Frequently asked questions

The UK government has committed to reach net zero by 2050. The NHS has stated that, by 2030, it will not procure from any supplier that does not have its own net zero target.

All five steps of the framework have free options. Some steps also have paid options, but these are clearly explained and entirely optional. 

It is mandatory for all active (tier 1 – direct) suppliers to provide their carbon data to us on an annual basis (end of June), via our 5 step framework. 

From 2030 onwards, the NHS will not procure from any supplier that has not published a net zero target. 

We need supplier carbon footprint data to feed into our footprint plus performance figures. There are three options available, depending on the level of support you require in calculating your carbon footprint. 

Yes, all suppliers, regardless of size or sector, are required to report.  Any organisation that we spend money with adds to our carbon footprint. 

You should revisit and update your progress annually.  Please progress through the framework, even if you haven’t completed all five steps, all progress is welcome.  

No, we can only accept data submitted via one of the three options on the SmartCarbon platform, as results are automatically fed back to our high-level supplier dashboard.

We have more information about this on our sustainable procurement webpage. You’ll need this code to link your results to our account: NUTHSUPP10

Regardless of if you choose to report via the free or full account option, your client will only see your headline data via their supplier dashboard (e.g. they will see total scope 1 and 2 figures, but not any activity data information that was entered for the calculation process). The data you enter will be kept confidential and is only accessible to your client via password secure access. The data will be used in an aggregated way to enable your client to view the total scope 1 and 2 tCO2e across the full supplier portfolio (which will be added into their scope 3 results). The client will be able to view the total by supplier and by spend code category. Clients will also be able to see direction of travel over time as the supplier dashboard will track the absolute and intensity carbon performance of each supplier annually.

The SmartCarbon application is cloud based and all data is hosted by Microsoft in its UK data centers. We use industry standard SSL encryption to encrypt all data transferred between you and our servers –look for the padlock in your browser. We also employ encryption-at-rest on the data stored on the servers. Backups of the data are taken every 10 minutes and are retained for two weeks. We chose Microsoft as their experience and reputation inspire confidence in their ability to keep your data safe and secure. By using their Azure platform, we are guaranteed that our servers and firewalls are always up to date. Security patches are applied automatically without the need to shut down or restart the servers hosting SmartCarbon. For detailed information, please refer to our Terms & Condition on our webpage.

Yes, your client has chosen the SmartCarbon platform for collecting supply chain emissions information. This platform allows your client to collate supply chain emissions in real time and without requiring to manually collect information from each of their suppliers.

If your organisation has already measured your GHG emissions performance, you can use the free supply chain portal to report those figures. However, if you prefer to use the easy and streamlined GHG emissions data collection and reporting tool that allows you to seamlessly report your emissions to your client as well as generate SECR compliant report, you may utilise the paid version of SmartCarbon at discounted rate.

The number of suppliers and service providers for a client could run into thousands. Collecting information from the individual suppliers and service providers from reports, emails and websites would require significant time and resources. By using a supply chain reporting portal enables your client to collect and collate data conveniently and with minimum efforts.

Organisations may choose to publish report their carbon footprint in a manner which is unique to their business, for example, in the form of intensity metrices only or grouping different scopes together. Such figures may not be compatible with other suppliers, hence cannot be used by your client.

Yes, individually your organisation’s footprint may appear small, however collectively it adds up to your client’s Scope 3 supply chain footprint.

Organisations will often find that micro businesses and SMEs make up the biggest proportion of their supplier base so collectively this can be significant. If your client spends money with you, this will be converted to tonnes of carbon and it is more accurate to capture your reported performance.

The programme is designed to be fit for purpose for any size organisations and time and resource expectations are proportional to scale.

Measuring the collective supply chain footprint allows your client to plan and monitor their Net Zero ambitions. At a national level United Kingdom have committed to reach Net Zero by 2050 and that include all activities and organisations, big or small.

