Dive into the Detail
JOURNEY TO CERTIFICATION
How does Trace’s calculation methodology compare to Climate Active’s?
Our CO2 emissions assessment model is, in fact, based on Climate Active, NABERs and GHG Protocol methodology and uses emissions factors and benchmark data from auditable public sources.
Our mission is to remove the barriers to becoming carbon neutral, so we implement the 80:20 rule - 80% accuracy comes from 20% of the effort, which allows us to analyse your emissions in a matter of days (not weeks or months) and at zero cost.
Like in the Climate Active process, we include emissions from our customer’s operations, employees and supply chain, using data readily available in your business, however, we focus on making sure we have the data for the areas of greatest materiality, rather than focusing too much on gathering every last piece of data which likely won’t have a significant impact on the final figures. Our experience is that, despite this, our calculations are usually just as accurate as those produced through the Climate Active process.
For example, Trace customer Phyto Therapy was Climate Active certified before deciding to also join Trace (more on how this works below). When they received our assessment they were pleased to find that our final calculations were almost identical to those they got in their Climate Active assessment.
“As well as Trace’s accreditation, we are also Climate Active. With choosing to become both Climate Active and Carbon Neutral with Trace we were able to confirm the accuracy of Trace’s measurement process compared to the Government recognised Climate Active Certification.” - Maya Collinson, Phyto Therapy
Our model is independently reviewed by a carbon consultant on an annual basis and we are continually reviewing and enhancing the underlying data with external advisors to ensure the accuracy & transparency of our methodology.
How does Trace streamline the process to become carbon neutral?
The Climate Active team is not able to tell you how to calculate your inventory or review your entire inventory prior to submission. Nor can they purchase offsets on your behalf or help your develop a plan for reducting. This is why most companies relying on an external consultant to assist with these steps.
Because Trace is a ‘one-stop-shop’ to become carbon neutral - we’ve been able to streamline every step of the process, from data collection right through to offsetting and sharing your impact internally and externally.
REPORTING & SHARING IMPACT
What becomes ‘public’ when I join Climate Active compared to Trace? What are the different reporting requirements?
Central to the Climate Active certification process are strict and detailed reporting requirements, which are core to the credibility of the program, particularly as it caters for some of Australia’s largest businesses (and therefore emitters).
However, while reporting transparency is important for any business on its journey to net zero, we know that smaller businesses often don’t have the capacity to complete regular detailed reporting and hence, in order to make progress toward their impact goals, are better off spending their resources ‘walking the walk’. This is why we create a public Impact Page (like this one) on behalf of each of our new Carbon Neutral Businesses to confirm the details behind their membership, including the scope of emissions measurement, the number of tonnes of CO2 offset and trees planted. We also encourage companies to declare their current sustainability initiatives for display on this page. To ensure the credibility of this data, only the Trace team can make edits to this information.
Under Climate Active, once certified, an organisation’s public disclosure statement is published on the Climate Active website to allow the public to see their carbon neutral claims are credible. Climate Active requires you to report publicly on your emissions each year with an updated public disclosure statement and as part of this, identify where reduction activities have contributed to lower emissions.
INVESTMENT
What do I get for my money?
The Climate Active licence fee pays for your “stamp” (i.e. badge) and simple marketing toolkit. This licence fee is then paid annually to allow you to continue using the stamp. Anything you need for your next steps towards net-zero outside of this, is over to an external consultant to provide, or for you to source.
In contrast, Trace’s membership fee allows you to measure your emissions in a matter of days, offset your emissions via our pre-selected portfolio of offsets and gives you access to our proprietary software platform including
- Interactive dashboards that visualise your emissions data
- An overview of your positive impact via offset projects and tree planting
- Guidance on next steps to reduce your emissions, and
- A suite of content to help up-skill and engage your whole team to take climate action and sharing your impact into your own hands.
And, because we’re a fast-growing startup, we have the agility to ensure our platform is evolving and improving every day to reflect the needs of our community, so the value you get is only growing by the day!
How does buying carbon offsets work under each program?
Both Trace and Climate Active require businesses to purchase offsets for any emissions they have been unable to reduce or avoid, in order to be awarded carbon neutral status.
Under Climate Active, you will need to seek the assistance of a third-party consultant or ‘retailer’ to help select high-quality credits that meet Climate Active’s standards. In other words, selecting, procuring and retiring (i.e. cancelling) carbon credits is not included in the Climate Active licence fee.
By comparison, Trace provides customers access to carbon offsets from our blended portfolio of carbon offset projects, handpicked by our own expert team. This means our team have done the hard work of ensuring the projects selected are not only high-quality and have various co-benefits that support UN Sustainable Development Goals, but also have a range of supporting content (images and background information) available for you to use in your own impact communications.
To find out more about how we choose our projects, read this article.
To see the current and past projects in our portfolio, click here.
TRACE & CLIMATE ACTIVE WORKING TOGETHER
Can I be a member of Trace & Climate Active certified?
Yes! In fact, there are already members of Trace that are also Climate Active certified.
Particularly for smaller businesses, or those just beginning to measure and manage their emissions, Trace is the perfect platform to start your journey to net zero as we’ve removed the most significant barriers SMEs face when considering the Climate Active certification process. As your business grows and your knowledge and ability to manage your emissions improves, you may decide to become Climate Active certified in addition to maintaining your Trace membership as the tool that engages your team in action.
How can Trace support my Climate Active certification (now or in the future)?
If your business joins Trace now, and then later decides to pursue Climate Active certification, you will be incredibly well placed to embark on this process as you’ll already be in the habit of collecting data relating to your emissions and will have a wealth of existing information on hand to use in your Climate Active application. Businesses who are in the habit of collecting data for their Trace assessment will have built-up a level of knowledge and understanding within their teams as to why this process is important and how it works and will have had the opportunity to improve their data collection over time, allowing for much more rich data inputs for a Climate Active application and potentially reducing the effort required.
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