Why Integrations Are Crucial for Automating Scope 3 Emissions Data

In today's business landscape, sustainability is more than just a goal, it’s an essential part of doing business. For many organisations, tackling Scope 3 emissions, those that come from your supply chain, can feel overwhelming. 

Scope 3 covers everything from the products you purchase to how they’re transported, right down to business travel and even waste disposal. With 15 of the 18 Greenhouse Gas Protocol categories falling under Scope 3, it’s no wonder that collecting, managing, and reporting these emissions is complex. But with Zevero it doesn’t have to be. 

One of the most effective ways to manage this process is through integrations - automating the flow of data between systems like enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms and emissions reporting tools. This challenge was recently highlighted in the Scope 3 podcast where they emphasised the importance of integration in managing sustainability data effectively:

Integration is the key thing. When you look at the systems that large businesses use, the ERP systems, and when you look at the systems that small for smaller companies use, nobody's ever going to choose one system. Nobody's ever going to choose one solution or probably even 10 solutions or 100 solutions. You start looking globally. So it's the ability to integrate, to export, to import data, the API, the computer-related API in this state, in this instance, that's vital.

You can listen to the full episode below. Integrations simplify emissions reporting, making it easier and more accurate - a crucial part of any modern sustainability strategy. So, let’s dive into why integrating your systems can help streamline the process and why it’s essential for businesses of all sizes.

What emissions data can be collected by integrating with Zevero?

Integrating your systems with Zevero streamlines the entire process of collecting Scope 3 emissions data, making it easier to gather granular and accurate information from across your supply chain. But what exactly can you track?

Zevero collects data from purchased goods and services and upstream transportation and distribution, to ensure that every part of your operations, from the raw materials you source to the transportation of the goods to your sites, is covered.

Each item is then matched to an emission factor, and you can read more about that process here. The transportation distance is mapped using the supplier location and the emissions are calculated.

Here’s the data that we collect:

For purchased goods and services and upstream and downstream transportation (UTD) and distribution, the same data points are collected:

• Date of purchase
• Purchase categories and SKU name for all items e.g. beer, cans, 250ml can
• Supplier name
• Supplier location
• Units (kg, no. items, litres, GBP spent)
• Quantity

Here’s an example of an item collected for purchased goods and services:

Benefits of Integrating ERP Systems with Emissions Reporting Tools

Using integrations to connect your ERP systems with emissions reporting tools doesn’t just save time, it transforms the way you collect and report data.

Time and Effort Saved

Integrations pull data automatically from your procurement systems, cutting down manual entry. This drastically reduces the time it takes to gather emissions data.

More Frequent and Accurate Reporting

With data being pulled in real-time, or at regular intervals, you can generate up-to-date reports more frequently, ensuring the numbers are accurate.

Scalability 

Whether you have hundreds or thousands of procurement records, integrations scale to meet your needs. It doesn’t matter how much data you have—integrations keep things streamlined.

Better Data Quality 

By linking directly to your procurement data, integrations ensure that the data is reliable, and the matching emissions factors are spot-on, resulting in more accurate reports.

How Zevero’s Integrations Help Automate Scope 3 Data

At Zevero, we’ve tackled this challenge head-on. We understand the complexity of gathering and calculating Scope 3 emissions data, which is why we built our emissions engine to integrate seamlessly with major ERP systems. From Xero and NetSuite to Breww and Brewman, our system uses API integrations to automate your emissions reporting.

Automated Data Collection

Zevero’s platform automatically pulls your data from your procurement system, reducing the need for manual entry. Having spoken with organisations from 10 people to 1,500, we know that it can take hundreds of hours and often multiple people to collect your purchase data without Zevero. Our integrations can cut down data collection for scope 3 by up to 99%. 

Accurate Emissions Matching

Not only do integrations help make data collection more efficient, they also make measuring your emissions more accurate. Zevero’s platform is built on what we call our 'Emission Engine': an AI-enabled system that matches an organisation's input to an emission factor. 

This ensures that your Scope 3 emissions are calculated with precision, rather than guesswork, providing you with up-to-date and reliable insights into your sustainability performance.

Minimal Manual Intervention

Often companies measuring their emissions without a platform get emission measurement burnout with unscalable and repeated systems. 

With Zevero, once you’re integrated, your job on collecting your scope 3 data is done. The API automatically pulls data and calculates emissions. This allows your team to focus on what matters, decarbonising your business, rather than calculating your impact. 

Scalability and Future Integrations

Zevero supports ERP integrations that cover tens of thousands of organisations around the world, with accounting integrations spanning millions. With Unleashed Software and NetSuite integrations, Zevero can cover the entire SME market for consumer goods. 

Conclusion: Automating Scope 3 Emissions with Zevero

Managing Scope 3 emissions can seem impossible, but it doesn’t have to be. By integrating with major ERP systems, Zevero helps you streamline and automate your emissions data collection, making it faster, more accurate, and less dependent on manual input. Whether you’re dealing with hundreds or thousands of records, Zevero can help you make sense of it all and give you the insights you need to reduce your carbon footprint. Contact us to learn more about how we can support your sustainability journey.