Methodology & approach

Trace is on a mission to remove the barriers to becoming carbon neutral in a simple and engaging digital platform.

Our approach

Measuring, reducing and offsetting your emissions doesn’t have to be complex, time consuming and expensive
Our mission is to remove the barriers to becoming carbon neutral
We believe in the 80:20 rule - 80% accuracy comes from 20% of the effort, which allows us to analyse your emissions in a matter of days and at zero cost
We include emissions from our client’s operations, employees and supply chain, using data readily available in your business
Our CO2 emissions model is based on Climate Active, NABERs and GHG Protocol methodology and uses emissions factors and benchmark data from auditable public sources

Our model has been independently reviewed by lifecycle analysis consultant, Andrew D Moore. We periodically review and enhance the underlying data to ensure accuracy & transparency.

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Our methodology

The trace emissions engine leverages best practice carbon accounting methodologies, including the UK Government, Australia Government’s Climate Active programme, NABER and the global GHG Protocol.

The model covers:

Scope 1: Direct emissions (fuel used by facilitates and vehicles)
Scope 2: Indirect emissions (electricity usage on premises and by staff working from home)
Scope 3: Supply chain emissions (materials, manufacturing, freight, waste from operations, employee commuting & travel, customer deliveries)

Data sources

The calculator uses publicly available emissions factors from multiple global data sources, which are regularly updated to ensure the most accurate information is used.

Key sources include:

Emissions Boundary

The badge you earn (e.g. 'Carbon Neutral Organisation') depends on the boundary of emissions that you measure and offset.

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Note the trace calculator does not include emissions from customer usage and product end of life treatment as the methodology relies heavily on gross assumptions and the activities are very difficult for a business to control.

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We follow best practice from Climate Active and require that customers include suppliers in the emissions boundary if they meet 2 of the following criteria.

The emissions from the source are likely to be large relative to the organisation's electricity, energy & fuel consumption
The emissions from the source contribute to the organisations greenhouse gas risk exposure
Key stakeholders deem the emissions from the source to be relevant
The responsible entity has the potential to influence the reduction of emissions from the source
The emissions are from outsourced activities previously undertaken within the organisation or from outsourced activities typically undertaken in-house by comparable organisations