Your client is following a tiered approach of collecting supply chain footprint from direct suppliers / service providers (tier 1) first before moving on to next levels. Every kilo of CO2 matter and even the smallest of footprint contribute something to the overall emissions. Please see Our carbon footprint is very small, do we still need to report our footprint? In addition, you may report the footprint of manufacturer / transporter as your scope 3 emissions, which in turn will help your client to identify the significant contributors or hotspots.

• Social Value Act
• Procurement Policy Note 06/20 – taking account of social value in the award of central government contracts.
• Procurement Policy Note 06/21: Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans in the procurement of major government contracts.
• Definitions for key terms, and links to more info, can be found in the glossary.

No, you will be reporting once on the SmartCarbon platform. If you are reporting for multiple clients that use the SmartCarbon platform then, you will complete the basic information once, the only additional information you need to provide for each of your clients is the corresponding annual sales values and category of goods or services you provide. As mentioned, you will be able to provide all this information in a single page.

• Meet tender requirements and legal compliance requirement for some organisations (e.g. *SECR, which applies to quoted companies, large businesses and LLPs)
• Meet stakeholder expectations
• Market leadership and improved reputation
• Manage climate related risks and opportunities
• Demonstrate a commitment to continual improvement (supports ISO 14001/iiE)
• Identify opportunities for financial savings
• Meet investor expectations and enhanced access to capital
• Support commitment to corporate social responsibility
• Enhance staff engagement, recruitment and retention
• Moral responsibility – take action on climate change

Carbon reporting factors. The methodology we recommend is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard.

• Relevance – Ensure the GHG inventory appropriately reflects the GHG emissions of the company and serves the decision-making needs of users – both internal and external to the company.
  
• Completeness – Account for and report on all GHG emission sources and activities within the chosen inventory boundary. Disclose and justify any specific exclusions.
  
• Consistency – Use consistent methodologies to allow for meaningful comparisons of emissions over time. Transparently document any changes to the data, inventory boundary, methods, or any other relevant factors in the time series.
  
• Transparency – Address all relevant issues in a factual and coherent manner, based on a clear audit trail. Disclose any relevant assumptions and make appropriate references to the accounting and calculation methodologies and data sources used.
  
• Accuracy – Ensure that the quantification of GHG emissions is systematically neither over nor under actual emissions, as far as can be judged, and that uncertainties are reduced as far as practicable. Achieve sufficient accuracy to enable users to make decisions with reasonable assurance as to the integrity of the reported information.

You can find more information on the greenhouse gas protocol website.

The SmartCarbon platform structure, process and output reports are aligned to:

• The SmartCarbon platform structure, process and output reports are aligned to:The Greenhouse Gas Protocol – Corporate Reporting StandardUK Streamlined Energy and Carbon Regulations (SECR) 2019
• UK Government’s Environmental Reporting Guidelines: Including streamlined energy and carbon reporting (SECR) guidance.
• UK Government Procurement drivers such as the Social Value Model, PPN 06/20 and PPN 06/21
• NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap and Evergreen Framework
• Also compatible with ISO 14064 – part 1, PAS 2060, CDP and CDSB standards
• The platform has options to report organisational carbon footprint across scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3, including all 15 subcategories of scope 3 (i.e. complete value chain)
• All 6,500 + UK Government BEIS Defra carbon factors are available and updated annually.
• Additional factors include Working From Home (WFH), employee compute and sector specific factors (e.g. health care and construction)International energy agency factors available where relevant
• Dual reporting options for green tariff electricity. Option to upload bespoke factors (e.g. green tariff electricity).

Definitions for key terms, and links to more info, can be found in the glossary section.

Carbon reporting factors are freely available on the Government website. These are updated annually. Alternatively, all factors are available within the SmartCarbon Calculator platform.

SmartCarbon can help you measure your GHG emissions for home working in simple steps. All you need is to provide is the number of people or hours working from home. The full features of SmartCarbon are available at a very reasonable rate which proportional to the business sizes. In addition, a 10% further discount is available if you are a part of supply chain. For more information refer to the smart carbon calculator website or email smart carbon calculator.

