CarbonTrail

📊 KPMG research shows nearly 50% of international companies are still relying on spreadsheets to capture carbon data. But is this the best approach for New Zealand and Australian reporting entities? We believe NO—and here are 5 reasons why sticking with spreadsheets will slow you down and cost you money: 1️⃣ Data collection is time-consuming Spreadsheets can’t "connect" to multiple data sources or offer easy-to-use interfaces for input/output. This means lots of manual work with no automation benefits. 2️⃣ Carbon disclosures are ongoing Emissions reporting isn’t a one-time job. Annual, quarterly, or even monthly updates are needed. Spreadsheets aren’t ideal for storing historic data, making trend analysis and reduction tracking harder. 3️⃣ Audibility and traceability are crucial Emissions audits require a deep dive into your data. Every number—from emission factors to source data—needs verification. Spreadsheets just don’t offer the visibility needed for this level of scrutiny. 4️⃣ Constant updates will drain your time Sustainability is evolving, with ever-changing emission factors. Keeping your spreadsheet up to date will take focus away from your real goal: reducing emissions. 5️⃣ Planning for the future People move on, and in 5 or 10 years, someone new will likely take over your emissions reporting. How easy will it be for them to understand your spreadsheet? Chances are they’ll create a new one, wasting more time and complicating year-to-year comparisons. 🚀 The solution? Dedicated carbon accounting platforms solve these issues and streamline your reporting process. Ready to make the switch? Get in touch to learn how.

I love this. The first company to go through Toitū Envirocare certification using CarbonTrail as its data capture and system of record. Massive congratulations Richard Hansen and the iViis™ Limited team. Thanks also for your invaluable insights and feedback during this time, which all has been built into the next-gen CarbonTrail platform, which we're migrating customers to currently! Want to make your Toitū process more straightfoward? Speak to one of the team :) Gareth Levens Tim Trewinnard

🔎 What do the XRB's proposed amendments to the Climate and Assurance Standards tell us about our progress towards long-term carbon reduction goals? One key insight stands out: Only ONE THIRD of Climate Reporting Entities (CREs) have tackled the challenge of understanding and reporting up to 90% of their total emissions – often hidden in Scope 3. This means TWO THIRDS are still struggling to get a clear view of their Scope 3 emissions! What this tells us is that the support is not there, and the anxiety around producing a defensible submission is very real. It’s no surprise, then, that much of the proposed 2024 XRB amendment focuses on delaying aspects of Scope 3 disclosures — like trend analysis and assurance. According to the XRB, businesses need more time to "establish appropriate internal systems" and "obtain reliable data" for accurate reporting. But we believe delaying isn't the solution. The real challenge is to support businesses in building reliable systems now, so they can produce more accurate disclosures. And this might be small steps, starting with a materiality assessment, and applying the 80/20 rule to build the processes required for ongoing engagement and high-quality data capture. We can’t afford to kick the can down the road—let’s help businesses lay the groundwork for better data today. Or we'll find ourselves back in the same spot next year.

How are you managing the collection of emissions data across your supply chain or customer base? Achieving an accurate measurement across your supply chain is increasingly needed as part of building an auditable emissions inventory, but it can be hugely time consuming and costly, especially if you've got hundreds or even thousands of unaware suppliers. Using CarbonTrail automates some of the hardest tasks in your supply chain and ensures that you collect accurate and consistent data every time.

We're delighted to launch our most requested feature – automatic activity data from invoices and receipts. Since day one, customers have asked for better ways to gather their emissions data, and we've delivered! Introducing the CarbonTrail Carbon Ledger — a workflow that simultaneously helps you ensure all of your expenses are covered with an accurate measurement, but also can automatically gather data from your Xero invoices, bills, and receipts, making accurate carbon accounting smoother than ever. With the Carbon Ledger, you can: - Match spend with activity data for the most accurate emissions reporting. - Use AI-powered data extraction to streamline the process. - Ensure audit-ready data with a full audit trail. - Say goodbye to generic spend-based estimates and hello to high-quality, activity-based emissions tracking. And this is just the first step, we want to put this on autopilot - get ready for fully automated, auditable emissions inventories, at the speed of an inaccurate spend-based measurement—coming soon! Carbon accounting that doesn't cut corners - that's CarbonTrail.

“Sustainability is a licence to operate and a requirement of how we do business, including how we select our suppliers." These are the words of Carsten Rasmussen, Chief Operations Officer at the LEGO Group. Are you ready? Lego's policy reflects an increasing trend facing New Zealand's exporters. Whilst the EU is leading the way by enforcing the importers of certain products to disclose and even pay for associated emissions through a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), many of our other trading economies are taking sustainability equally seriously. This means businesses are requiring their suppliers to know, and prove they are reducing, their emissions. Are you ready to provide your customers with an annual, auditable emissions inventory? If the answer is no, then waiting for a customer to ask for your emissions data may be too little, too late. Your business could even be at risk of losing valuable contracts. Equally, relying on broad spend based estimates my not reach the bar needed for your customers. At CarbonTrail, we are helping exporters to win and retain business by providing them with an verifiable measurement of their emissions, aligned to global standards. Carbon accounting that stands up to scrutiny, that's CarbonTrail.

🚨 Still relying on surveys & forms to collect Scope 3 data from your suppliers or customers? We get it. For years, this was the best option for wrangling those tricky emissions numbers. But here's the problem: even the smartest survey falls short if the person on the other end doesn’t have the data you need. It’s like asking a large business for their exact tax liability for the year – they might have a general idea, but getting you the right number? Unless they've figured it out already, that’s going to take some serious work. That's where CarbonTrail comes in. We take on the heavy lifting, helping your supply chain measure with our smart tool that integrates directly with their accounting tools, electricity meters, fuel cards, and even scans invoices and receipts using AI. The result? An audit-ready number in minutes, without them needing to know anything about sustainability. Curious how it works? Check the link in the comments. Let’s make Scope 3 data collection easier.

We're Hiring! We're excited to share that we have a new job opening available! If you’re passionate about Accounting and want to work in a team that values purpose driven organisations, we’d love to hear from you. Check out the job details and see if it’s a fit for you or someone you know. Feel free to share and spread the word!

🌍 Tired of manual data entry slowing down your carbon accounting? We've got you covered with our most requested feature – automatic activity data from invoices and receipts. Since day one, customers have asked for better ways to gather their emissions data, and we've delivered! Introducing the CarbonTrail Carbon Ledger — a workflow that simultaneously helps you ensure all of your expenses are covered with an accurate measurement, but also can automatically gather data from your Xero invoices, bills, and receipts, making accurate carbon accounting smoother than ever. With the CarbonTrail Carbon Ledger, you can: - Match spend with activity data for the most accurate emissions reporting. - Use AI-powered data extraction to streamline the process. - Ensure audit-ready data with a full audit trail. - Say goodbye to generic spend-based estimates and hello to high-quality, activity-based emissions tracking. And this is just the first step, we want to put this on autopilot - get ready for fully automated, auditable emissions inventories, at the speed of an inaccurate spend-based measurement—coming soon! Carbon accounting that doesn't cut corners - that's CarbonTrail.

Are you a one person sustainability team? It's more common than you'd think! It's no wonder then, that sustainability professionals suffer from anxiety about completing the work required of them. In fact, according in a recent Oxygen Consulting report, only 8% of sustainability professionals strongly believed they are able to keep up with the pace at which the sustainability landscape is moving. At CarbonTrail we help teams of all sizes to reduce the complexity of meeting their sustainability goals through the use of technology to automate their emissions capture and reporting. Talk to us about joining your team today.