Net zero management software · targets, plans and claims
Net zero management software
Net zero management software tracks a company’s emissions against its target and manages the plan meant to get there.
Net zero is not one standard, so this page reads the software job against each one that gives the phrase a meaning.
It ranks nothing and has tested no product.
Status, stated exactly
What "net zero" means, depending on the standard
Four uses of the phrase, none of them a UK legal duty for companies.
Module 01 / 04
SBTi: voluntary
Near-term and net-zero targets, validated by SBTi Services.
Module 02 / 04
PPN 006: procurement policy
A commitment to net zero by 2050 in the UK.
Module 03 / 04
UK SRS S2: comply or explain
Information about any transition plan.
Module 04 / 04
ISO 14068: voluntary
Carbon neutrality claims, not net zero.
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
A PPN 006 carbon reduction plan must confirm a commitment to net zero by 2050 in the UK (PPN 006 Technical Standard).
No UK entity is under a legal duty to have, implement or publish a climate transition plan (UK SRS S2).
Targets
Net zero targets in a management tool
Coverage, base year and gross progress.
Module 01 / 04
Coverage
At least 95% of Scope 1 and 2 for an SBTi near-term target.
Module 02 / 04
Scope 3
Included where relevant Scope 3 is 40% or more of the total.
Module 03 / 04
Credits
Never count as reductions.
Module 04 / 04
Tool
The SBTi publishes a free target-setting spreadsheet.
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
An SBTi near-term target must cover at least 95% of Scope 1 and 2 and include Scope 3 where relevant Scope 3 is 40% or more of the total (SBTi criteria).
The SBTi’s own target-setting tool is a free spreadsheet (SBTi).
Transition plans
Net zero reporting software and the transition plan
UK SRS S2 asks about any plan; the listing rules carry a statement.
Module 01 / 04
¶14(a)(iv)
Key assumptions and dependencies of any plan.
Module 02 / 04
¶14(c)
Progress against plans disclosed before.
Module 03 / 04
Listing rules
Transition-plan statement for UKLR 6, 16 and 22.
Module 04 / 04
Consultation
DESNZ consulted in 2025; no outcome published.
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
The listing rules for UKLR 6, 16 and 22 carry a transition-plan statement; UKLR 14 stops at assurance (PS26/19).
The government consulted on transition plan requirements in 2025 and had published no outcome by October 2026 (DESNZ).
The TPT’s disclosure material is archived guidance hosted by the IFRS Foundation (IFRS Foundation).
Claims
Net zero, carbon neutral and the claims a tool can support
PAS 2060 is withdrawn; ISO 14068 needs reductions every cycle.
Module 01 / 04
PAS 2060
Withdrawn; verification stopped 1 January 2025.
Module 02 / 04
ISO 14068:2026
Current carbon neutrality standard.
Module 03 / 04
Reductions
Evidence needed every reporting cycle.
Module 04 / 04
Gross figure
Credits reported apart from the inventory.
Progress
Measuring progress honestly
Gross emissions against the base year, with method changes recalculated.
Module 01 / 04
Base year
Fixed, recalculated if the method changes.
Module 02 / 04
Gross
No credits netted off.
Module 03 / 04
Factors
DESNZ set for each year.
Module 04 / 04
Comparatives
Kept for each period.
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
UK SRS S2 requires gross emissions, so credits are never deducted from the inventory (UK SRS S2 ¶29(a)).
UK reports use the DESNZ conversion factors for each reporting year (DESNZ).
Questions buyers ask
Business net zero software: what to ask
Test the target, the plan and the claim separately.
Module 01 / 04
Target
Does the tool apply the right criteria version?
Module 02 / 04
Plan
Does it keep assumptions and earlier versions?
Module 03 / 04
Claim
Does it separate gross emissions from credits?
Module 04 / 04
Export
Can everything leave in an open format?
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
No net zero software is approved by the SBTi, the government or ISO; test each claim it makes against the owner’s own criteria.
What this page does not say
The limits of this guide
Requirements and tests, not products.
Module 01 / 04
No ranking
No vendor is scored.
Module 02 / 04
No prices
None of our own.
Module 03 / 04
No testing
No product tested.
Module 04 / 04
Primary sources
Every rule cited.
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
This site is an independent reference and takes no commission from any vendor.
Frequently asked
Questions people ask
What is net zero management software?
Software that tracks emissions against a net zero or science-based target and manages the actions, owners and assumptions in the transition plan.
Is net zero reporting mandatory in the UK?
No UK entity has a legal duty to have or publish a transition plan.
Listed companies under UK SRS say something about any plan they have, and PPN 006 suppliers commit to net zero by 2050.
Do carbon credits count toward net zero progress?
Not as reductions.
Under the SBTi criteria credits never count toward a target, and UK SRS S2 reports gross emissions.
Is PAS 2060 still available?
No. It is withdrawn, and ISO 14068:2026 is the current carbon neutrality standard.
Prepare the evidence
Net zero management software: from a requirement to a reporting pack
Use this preparation sequence alongside the detailed requirements on this page.
An editorial workflow, not a statutory schedule.
- Stage 0101
Reporting specification
Write the reporting boundaries and required outputs before evaluating a platform.
- Stage 0202
Evidence sample
Ask the vendor to demonstrate a representative import and calculation.
- Stage 0303
Method control
Inspect factor versions, estimates, permissions and change history.
- Stage 0404
Reporting export
Test the export against the required disclosures and existing reporting systems.
- Stage 0505
Review trail
Check whether a reviewer can follow a result back to its source record.
- Stage 0606
Commercial record
Record only the features, scope and prices the vendor actually commits to.
Read the applicable instrument: Near-term criteria
A practical brief
An evidence pack, with a clear review trail
Ask for a pack that lets the next reviewer retrace the scope decision, follow the evidence and understand the limitations.
This describes a useful handover; it does not certify compliance or establish that a vendor or adviser delivers it.
Module 01 / 04
Applicability record
Write down the entity, reporting route and relevant period, including why the route applies.
Module 02 / 04
Evidence register
Attach each reported figure or statement to its source, method, version and limitations.
Module 03 / 04
Review trail
Name the preparer, reviewer, open questions and decisions taken before publication.
Module 04 / 04
Usable handover
Retain the working files and unresolved actions so the next reporting cycle can reuse the evidence.
View the preparation diagram
- Prepare01
Create the traceable pack
Keep the input records, calculation files and narrative together.
- Challenge02
Resolve questions before publication
Record the assumptions challenged and any limitations still unresolved.
- Retain03
Make the next cycle reproducible
Keep the approved version and the actions carried forward.
Continue your research
Related guides, one question at a time
Sources
Primary sources
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner.
Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
- SBTiNear-term criteria
- SBTiTarget-setting tool
- Cabinet OfficePPN 006 Technical Standard
- DBTUK SRS S2
- FCAPS26/19 (PDF)
- DESNZClimate-related transition plan requirements consultation
- IFRS FoundationTransition plan disclosures under IFRS S2
- ISOISO 14068:2026
- UKASISO 14068-1 migration from PAS 2060
- DESNZGreenhouse gas conversion factors 2026
- GHG ProtocolCorporate Standard
- FCAPS26/19