Carbon Footprint & Utilities Optimisation

Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions are the three categories into which the GHG Protocol divides a company's emissions: Scope 1 covers direct emissions (e.g. company fleet, plants); Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased energy (electricity, heating); Scope 3 covers all other indirect emissions across the value chain, upstream and downstream (suppliers, transport, use and end of life of products). Green Future Project's Carbon Footprint Software automatically maps company data onto all three scopes.

Scope 3 emissions are the hardest to measure because they cover 15 categories defined by the GHG Protocol, spread across the entire value chain. Scope 3 often accounts for more than 70% of a company's total emissions and requires data from external parties (suppliers, employees, customers) rather than from internal sources as for Scope 1 and 2. Green Future Project's software tackles this complexity by organising data into six simplified thematic areas: Energy, Transport, Water, Waste, Procurement and Other. The Carbon Footprint Software then maps these areas automatically onto the 15 categories.

The location-based method uses the average emission factor of the national electricity grid, while the market-based method uses the emission factors specific to the energy contract in place (e.g. certified renewable energy). Green Future Project's Carbon Footprint Software calculates and compares both values, as required by all reporting standards.

There are four methodologies for calculating Scope 3: spend-based (an estimate based on expenditure, the fastest), average-data (activity data with sector-average factors), supplier-specific (data provided directly by suppliers, the most accurate) and hybrid (a combination of the above depending on the data available). Green Future Project's Carbon Footprint Software covers all four methodologies in the same tool, so you can start with the data you already have and refine the calculation in the following years.

If you don't know where to start calculating your suppliers' emissions, the method to begin with is spend-based: applying an economic emission factor to the spend for each purchase category quickly gives you a first complete picture of Scope 3 emissions, to be refined in the following years with average-data or supplier-specific data. In the Procurement section of Green Future Project's software this step is guided and does not require primary supplier data from the outset.

Corporate carbon footprint software is a digital tool that automates the calculation of a company's greenhouse gas emissions according to the GHG Protocol, covering Scope 1, 2 and 3, or in line with ISO 14064-1. One example of carbon footprint software is Green Future Project's Carbon Footprint Software: it automatically applies up-to-date emission factors, organises data by area or Scope and generates reports for sustainability reporting (CSRD, VSME, GRI), avoiding manual work on spreadsheets.

Green Future Project's software is also suitable for companies with multiple sites, because it lets you create multiple organisational entities (buildings, sites, divisions), calculate the carbon footprint both for a single legal entity or subsidiary and at consolidated group level, and directly compare performance across sites, all within the same platform.

Effective energy management software for reducing the carbon footprint combines two functions that often remain separate: monitoring energy consumption and calculating greenhouse gas emissions. Green Future Project's Carbon Footprint & Utilities Optimisation Software integrates them in a single platform. It tracks electricity and gas consumption in real time, including for companies with multiple sites, and converts it into CO₂e emissions according to the GHG Protocol. Data is collected via an API connection to the energy provider or to the BMS or EMS systems already in place. The calculation methodology of the Carbon Footprint module has received validation opinion IT339852-1 from Bureau Veritas under the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard.

To reduce the carbon footprint you first need to know where and when resources are consumed. GFP's platform analyses consumption by energy source, time slot and period, and identifies peaks, inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement in the use of energy, water and other utilities. Benchmarking across sites, suppliers or periods and customisable dashboards help set concrete reduction targets and track progress over time. In this way the software supports efficiency strategies that can also cut operating costs.

Product carbon footprint requires a different approach from organisational carbon footprint. It is based on life cycle assessment (LCA) and on data specific to each product, from raw materials to end of life. GFP's software measures the organisation's carbon footprint: direct emissions (Scope 1), indirect emissions from purchased energy (Scope 2) and, where relevant, value chain emissions (Scope 3). It is therefore the starting point for understanding which emission sources weigh the most. For the carbon footprint of individual products, GFP supports companies with its LCA and EPD consulting services.

If you need to recalculate your organisation's carbon footprint, the Duplicate function of Green Future Project's Carbon Footprint Software lets you start from the previous year's footprint: you update the reporting year and change only the values that have changed, with visual cues distinguishing data already updated from data still to be checked.

The time needed to calculate Scope 3 in the first reporting year depends on the calculation method adopted. A first inventory based on the spend-based method can be completed in a few weeks with Green Future Project's Carbon Footprint Software; moving towards average-data or supplier-specific data is a journey built over the following years, category by category.