10 mistakes in carbon footprint calculators that mislead companies

What is carbon footprint?

It is worth remembering what the carbon footprint is – it is the sum of greenhouse gas emissions (including carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, and others), measured as tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, resulting from an organization’s activities – such as fuel combustion, production processes, electricity consumption, business travel by employees, raw material transport, or the generation of production waste. Carbon footprint reporting covers both direct and indirect emissions – for example, those related to purchased electricity or emissions across the entire supply chain.

Complete Guide: How to Effectively Prepare for ESG Reporting

Calculating a company’s carbon footprint is no longer optional—it is a necessity, both due to EU regulations (CSRD, CBAM, EU Taxonomy) and the expectations of clients, investors, and business partners. Addressing the carbon footprint has become a key element in the scope of sustainable development and building a positive corporate image. Unfortunately, many organizations make the most common mistakes when calculating their carbon footprint, which makes reports unreliable and prevents the entire process of calculating the organization’s carbon footprint from fulfilling its purpose.

1. Lack of Responsiveness and Support

Many clients complain that they have to wait several days to get in touch with their account manager or support team. Meanwhile, the process of calculating an organization’s carbon footprint is continuous and requires ongoing information exchange—questions and doubts arise at every stage, from data collection to interpreting the results.

A slow response limits the ability to detect errors quickly, makes timely report preparation difficult, and directly undermines trust in the provider. A professional partner should not only be available at key moments but also provide proactive communication, giving the client confidence that they will not be left to handle issues on their own.

Support and ongoing advice help minimise the organisation’s carbon footprint.

2. Non-Transparent Carbon Footprint Calculations

Reports that do not disclose data sources or methodology are practically useless. Companies must operate in accordance with recognized standards, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), which categorizes emissions into scopes and ensures proper classification. Following the GHG Protocol guidelines assures that a report will comply with regulations and be audit-ready.

If a client does not understand how the calculations were made, has no access to source data, and the emissions-assessment provider refuses to disclose them, the report cannot be verified. In the case of an audit, this situation can lead to serious issues and reputational damage for the client.

Therefore, it is crucial to choose tools and providers that follow recognized standards, such as ISAE 3000. This international standard for assuring non-financial reports guarantees data reliability and the use of established control procedures.

3. Data Errors and Large Discrepancies

One of the most common problems when calculating a carbon footprint is unjustified differences in results—both between consecutive years and between different reports prepared for the same company. Sometimes recalculations of several percent occur, not due to actual changes in the company’s operations but because of methodological errors or inconsistent input data.

Such situations undermine the credibility of the report—neither management nor investors can make decisions based on uncertain figures. In case of inspections, there is also a risk that the report may be challenged, exposing the company to financial and reputational losses.

4. Lack of Expert Support

A good carbon footprint calculation tool is only the beginning of the reporting process. Software alone is not enough—the client must know what data to collect, how to organize it correctly, and how to interpret the results. Without this, the report becomes just a set of numbers, difficult to use for informed business decisions.

A lack of expert support leaves the company on its own, unable to implement real reduction measures or prepare a reliable ESG report. Access to ESG experts is just as important as having the application or technical support—specialists assist in data analysis, verifying indicators, and preparing recommendations that can genuinely improve the effectiveness and reliability of greenhouse gas emissions reporting.

Professional technical support increases the credibility of the carbon footprint report.

5. Unhelpful Recommendations

A common mistake is providing vague, impractical guidance that does not help actually reduce CO₂ emissions. Clients quickly notice that such recommendations are disconnected from reality and cannot be implemented. A professional tool should provide recommendations tailored to the company’s and industry’s specifics, taking into account the actual emissions generated by the client.

Generic guidance is ineffective. Only an individualized approach—considering the type of production, company activities related to emissions, and key sources of greenhouse gas emissions—offers a real chance for savings, including easier energy conservation and directly reducing bills.

The goal of reduction recommendations is to encourage the emitter to lower the organization’s carbon footprint, ultimately working toward climate neutrality.

Decarbonization step by step: a recipe for a competitive and resilient business.

6. Exploiting the Client’s Lack of Knowledge

Some providers assume that the client “won’t understand anyway,” so they do not explain the methodology or data sources. The result? A lack of trust and the feeling that the results are random. Furthermore, in the event of an audit, the client is left without arguments to defend the report. A professional approach assumes a partnership-based collaboration—the client should understand the results of the calculations and what lies behind them. There is no need to disclose all proprietary know-how for the client to become aware, which in turn will enable more effective implementation of decarbonization strategies in the future.

A professional provider not only presents the data but also educates. This way, the client understands how emissions are generated in the operational process and what options they have for reduction—for example, through increasing energy efficiency, better waste management, or investments in wind power plants.

Current emission factors are the basis for reliable carbon footprint calculations.

7. Outdated Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors

A company’s carbon footprint must be calculated based on the latest emission factors, aligned with recognized databases (e.g., DEFRA, IEA). Using outdated factors leads to incorrect results, which have no value in ESG reports or communication with investors. This is an error that can undermine the entire greenhouse gas emissions reporting process.

Therefore, it is crucial that emissions from raw material extraction, fossil fuel combustion, or emissions associated with purchased products are calculated according to the most current knowledge and up-to-date scientific data.

How to calculate a company’s carbon footprint? Methodology, standards, and data sources.

8. Limited Expert Support

Some consulting firms offer clients only a few hours of support per year. This is insufficient to reliably go through the entire process—from data collection, through verification, to final carbon footprint reporting. A few hours of consultation per year is simply not enough. Clients need ongoing support to quickly respond to regulatory changes and be ready to take action on emissions reduction.

Clients require continuous access to an expert who advises on methodology, emission factors, and best practices in ESG reporting. Constant expert involvement increases the credibility of the report, enables rapid response to regulatory changes, and often determines whether the collaboration continues in subsequent years.

The role of ESG experts in data analysis and improving the quality of carbon footprint reports is crucial.

9. Lack of Experts on the Team

It happens that companies providing ESG reporting services employ mainly sales staff rather than specialists with relevant qualifications. The result? The client receives commercial support but not substantive, expert guidance. Meanwhile, calculating the carbon footprint requires knowledge in environmental protection, sustainable development, and regulations—without this, the data and recommendations lose their value.

Without the involvement of experts, it is difficult to advise the client on how to calculate their carbon footprint, what actions to take to reduce the impact of their operations on the natural environment, and how to prepare a report compliant with regulations. Relying solely on external experts also carries the risk of delayed responses to client questions, which diminishes the quality of the entire reporting process.

Calculating your carbon footprint is the cornerstone of any climate neutrality strategy.

10. Issues with Trust in the Provider

Large enterprises—and increasingly, new clients—look for partners who are locally present and understand the market. Stability and a transparent process build trust and facilitate long-term collaboration. For many clients, it is important to work with a company that has a local presence and understands the specifics of the market.

Summary

Calculating a carbon footprint is not just a formality. It is a process that allows companies to:

• Identify key sources of greenhouse gas emissions,

• Correctly draw conclusions about emissions throughout the entire supply chain,

• Implement company actions to reduce impact on the natural environment,

• Ensure compliance with regulations and financial grants,

• And at the same time, deliver tangible business benefits—from cost reduction, gaining new clients, to the ability to grow the business faster.

Awareness of global warming and climate change means that more investors and clients are paying attention to companies with a smaller environmental impact. Calculating both the organization’s carbon footprint and the product carbon footprint becomes the foundation not only for ESG reporting but also for the overall sustainable development strategy and the pursuit of climate neutrality.