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Xain versus a consultancy two ways to meet the same request.
A consultancy brings tailored strategy and judgement; Xain is software that calculates and certifies each product with the same engine, at marginal cost per additional certificate. They answer different needs: many companies use software for recurring data and consultancy for strategy, and they do not exclude each other.
When a customer asks you for the footprint of your product, there are two usual paths: commission a study from a consultancy or use software. They are not enemies, and the right answer depends on what you need. This comparison puts the criteria on the table, honestly about when each fits.
What is the difference?
| Criterion | Consultancy | Xain (software) |
|---|---|---|
| What it delivers | Tailored study, with analysis and recommendations | Calculation certificate per product, with breakdown and registration number |
| Repeatability | Each study is prepared anew | The same engine for the first and the ten-thousandth certificate |
| Lead time | Those of a project | Calculation in 2 to 3 hours; verified certificate in 2 to 3 business days |
| Traceability | Depends on the report | Down to the factor of each calculation node |
| Scale | Built for few products or a one-off study | Built for many products and for Scope 3 |
| Cost of one more | Grows with volume | Marginal per additional certificate |
When does a consultancy fit?
When you need strategy and judgement: defining a decarbonisation roadmap, preparing the sustainability report, designing a reduction plan, auditing processes or training the team. That is advisory work and software does not replace it.
When does Xain fit?
When you need the figure, repeated and certified: the footprint of each product, each shipment or your purchases, with a recognised, traceable, verified method. If you have many products or customers who ask for the figure often, that is where software makes the difference. For purchases, see procurement Scope 3 and for the product, product carbon footprint.
And if you want both?
It is the usual case. The consultancy defines what to measure and what to do with the result; the software calculates it and keeps it up to date. If you are a consultancy, see the services page or write to us.
What do they have in common?
Both must be able to explain where each number comes from. That is the test to run on any proposal: how it is calculated, with which factors, what verification it has and how it is repeated. We detail it in how to choose carbon footprint software.
Frequently asked questions
What companies usually ask before getting started.
Does Xain replace my environmental consultancy?
No. Xain calculates and certifies the product footprint or Scope 3 figure repeatably. Decarbonisation strategy, the reduction plan or the sustainability report remain advisory work.
What lead times does Xain work to?
A product footprint certificate takes 2 to 3 hours of calculation and is delivered verified in 2 to 3 business days. A procurement Scope 3 takes less than 10 minutes of your work and results arrive in 1 to 2 weeks.
What if I already work with a consultancy?
It can use Xain as the calculation engine and focus on analysis and strategy. If you are a consultancy, write to Xain to see how to fit it into your projects.
Which costs less?
It depends on volume and scope. We do not publish prices; with software, the cost of each additional certificate is marginal, which matters when there are many products.
Keep reading
Product footprint
Certify your product’s carbon footprint with an ISO 14067 method verified by LRQA, from your technical documentation, with registration and traceability.
Scope 3 for purchases
Measure purchased-goods Scope 3 (Categories 1 and 2) with physical factors. Xain Insight needs only the ERP spreadsheet: less than 10 minutes.
Physical vs spend factors
Differences between spend-based and physical emission factors: how they are calculated, what errors they cause and when each fits for products and Scope 3.
Consulting and services
How to calculate the carbon footprint of a service: travel, office energy, equipment and subcontractors, per project, hour or deliverable, with a certificate.
Tell us what you want to measure
One product, a catalogue or your purchases. We reply with the next steps.
Contact Xain