Ideally you should report for the entity that is providing the goods or services to the client. However, if you do not have the report at entity level, you may use the global emissions provided that you report the global turnover. You should consistently apply the same boundary to the reported tCO2e as to the annual turnover then the SmartCarbon platform will use the value of sales figure to calculate a representative proportion of total emissions.

We acknowledge that some suppliers/members will see value in a carbon neutral status, achieved via offsets. The platform will prompt you to report your full carbon footprint (scope 1 and 2) before offsets have been deducted, there will also be the option to reference any offsets purchased and a request to upload offset certificates, but this will not be deducted from the figures that are reported at client level.

The NHS has not published a position on carbon offsets.

The Science Based Targets Institute’s Net-Zero Standard requires that an organisation should aim for emission reductions of at least 90-95%, allowing for a maximum 5 -10% offsetting. This a good indication of stakeholder expectation that, if used, offsets should make up a small proportion of the portfolio of actions and that effort should be focused on eliminating and reducing emissions ahead of offsetting.

The UK Environmental Reporting Guidelines recommend reporting of the emissions from green tariff/REGOs (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin) by location based method. That means you should report such emissions using the national grid factors while providing your Scope 1 & 2 emissions to us. If you wish you may provide the link to your published report based on dual reporting or market based method.

We recommend the Pathways to Net Zero: Using the IEMA GHG Management HierarchyNovember 2020

If you require further help in formulating your Net Zero strategy and plans, SmartCarbon can help you with its 3-step programme. For more information refer to: smart carbon calculator or email smart carbon calculator.

A CRP is a requirement under PPN 06/21 for the procurement of major central government contracts.

These Carbon Reduction Plans must:

• Be published on the supplier’s website
• Be signed off at an appropriate level within 12 months of the date of the procurement
• Confirm the supplier’s commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050 (at the latest)
• Detail the supplier’s Greenhouse Gas emissions
• Detail the environmental management measures that can be applied in the delivery of the contract.

Carbon Reduction Plans should include UK emissions for Scope 1 and Scope 2, along with a subset of five Scope 3 emissions categories:

• Business travel
  • Employee commutingWaste generated in operationsUpstream transportation and distribution
  • Downstream transportation and distribution.

Full details of the reporting requirements for Carbon Reduction Plans can be found in the Technical standard for Completion of Carbon Reduction Plans

Procurement Policy Note 06/21: Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans in the procurement of major government contracts – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We recommend you use the template.

We recommend you implement the IEMA Greenhouse Gas Hierarchy.

You have the option to choose between free reporting accounts or subscribing to a full account at a discounted rate.

1. If you already are calculating your footprint and just wish to report the results, then it is free to use.
   
2. If this is the first time you will be measuring your carbon footprint, then SmartCarbon Lite (available for free) provides you with a simplified and very easy to use platform that takes you step by step through completing your first carbon report. The SmartCarbon Lite can help your company to comply with the requirements of PPN 06/21.
   
3. If you wish to measure your carbon footprint comprehensively or wish to improve upon your existing calculation tool / method, then the full account provides you with an easy to use simple but versatile platform to measure your carbon footprint utilising the up-to-date emissions factors and seamlessly report to your client with minimum efforts.

You are eligible for 10% discount on the annual subscription rate, as long as you maintain the supplier link to at least one company. If you are an NHS organisation, you are eligible for 20% discount. Please refer to the below rate list before applying the discount.

The free reporting portal allows you to report your figures if you already have calculated your footprint. SmartCarbon Lite (also free) allows creating simplified carbon footprint report, if this is the first time. Whereas, if you will be measuring your carbon footprint comprehensively or wish to improve upon your existing calculation tool / method then the full account provides you with an easy to use versatile platform to measure your carbon footprint utilising the up-to-date emissions factors and seamlessly report to your client with minimum efforts.

