026 and 30 September–1 October 2026. Alphabetical; nothing here is a rating.
Pick three
Duty match
Pick three
Data match
Pick three
Size match
Pick three
Ownership
Answer to write: “These three, because their own descriptions match our duties and systems.”
Step 5
How do you get everything back if you leave?
Test the exit before you sign, not when you renew.
UK GDPR Article 28(3)(g) requires a processor contract to say the provider deletes or returns personal data at the end of the service, at your choice, and Article 28(9) requires the contract in writing, under Article 28.
Ask for the same terms for all ESG data, workings and evidence, not only personal data.
Answer to write: “We can export everything in these formats, and the contract says so.”
Step 1 · what the inventory feeds
Step 2 · what the move changes
Step 3 · 7 things the next report has to carry
- Before access ends, export activity data, every factor with its version, and the methodology notes, so each past figure can be rebuilt.Our reading of the consistency principle, GHG Protocol Ch 1
- Keep each year on the factor set for its own activity year; a new library does not license re-running old years on new factors.DESNZ 2026 methodology ¶1.10
- Scope 2 electricity uses the emission factors corresponding to the relevant year.GHG Protocol technical assistance
- Test the change against your own significance threshold; a significant change in calculation methodology can require the base year to be recalculated. The GHG Protocol sets no figure — you set and disclose one.GHG Protocol 2019 Inventory Guidance
- Last year’s energy and emissions still appear beside this year’s in the directors’ report.Sch 7 ¶18, ¶18A (quoted) · ¶20H (unquoted)
- The methodology statement describes the methods actually used this year.Sch 7 ¶16 (quoted) · ¶20F (unquoted)
- Where the comparatives are restated on the new method, say so in that statement, so the two columns are read on one basis.Our reading of the Sch 7 ¶16 · ¶20F
Duties are the cited provisions; lines marked “our reading” are this site’s.
Not advice on any product or contract.
Nothing you tick is stored or sent.
Step 6
How do you decide without a score?
Put the written answers from steps 1 to 5 side by side and pick the platform with the fewest open questions.
No UK law requires sustainability assurance, but ISSA (UK) 5000 is available for voluntary use from periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026, so ask what a reviewer would see.
Answer to write: “We chose this platform because of these answers, and these questions remain open.”
The decision note
Duties served
The decision note
Demo results
The decision note
Exit terms
For the board
We chose the platform that fits our duties and lets us leave cleanly
That sentence, with the six written answers behind it, is the whole decision record.
Takeaways
How to choose ESG software in five facts
| Fact | What to do |
|---|---|
| UK SRS is comply or explain for five listing categories from 2027 | List it in step 1 only if it applies |
| UK SRS S1 uses the same reporting entity as the accounts | Demo your real group structure |
| No UK law requires sustainability assurance | Ask what a reviewer would see anyway |
| A processor contract must provide for deletion or return | Test the exit before signing |
| A weighted score is a ranking in disguise | Decide on written answers |
Next: take the shortlist into ESG software implementation for the order of work after signing.
Frequently asked
How to choose ESG software, answered
How do I choose ESG software?
Write down the UK duties you carry first, then the data you hold and who owns it.
Shortlist three platforms whose own descriptions match, run the same demo on your own data, test the exit, and decide on written answers rather than a score.
The long guide on choosing ESG reporting software covers each step in depth.
Why no scoring matrix?
A weighted score turns judgements into a number that looks precise and ranks products.
This worksheet asks for a written answer at each step, which is easier to defend to a board.
Which ESG software is best?
This site has tested no product and names no best.
The platforms listed describe their own offers clearly; the right one is the one that passes your demo on your data.
What should I decide before talking to vendors?
Which duties apply to you — SECR, ESOS, UK SRS under the FCA’s comply-or-explain rules if you are a listed company in scope, PPN 006 if you bid for major government contracts — and which voluntary frameworks your customers ask for.
Is UK SRS mandatory?
No. Under FCA PS26/19, 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.
For everyone else the standards are voluntary.
Does ESG software need to be assurance-ready?
No UK law requires sustainability assurance.
ISSA (UK) 5000 was issued by the FRC for voluntary use and is effective for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026.
A traceable evidence trail still makes any review cheaper.
What should the contract say about leaving?
Under UK GDPR Article 28, a processor contract must be in writing and must say the provider deletes or returns personal data at the end of the service, at your choice.
Ask for the same for all your ESG data and workings.
How many platforms should I shortlist?
Three is usually enough to compare honestly in a demo with your own data.
How long should choosing take?
This worksheet can be completed in one sitting; the demos and contract take longer.
No official benchmark exists, so plan around your own reporting dates.
Can I start with a spreadsheet?
Yes, many companies do for SECR and a first carbon footprint.
Software earns its place with several entities, many data owners or several frameworks.
Sources
Primary sources
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner.
Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
- DBTUK SRS S1 General Requirements (PDF), ¶20
The reporting entity is the same as for the financial statements.
- DBTUK SRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures (PDF)
The climate standard.
- DBTUK Sustainability Reporting Standards
Published 25 February 2026 for voluntary use.
- FCAPS26/19 — 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.
- FCAPS26/19 (PDF), Appendix 1
UKLR 6.6.6R(8)(c)–(e): location, assurance and transition-plan statements.
- FRCISSA (UK) 5000
Issued 12 November 2025 for voluntary use; effective 15 December 2026.
- FRCISSA (UK) 5000 news release
The FRC’s announcement.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2008/410, Schedule 7 (SECR)
The directors’ report energy and carbon lines.
- legislation.gov.ukESOS Regulations 2014
The energy audit scheme.
- Cabinet OfficePPN 006: carbon reduction plans
Procurement policy for major government contracts.
- GHG ProtocolCorporate Accounting and Reporting Standard
Consistency and transparency principles.
- GRIGRI Standards
A voluntary framework many tools map to.
- CDPCDP
A voluntary disclosure many customers request.
- EUR-LexOmnibus I
The narrowed EU CSRD scope, for UK groups with EU subsidiaries.
- legislation.gov.ukUK GDPR, Article 28
The processor contract: deletion or return at the end, in writing.