How to choose carbon footprint software for your company

There are many carbon footprint software options, and the important differences are rarely in the interface. These are the ones worth comparing.

1. Pick a real productOne with complete technical documentation.
2. Give it to each optionWith the same data and the same boundary.
3. Compare and askValue, breakdown, time and traceability.

1. Which calculation method does it follow?

Ask about the standard. A recognised reference such as ISO 14067 fixes how it is calculated and what is included. Without a standard, the result is hard to defend to a customer.

2. Physical or spend-based factors?

A spend-based factor multiplies the amount of a purchase by an average; a physical one starts from material, weight, process (including its energy) and transport. The second lets you decide about products and reflects improvements. We compare them in physical vs spend-based factors.

3. Is it traceable?

Ask to see where each value comes from. A result that cannot be traced to its origin cannot be explained or corrected.

4. Is there external verification?

A calculation verified by a third party is easier to defend. Ask who verifies and what. Xain’s methodology is verified by LRQA; the detail is in LRQA verification.

5. What data does it demand and how long does it take?

Some programmes require implementation and data you do not have. Others calculate from technical documentation that already exists. Ask for the real time to the first result.

How to decide

With a trial on a real product and the five questions above. If you are looking for an option that calculates from technical documentation with physical factors, see Xain’s solutions or talk to us.

Table to compare vendors

Criterion	What to ask for	Red flag
Method	Recognised standard (ISO 14067) and explicit boundary	“Proprietary methodology” with no reference
Factors	Physical: material, weight, process (including its energy) and transport	Only amount times an average factor
Traceability	Each value tied to its factor and source	A total with no breakdown
Verification	Independent third party verifying the method	Self-declaration
Data	Calculation from existing technical documentation	Requires questionnaires to every supplier
Time	Real lead time to the first certificate	Months of implementation
Output	Certificate with identifier, per style or shipment	Static report with no number

Questions for the procurement team

• Who verifies the method and can I see the full declaration?
• What happens when data is missing? Is a conservative criterion applied and noted?
• Can I replace generic data with my supplier's primary data?
• How does it integrate with my ERP or my purchasing emails?
• Does the cost of an additional certificate grow or is it marginal?

Software or consultancy

A consultancy may be right for a one-off study with a lot of interpretation. To produce many certificates repeatably, the criterion changes: what matters is that the same engine serves the first and the ten-thousandth. That is the difference between a project and a system.

What can you do this week?

Bring together the people who will use the result: procurement, quality, sustainability and, where relevant, management. Ask each to write down what they need the figure for: answering a customer, preparing a tender, completing an inventory. That list of uses should guide the choice, not a tool’s feature catalogue.

Then pick a product with complete documentation and ask each option to calculate it. Compare not only the number but also the time they needed, the questions they asked you and what they can show you about the origin of each value. A tool that explains its calculation clearly is a tool you will be able to defend to a customer.

Where does Xain fit?

Xain is software, not consultancy. It calculates product footprint under ISO 14067 and company Scope 3 with physical factors, from the customer’s technical documentation, with a method verified by LRQA. The channels are email, the self-service web platform and a REST API for ERP; each certificate carries a unique registration number and traceability down to the factor of each node, and the cost of each additional certificate is marginal. To test it with one of your products, talk to us.