SmartTrackers Roadmap
We have noticed this year that the attention to sustainability is being overshadowed by other political matters, even leading to a loosening of the requirements that were set. The ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) issues we must solve together are not going to disappear. Therefore, SmartTrackers continues to heavily invest in the development of its software.
We do this not only for our existing customers but also for companies that are still undecided about whether they should implement a professional ESG management system and make a choice in this area. We would like to take you through some important adjustments and innovations.
SmartTrackers Assessments
1. One flexible, central hub for all assessments
We are working on a major update for the assessments environment. We are going to make the process from inventory through to management review more flexible. This way, you can decide when internal audits are carried out and which elements should be included in the assessment. This makes SmartTrackers Assessments an even better platform for keeping track of all compliance, whether it’s for the CO2 Performance Ladder, ISO 14001, or a custom investigation into sustainability across different business units or suppliers.
We expect to deliver the updated process by the end of the year, after which we will be able to implement other improvements more quickly.
2. Other highlights
For those who missed our earlier updates: earlier this year, a 4.0 assessment was added to Assessments. A questionnaire has been included to identify the so-called OBE’s (Other Influenced Emissions).
For companies using the group function to launch assessments across multiple internal or external companies, the management has been improved. It is now easy to add extra accounts and send assessments to a specific target group all at once.
SmartTrackers Measurements
1. Refining for the CO2 Performance Ladder 4.0
The functionality of SmartTrackers is perfectly aligned with the requirements of the CO2 Performance Ladder 4.0. It is now clearly a hard requirement to calculate a concrete climate or CO2 reduction plan. This involves setting goals in the form of specific targets and how they relate to the measures and/or scenarios that must ensure these targets are achieved.
We already support splitting the so-called WTW (well-to-wheel) calculation or determining a location-based CO2 footprint for electricity. These are also requirements in the CSRD/VSME. To make these calculations properly available for everyone, some additional migrations will be carried out.
Additionally, we are making several specific adjustments. For example, we are preparing a simple way to record calculations for the so-called OBE’s (Other Influenced Emissions). This could include, for instance, returned electricity. With the 4.0 version of the CO2 Performance Ladder, this will be recorded as an avoided emission. We expect to complete the migration process in the coming months, so everyone will be able to perform the required 4.0 calculations correctly. Where necessary, we will provide information about the changes made. This may vary depending on how accounting systems are set up. In some cases, further coordination will take place.
2. Improving scope 3 emissions
A good calculation of scope 3 remains the holy grail when it comes to CO2 calculations. This is because it is difficult to gather the data and find the right emission factors. Of course, there are various environmental databases, but these often rely on many assumptions. It’s better to request a factor directly from the producer or supplier.
Even LCAs (Life Cycle Analyses), though usually carefully prepared, are often quickly outdated and should primarily be seen as indicative when it comes to improvements. We saw this with products like solar panels, heat pumps, and electric vehicles. As soon as scaling occurs, processes become much more efficient, and the actual impact changes rapidly. It also plays a role that the manual analysis work is labor-intensive and makes it difficult to conduct proper analyses for large datasets.
Measuring is knowing, and the speed of change is, of course, no excuse for not looking for solutions here. How is SmartTrackers going to help gain better insight into the broader scope 3? While many AI-based solutions for data analysis are being promised, this is indeed a logical route to gain more control over scope 3 emissions. However, it is a careful process to achieve the desired quality.
For this, we have started a pilot project for our parent company Visma, where we are working with various parties on the required quality. Think of bot technology that converts data from e-invoices or travel information into CO2 emissions. We are already learning a lot during this pilot, and as with all ICT systems, whether AI-based or not, the rule still applies: “rubbish in = rubbish out.”
Our research will focus on whether we can really offer something to a broader customer group regarding the calculation of scope 3 emissions and processing the underlying data.
One development from which we expect results in the short term and will then go into production is an AI bot that helps import data files. As long as there is some logic in the data file, the bot will ensure the exact mapping to allow for the import. ESG data often comes from various systems, so there isn’t always one easy way to exchange the data. We expect that processing available ESG information will become much faster, reducing the often unpopular task of manual entry. However, keep in mind the need for data validation and the possible requirement to provide further proof. By being able to refer to underlying data systems, this necessity could potentially be reduced.
When using imports, don’t forget to mark the meters as import meters. This way, the end-user will also understand that the data doesn’t need to be entered manually.
3. Graph page
Also, some attention for the “My graphs” page. You can now easily add extra tabs to better organize the graphs and/or tables. For example, by CO2, energy, waste, and social issues.
It’s also important to note that users with admin rights (who see the “settings” option in the left menu) can pre-define and filter graphs. This way, users from specific business units can easily add the correct graphs to their dashboard.