If you establish a supplier link with at least one organisation during the registration, you will be eligible for 10% discount on the annual subscription rate, as long as you maintain the link.

Yes, please email smart carbon calculator to receive your 20% discount code.

No, you only pay the cost shown to you upfront.

SmartCarbon programme supports businesses and organisations of any size or sector to calculate, report and reduce carbon emissions using our simple 3 Step Process. Organisations can choose to follow all 3 steps, do any steps in isolation, or request bespoke support based on any stage of the process. We have worked with hundreds of companies from large multinationals to one-person operations and worked with private, public and third sector organisations.

The benefits of the platform:

The SmartCarbon platform structure, process and output reports are aligned to:

• The Greenhouse Gas Protocol – Corporate Reporting Standard
• UK Streamlined Energy and Carbon Regulations (SECR) 2019
• UK Government’s Environmental Reporting Guidelines: Including streamlined energy and carbon reporting (SECR) guidance.
• UK Government Procurement drivers such as the Social Value Model, PPN 06/20 and PPN 06/21
• NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap and Evergreen Framework
• Also compatible with ISO 14064 – part 1, PAS 2060, CDP
• Platform structure and price point options available to suit a wide range of organisational sizes and sectors (from micro businesses to multinationals, across private, public and third sector)
• The platform has options to report organisational carbon footprint across scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3, including all 15 subcategories of scope 3 (i.e. complete value chain)
• All 6,500 + UK Government BEIS Defra carbon factors are available and updated annually.
• Award winning scope 3 supply chain dashboard and engagement model.
• Additional factors include Working From Home (WFH), employee compute and sector specific factors (e.g. health care and construction)
• International energy agency factors available where relevant
• Dual reporting options for green tariff electricity. Option to upload bespoke factors (e.g. green tariff electricity).
• The platform is highly configurable and allows users to structure the account, calculations and reporting parameters to completely match the needs of the organisation and to allow clear insight as to how and where emissions can be reduced.
• Flexible account structure makes it easy to track performance and report at various levels (E.g. Group, sub divisional, departmental level).
• Options to recalculate base years and adjust for acquisitions, mergers, divestments, insourcing and outsourcing
• Variable user settings enable functionality and account access to be set as appropriate for different roles and functions (e.g. data input, edit, delete, audit etc)
• Intuitive and user friendly (with free on-boarding support from our dedicated team and user guides)
• Example checklists and procedures available
• Data import and export options
• Output graphs excel exports help identify hotspots and areas to prioritise for reduction
• Additional training and consultancy support available

Please see testimonials and more info on the smart carbon calculator website.

SmartCarbon Ltd Registered address: 47, Hollywood Avenue, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne. NE3 5BR. Company Registration number: 10204262 | VAT registration number: 372632887
visit the smart carbon calculator website
Contact us at email smart carbon calculator.

We can recommend the following IEMA approved courses via Northumbria University. Carbon Footprinting (GHG Accounting), Carbon Management and Carbon Reporting (northumbria.ac.uk)

Yes of course! SmartCarbon programme supports businesses and organisations of any size or sector to calculate, report and reduce carbon emissions using our simple 3 Step Process. Organisations can choose to follow all 3 steps, do any steps in isolation, or request bespoke support based on any stage of the process. We have worked with hundreds of companies from large multinationals to one- person operations and worked with private, public and third sector organisations. For more information refer to our website visit our smart carbon calculator website or email smart carbon calculator.

Please email smart carbon calculator and we will try our best to help you within reasonable range. All our paid subscribers of SmartCarbon receive one-to-one help with on-boarding and advice on platform setup to best reflect the organisation’s needs and expectations. Consultancy and training packages are available if required.

If your question is related to the SmartCarbon and not resolved by the FAQs and User Guide, then please email smart carbon calculator and we will try our best to help you within reasonable range. If your question is related to your client procurement policies, then please contact them directly.

Definitions for key terms can be found in the glossary.