How does it work; what is the method behind the calculation?
Carbon accounting requires joining activity data (from your organization) with (usually externally provided) emission factors. Those emission factors either come from industry statistics, or are provided by your suppliers.
We use the following sources for emission factors for the Carbon Accounting module:
Emission factors for fuels (Scope 1) and district heat (part of scope 2) are taken from UK Government, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, "Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors"
Emission factors for electricity (part of Scope 2) are taken from the energy think tank Ember
Scope 3 emission factors are sourced from item+s, a proprietary database developed by ctrl+s GmbH — operator of the supplier+s platform
By inviting your suppliers to join the supplier+s platform, you can collect primary supplier data that is used to refine (or calculate) the emission factors used for your organization's carbon accounting.
The combination of activity data and emission factors follows two methodologies described and accepted by the GHG Protocol:
For energy and energy carriers (Scope 1+2), we use your input of physical activities (given in units like kWh or liters) and combine it with the corresponding emission factors. This method is referred to as the "activity-based approach".
For Scope 3 upstream, we use your input of monetary activities (given in USD) instead. This methodology is referred to as the "spend-based approach".
How reliable are the results?
The carbon accounting provided by supplier+s is based on methods, procedures and external datasets that are in line with common reporting standards like the GHG Protocol and accepted by initiatives like the CDP or Science Based Targets (SBTi).
Please note that we apply some simplifications for the calculation of Scope 3 upstream emissions to ensure it is easy and straightforward to use without additional consulting support.
Please also note that we cannot guarantee a complete and correct application of the tool, as the calculation results also depend on the accuracy of the data you provide.
How is my sensitive data protected?
Sharing of data between you and any client will always require your explicit consent (see section "Will my sensitive data be shared with the client(s) that invited me to supplier+s?" above for more information about what data you can choose to share).
The supplier+s platform is operated by ctrl+s GmbH in compliance with applicable data protection requirements, particularly the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
We take data security extremely seriously. Our servers are located in the European Union, mostly in Germany. Data is end-to-end encrypted, and your data is segregated from other accounts in an independent database. We have implemented several security measures to ensure the safety of your data. Our data centers and IT infrastructure are certified with ISO27001, SOC 2 Type II, and SOC 1 Type II.
For more information on how we process personal data, please refer to our Privacy Policy.