Streamlining GHG accounting & reduction

As corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disclosure requirements grow, organizations face rising data collection and analysis costs. This study assesses the effectiveness of GHG management software in helping organizations manage and red

Situation

The rapidly increasing requirements for corporate GHG emissions disclosure present organizations with a major challenge as the costs for data collection and analysis are rising. Numerous software tools exist that support organizations in managing GHG emission data, promising to simplify data management, support compliance with regulations, and accelerate emission reductions. In this preliminary study, we aim to assess how effectively GHG management software aids organizations in better managing and reducing their GHG emissions.

Course of action

We surveyed customers from two Sustainability Data Management platforms. The surveys were developed jointly by researchers at Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) with representatives from Sulytics, Sweep, and Swisscom. The surveys were designed along the following themes: (1) The motivations behind the adoption of these tools (2) Usage patterns, such as functionalities utilized and the types of emissions monitored (3) The effectiveness of these tools in aiding organizations to manage and reduce GHG emissions (4) Opportunities for enhancing these tools

Result

The results show that the tools are perceived as valuable for managing emissions data, contributing to enhanced transparency and more targeted emission reductions. The primary added value of the tools lies in the systematization of data collection, efficient monitoring, and the creation of valuable reports. The tools are so far less frequently used for developing prospective forecasts and GHG reduction measures. However, doing so also requires more mature GHG management, which may not be present in all organizations yet. For effective long-term planning of reduction measures and targets, it may also be necessary to capture emission data at a very detailed level in the tools. There appears to be a need to further simplify the use of the tools, which could potentially help reduce costs for GHG management. For instance, it has been suggested that the tools could automatically recommend emission factors. However, this introduces a trade-off between ease of use and the need to track detailed data within the tool for planning reduction measures. It seems important to find an optimal balance between “capturing and providing as much information/functionality as necessary” and “keeping the tools as simple or user-friendly as possible.”

Contact

Prof. Dr. Jan Bieser

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• +41 31 848 64 91
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This project contributes to the following SDGs

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