- A first carbon footprint stumbles less on the calculation than on method decisions: boundary, emission factors, scope 3 exclusions.
- Five ways to get support exist: free spreadsheet or calculator, training, consultancy or consultant, self-service software, platform with a coach.
- Each option delegates a different share of the work and leaves a different share to the company: the right choice depends on your team, what the figure will be used for and your timeline.
- To answer CDP 2027 with 2026 data, a support program of about three months must start in March 2027 at the latest.
Doing your first company carbon footprint takes fewer formulas than decisions. Which boundary to choose, which emission factor to apply to a purchase, which scope 3 category to exclude and on what grounds: these choices determine how reliable the figure is. That is where teams find themselves alone.
The pressure keeps rising. In 2025, 55,838 companies assessed by EcoVadis reported at least one greenhouse gas emissions indicator (EcoVadis, May 2026). For an average company, scope 3 weighs 21 times scopes 1 and 2 combined, yet only 24% of companies report it (EcoVadis and BCG, September 2025). Getting support is no longer a luxury: the point is to choose the form of support that fits your situation.
The 5 ways to get support for your carbon footprint
The table compares what each option delegates, what it leaves to you, the timeline and what you are left with after the first footprint. Budgets are orders of magnitude, detailed in our analysis of the cost of a carbon footprint.
| Option | What you delegate | What stays with you | Indicative timeline | Indicative budget | After the first footprint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free spreadsheet or calculator | Nothing | Boundary, factors, calculation, justification | Varies with company size | Internal time | A file, with no external validation |
| Method training | Learning the method | Data collection, calculation, report | A few days of training, then the footprint | From €240 excl. VAT (introductory) to €1,250 excl. VAT (advanced) per person | One trained, autonomous person |
| Consultancy or consultant | Most of the calculation and the report | Data collection, validations | 6 to 8 months in a subsidized program | From about €10,000 | A report, the method stays with the provider |
| Self-service software | Calculation and data storage | Collection, method choices, action plan | Varies with company size | Around €2,000 to €5,000 per year | Data kept, no coach |
| Platform with a coach | Scoping, team training, inventory validation | Data collection | About 3 months | Quote-based | Data and method kept, footprint tied to the sustainability roadmap |
Do it yourself with a spreadsheet or a free calculator
This is the cheapest option and the most demanding in time. A spreadsheet and public emission factors are enough for a first order of magnitude, following the step-by-step approach described in our article on how to calculate your carbon footprint. The result suits internal use. It reaches its limits when a customer, an auditor or an assessor asks you to justify every factor and every exclusion.
Train on the method
Training gives one or more people in the company command of the Bilan Carbone® method. At one market training provider, 2025 public prices range from €240 excl. VAT for an introduction to €1,250 excl. VAT for an advanced level. Training does not deliver the footprint: collection, calculation and the report are still to do. It suits companies that have someone available and want to build the skill in-house.
Hire a consultancy or a consultant
A consultancy or consultant does most of the calculation and writes the report. For a full supported footprint, expect from about €10,000, depending on size and boundary. The company saves time, but the method stays with the provider: from one year to the next, you often need to call them back.
Use self-service software
Carbon accounting software calculates emissions, keeps data from one year to the next and tracks progress. It assumes your team collects the data, chooses the method and builds the action plan. For the features to require and the questions to ask, see our analysis of carbon accounting software.
Choose a platform with a coach
This option pairs a tool with human support. At Ditto, a carbon coach leads the scoping, trains the project team, answers contributors and validates the inventory, while the platform centralizes collection. The deliverable goes beyond the number: an emissions map, priority categories and a quantified reduction roadmap. The following year, the footprint is recalculated on the same boundary, then the same data serves EcoVadis, CDP, CSRD and VS (formerly VSME).
At Connectt (about 120 employees, staffing), a Ditto expert scoped the first carbon footprint and data collection was centralized on the platform. The organization manager sums it up: "Ditto helped us demystify the carbon footprint."
Have a coach scope your first carbon footprint.
A 15-minute call with a Ditto expert to define the boundary, method and timeline that fit your company.
Which option to choose for your situation
| Your situation | Option to look at first |
|---|---|
| First footprint, no dedicated carbon team | Platform with a coach |
| One trained person with time available | Spreadsheet or self-service software |
| Footprint required by a large account or a tender | Platform with a coach, or consultancy |
| Footprint to reuse for EcoVadis, CDP or CSRD | Platform with a coach |
| Fewer than 500 employees and a budget to optimize | Consultancy through the Diag Décarbon'Action |
| Wish to build skills in-house | Training, alone or with a coach |
| First order of magnitude, no external stakes | Spreadsheet or free calculator |
Questions to ask before signing
Whatever the option, five questions let you compare:
- Who justifies the emission factors and the scope 3 exclusions? An exclusion has only three possible justifications: not applicable, double counting, or not significant after estimation. Ask that it be documented.
- What deliverables do you receive: a report alone, or also an emissions map, priority categories and a quantified roadmap?
- What remains the following year? A footprint is only comparable from one year to the next if the boundary is kept.
- Does your team build skills, or do you depend on the provider for every cycle?
- What funding applies, depending on your size and your option?
To compare specific providers, see the ranking of carbon footprint providers.
When to start your carbon footprint
The timeline depends on what the footprint is for. Collection can begin as soon as the reference year's books are closed. To answer CDP 2027, whose questionnaire opens April 23 and closes July 23, with 2026 data, the inventory must be delivered before the end of June.
A support program of about three months must therefore start in March 2027 at the latest. A subsidized program of 6 to 8 months, launched in November 2026, ends between May and July 2027: right at the deadline.
Build a repeatable carbon process
The Plan-Do-Check-Act guide to keeping a consistent method and consistent factors from one cycle to the next.
From footprint to sustainability roadmap
A carbon footprint is not only about producing a number: it sets a starting point for an action plan. The measured emissions feed the Environment theme of EcoVadis, CDP responses and CSRD reporting, then guide the reduction levers. Good support connects these uses instead of handling them one by one. It also leaves the company with the method to redo the footprint every year.
From carbon footprint to EcoVadis medal: the step-by-step guide
The steps of a first carbon footprint and how to reuse it in your EcoVadis assessment.
Carbon footprint support: key takeaways
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do you need support? | Not necessarily, but a first footprint stumbles on method decisions: support avoids errors and saves time. |
| What are the five options? | Free spreadsheet or calculator, training, consultancy or consultant, self-service software, platform with a coach. |
| Which option for a first footprint with no carbon team? | A platform with a coach, who scopes the footprint, trains the team and ties it to the sustainability roadmap. |
| When to start to answer CDP 2027? | March 2027 at the latest for a program of about three months, as early as November 2026 for a subsidized program of 6 to 8 months. |
