Best carbon accounting software 2025

How carbon accounting software works

Many sustainability professionals face the same challenges: scattered spreadsheets, incomplete supplier data, and ever-changing reporting requirements. As expectations for transparent climate disclosure grow, time, resources, and reliable systems are often missing.

Yet this is exactly where the biggest potential lies. Companies that systematically measure and calculate emissions create the foundation to reduce them effectively and build trust with customers, investors, and employees.

With the right carbon accounting software, companies maintain visibility over their emissions and gain the confidence to take the next steps in their decarbonisation journey.

But which platform is the best carbon accounting software 2025? And which features actually make a difference?

Carbon accounting software definition

Carbon accounting software helps companies calculate and report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across scopes 1, 2, and 3. It links consumption data with emission factors, identifies key hotspots, and generates audit-ready reports.

This has become essential across all markets: the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) now requires large companies operating in the EU to disclose their emissions in detail. To meet these expectations, organisations need scalable, reliable systems that bring together reporting and reduction planning.

7 features every carbon accounting software should have

The market for carbon accounting software is evolving fast. These key criteria will help you identify a solution that not only calculates data but also drives real decarbonisation.

1. Comprehensive scope 1-3 coverage, even for complex organisations

Good software can handle complex company structures with ease, seamlessly integrating data from multiple sites, subsidiaries, and international supply chains.

Data coverage across scopes 1, 2, and 3, including supply chain data, is crucial for any software. The most advanced solutions include supplier engagement tools to simplify data collection and validation along the value chain.

Up to 90% of a company’s emissions often occur in scope 3, ignoring them means missing your biggest reduction lever.

2. Full product lifecycle mapping

Emissions for Product Carbon Footprints (PCFs) are calculated along the entire product lifecycle. Whether cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-grave, flexibility is important:

• If a customer requests your PCF for their scope 3 disclosure, they may need cradle-to-gate data (raw materials to the factory gate).
• If you contribute to climate projects or seek sustainable product certification, you’ll also need to account for logistics, use phase, and end-of-life emissions.

The best platforms let you model both options, offering flexibility with transparent system boundaries and assumptions.

3. Efficient data collection and supplier integration

Intuitive dashboards, bulk uploads, and structured workflows make it easy to collect data across thousands of data points.

Leading solutions already offer supplier portals, allowing suppliers to enter their own data directly. This enables consistent data standards and emissions comparisons across products and services. A dedicated space for supplier-specific feedback and information supports transparency and collaboration.

4. Data quality and plausibility checks

Data quality is the backbone of every climate report and strategy. Modern platforms combine automated plausibility checks, expert validation, and access to region- and sector-specific emission factors. The ClimatePartner Emission Factor Database (EFDB) contains over 50,000 global factors derived from real client data and project experience.

Software should prioritise primary data and apply conservative gap-filling methods to ensure credibility and acceptance by standards like the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). All assumptions, sources, and system boundaries are fully documented and traceable.

5. Regulatory compliance and transparency

Strong software helps you stay ahead of regulations and frameworks, whether mandatory or voluntary.

For example, the ClimatePartner Hub generates CSRD-compliant CCF reports and SBTi-aligned outputs, including automated FLAG splits, management of ESRS E1.5 and E1.6 data, and audit-ready export formats.

Transparent communication is equally vital. Platforms that provide verified, traceable data make it easier to communicate progress credibly to customers and stakeholders.

6. Analytics and reduction planning

The best carbon accounting software delivers more than data; it provides insight.

Hotspot analyses, scenario modelling, and reduction roadmaps highlight where actions will have the greatest effect across operations and the supply chain.

Ideally, the platform also enables companies to address emissions beyond their value chain, supporting certified climate projects and beyond value chain mitigation (BVCM) as recommended by the SBTi.

7. Flexibility and expert support

A hybrid approach is ideal for carbon accounting: companies can use the platform independently while still accessing expert guidance when needed.

Businesses calculate their CCFs and PCFs autonomously and can consult with sustainability professionals on how to fill data gaps or more complex scope 3 projects. This balance makes the system valuable for both SMEs and large enterprises.

The best carbon accounting software providers 2025

1. ClimatePartner Hub: Data, structure, impact

The ClimatePartner Hub combines all core functions of a modern carbon accounting software into one platform. Companies calculate footprints independently or collaborate with a team of experts. AI automatically matches data with its emission factor and conducts plausibility analyses to deliver instant, accurate results.

The platform also enables transparent communication to every stakeholder: generating SBTi-relevant and CSRD-compliant reports, customer-facing Climate-ID and project pages, and analytics dashboards to visualise your climate action progress over time.  

This makes the ClimatePartner Hub a true end-to-end solution for decarbonisation, ideal for medium-sized companies and global corporations alike.

2. Watershed: Audit-grade data for large enterprises

Watershed is a sustainability management platform that helps companies measure, report, and reduce emissions. Its strength lies in combining audit-grade data accuracy with streamlined workflows for compliance and decarbonisation planning.

It integrates with over 60 business systems to automate data collection and supports reporting under CSRD, SEC, and TCFD frameworks.

For large, regulated enterprises or multinational organisations with complex supply chains, Watershed offers a comprehensive, compliance-ready solution.

3. Plan A: TÜV-certified methodology for reliable decarbonisation

Berlin-based Plan A combines carbon accounting with actionable decarbonisation planning. The platform allows companies to calculate both corporate and product carbon footprints, while modelling tailored reduction scenarios.

With TÜV-certified methodologies, Plan A ensures scientific rigour and credibility, focusing on clear reduction roadmaps rather than disclosure alone.

For companies seeking a certified, results-oriented solution, Plan A offers a strong choice.

4. Persefoni: Regulatory confidence and assurance-ready reporting

Persefoni specialises in assurance-grade emissions reporting. The platform supports enterprises and financial institutions in meeting disclosure requirements such as CSRD and ISSB standards.

Its unique AI Copilot guides users through the accounting process, identifies anomalies, and accelerates audit readiness.

With its strong focus on data governance, traceability, and compliance, Persefoni is ideal for listed companies, corporations, and financial institutions under regulatory pressure.

5. Sweep: Collaboration across the value chain

Paris-based Sweep enables organisations to map and manage emissions across their entire value chain. It ensures data collection and reporting are aligned with leading ESG standards and regulations.

The platform emphasises collaboration and shared responsibility by allowing teams and suppliers to assign and track climate actions.

For companies that prioritise cross-team and supply chain collaboration, Sweep offers an intuitive, visually engaging solution.

6. Greenly: Easy entry and scalable growth

Greenly is a SaaS carbon accounting solution offering tailored packages for different industries and company sizes.

It helps businesses quickly calculate their corporate carbon footprint, identify hotspots, and communicate results. Reports are compatible with global standards including CSRD, CDP, and TCFD.

For companies seeking a user-friendly, methodologically robust starting point, Greenly provides accessible, scalable climate support.

Checklist: How to identify the best carbon management software

Turning data into progress

The best carbon accounting software doesn't just deliver numbers, it builds a foundation. It makes climate action tangible within a company and shows where measures will create real impact.

With the ClimatePartner Hub, businesses gain precise data and the strategic guidance to turn it into measurable progress.

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