In the last few years, global disclosure rules (e.g., CSRD, ISSB-aligned standards, California’s SB 253/SB 261, and proposed SEC climate disclosures) have amplified expectations for transparent, audit-ready data across Scopes 1, 2, and 3. We have seen increasing scrutiny on the sustainability impact of organizations with greater emphasis on value-chain (Scope 3) reporting and supplier engagement. Consumers are looking to support organizations that meet ambitious sustainability goals, while investors and regulators require verifiable, decision-grade data, and markets are responding accordingly with an explosion in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and sustainable investing options.
Whether you’re looking to monitor emissions for voluntary or mandatory reporting, sustainability software with robust GHG management capabilities plays a critical role in ensuring you have a single system of record to accurately manage huge volumes of data from Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, support net-zero pathways, and streamline compliance with emerging disclosure requirements.
To help you find the sustainability software solution that will best meet your needs, we’ve put together a list of some key questions you will want to ask your potential software providers when selecting a system. Your software solution will ultimately help you accurately manage large quantities of data, avoid costly errors, and reduce the time needed for reporting.
1. How Does Your Sustainability Software Support My Sustainability Goals?
Many companies are setting ambitious sustainability goals. A system that helps you maintain compliance with mandatory reporting should also be able to help you gain insights to analyze trends and make changes to meet carbon reduction goals. Because the ability to make operational changes quickly relies on the frequency of data being sent, look for sustainability software that allows data to be sent on a daily basis, enabling you to see real-time trends and take action where needed. As data is imported or entered, you should be able to continuously monitor against monthly or quarterly targets both at individual facilities as well as easily aggregate data across global operations. Look for dashboards with configurable widgets, flexible data entry, initiative tracking, and scenario analysis to monitor progress and adjust strategies.
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2. What are the Calculation Capabilities of the Software solution?
Depending on what kind of reports you are creating, you may need more or less complex calculation capabilities. Often, organizations need to use the same data to create a variety of different calculations in order to meet the requirements of different kinds of reports such as GRI or CDP.
Look for a software solution that can:
- Automatically associate the data values with dates and time frames, both past, present, and future
- Perform calendar and rolling aggregations, such as sums, averages, counts, etc.
- Evaluate whether data exists for specific dates and times or for periods of time (required for frequency analysis)
- Produce logic-based results (if/then instructions)
- Compare calculated results to allowed or desired ranges or limits
- Use global GHG factors (Scopes 1-3, location- and market-based)
- Support CDP, SASB, GRI, CSRD, and custom metrics
- Allow scenario analysis against targets
3. Does the System Issue Tasks and Reminders?
Manual entry is still required for certain data, so it’s important that GHG software supports automated tasking, reminders, and escalations to ensure visibility and accountability. Beyond simple prompts, modern solutions now leverage AI and configurable workflows to trigger tasks when data is missing, intervals are inadequate, or thresholds are exceeded. These tasks can be assigned across the business, tracked through multi-level approvals, and linked to corrective action forms. Today’s leading systems also integrate with risk and opportunity management, support internal and external audits, and offer mobile access for field teams, ensuring engagement across the organization.
4. Does the Software Integrate Seamlessly with other IT Systems?
Looking for a SaaS-based system with a robust set of APIs is a good place to start. Beyond the obvious answer that it can be integrated with other systems, look for a system and vendor with a proven track record of integrations with a variety of systems. Integration with CEMS (Continuous Emissions Monitoring System), process historians, SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems, and ERP systems at multi-facility corporations is the minimum requirement. However, it should also integrate with supplier assessment modules, Scope 3 reporting tools, while supporting XBRL tagging for regulatory reporting purposes. Modern solutions should also provide interoperability with finance, procurement, and enterprise risk systems to break down silos. In addition, they should be AI-ready to automate data validation and insights across platforms, and support evolving disclosure requirements under CSRD, SEC climate rules, California’s climate legislation, and ISSB.
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5. How Does the Solution Integrate GHG Emissions with other Environmental and EHS Programs?
For companies managing emissions across multiple regulatory and reporting frameworks, it is important to maintain a single, consistent set of emissions calculations to support compliance, reporting, and strategic decision-making across both mandatory and voluntary programs.
Ideally you should input data once and then the system is able to perform a variety of calculations to support multiple regulatory requirements, saving time and money by avoiding duplicate data entry, while ensuring the integrity of the data at the same time.
Top solutions integrate GHG data into broader ESG and climate risk programs, align with CSRD, ISSB, and TCFD frameworks, and include accredited third-party content from CDP, SASB, and GRI. Importantly, they also extend into broader EHS+ programs and emissions inventories, capturing impacts from waste, water, and land use, to provide organizations with a complete view of environmental performance across all operations.
How Cority Can Help
The right sustainability software in 2025 is about driving a sustainable performance advantage across your organization. CorityOne brings together modern, AI-ready software, unrivaled EHS+ data, and deep industry expertise to help you collect, connect, and structure emissions and ESG data. With configurable workflows, scenario analysis, and integrated dashboards, Cority enables you to track progress, engage your workforce, and turn data into actionable insights, empowering you to achieve compliance, decarbonization goals, and operational excellence in one unified platform. Learn more about our Sustainability Solution.
