Introduction
Some carbon footprint calculators are available free of charge to individuals and organisations. These solutions help users to become more aware of their impact on the climate and provide guidelines for making more environmentally-friendly choices.
However, these free solutions have major limitations, since many features are restricted. For example, some emission items are excluded from free softwares. Yet completeness is an essential criterion for producing a reliable carbon footprint.
Companies therefore need to invest in more accurate calculators if they are to meet the new standards.
List of free carbon footprint calculators
Goodplanet carbon calculators
Ecotree’s simplified carbon footprint
MyClimate.org calculators
MyClimate is a free online platform that measures greenhouse gas emissions generated by aircrafts, car traffic, housing, work and leisure activities. The tool allows users to compare their current consumption with a hypothetical ‘green’ consumption, enabling them to identify areas where they can make changes to reduce their impact on the environment.
Hellocarbo
Hellocarbo is a free carbon footprint calculator that enables companies to estimate their carbon emissions based on the URL of their website. Its calculations are based on the sector of activity, the size of the company, the turnover it generates, etc. Its method of calculation remains approximate and does not allow for a precise carbon footprint assessment.
What are the limitations of free carbon footprint calculators?
There is a whole range of free carbon footprint tools on the market, each offering different functions.
What’s more, while these tools are effective for measuring and reducing a carbon footprint on an individual scale, they remain limited for companies that have to cover an extremely wide range of data. The involvement of a carbon consultant remains essential for implementing effective strategies within a company.
- Functionality
- History
- Granularity
- Compliance of results
Non-financial reporting, particularly environmental reporting, is playing an increasingly important role in decision-making, differentiation and employer branding.
Free carbon footprint calculators do not offer tools that present compliant results. However, the accuracy and conformity of the reports generated by a complete carbon footprint calculator enable companies to prove that they meet the criteria of certain standards (GHG-P, Ademe and ISO).
The D-Carbonize tool
Unlike free carbon footprint calculators, D-Carbonize simplifies the collection of all the data relating to scopes 1, 2 and 3 and to all the emission sources within a company. The result is accurate, reliable and comprehensive. It enables companies to make strategic choices sustainably and responsibly.
The D-Carbonize tool is suitable for all corporate structures, as it allows greenhouse gas emissions to be broken down by site, entity or country. It can also be used to track greenhouse gas emissions by product or service. This flexibility is not possible with free solutions.
When using D-Carbonize within your company, you can be supported by carbon experts. Their role is to help your company in the collection and analysis of data. This is done to put in place an appropriate strategy aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Explore the concept of a carbon footprint in-depth by clicking here, or read our comprehensive overview on carbon footprint calculators here.
Reduce your company’s carbon footprint by booking a demo with our experts at D-Carbonize.
