Every Less Carbon assessment is calculated using the GHG Protocol method and the Australian Government's published National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) factors. Standardised inputs, deterministic calculations, and qualified human review before anything is issued. This page explains exactly how it works and what you can rely on.
A tax assessment is only as strong as the process behind it: real records from the business, a standardised government method, and an output that can be audited line by line. That is exactly how a Less Carbon assessment works.
We take your actual records, energy bills, fuel logs, fleet data, operational documents. Not estimates, not guesses. We apply the GHG Protocol method using the Australian Government's published NGA Factors. And we put the result in a standardised, auditable format that any reporting entity, accountant or auditor can read the same way, every time.
Where the same source data, assumptions and factor version are used, the same calculation rules produce the same result. The method is controlled, the factors are published, and any judgement or assumption is documented.
There is no single mandated certification standard for supplier emissions in Australia. So we built our methodology on the two pillars the entire reporting system already relies on, then went one level deeper.
The international method for scoping and calculating Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. It is the framework the Australian reporting regime itself is built on.
The Australian Government's published emission factors for fuels, electricity and energy. Updates are applied through our calculation engine automatically, and the factor version used is recorded for traceability.
Each assessment is mapped to the relevant ANZSIC industry classification and calculated line by line by emissions source, rather than produced as a single top-level estimate. That level of detail helps make the output easier to review, compare and support.
A controlled workflow from first form to final certificate. Here is what it means for you.
A structured online form captures your business profile, sites, fleet, fuels and operations. Nothing downstream has to guess what you meant.
You upload source documents (bills, logs, statements) into a controlled process that builds your evidence trail from day one.
Our engine reads each document, classifies it and extracts the operating data into a standard working structure.
A rules engine normalises units and calculates your Scope 1 and 2 emissions using the GHG Protocol method and current NGA factors. Rules, not interpretation.
Automated checks test whether inputs are sufficient and results consistent. Gaps are flagged and chased, never papered over.
A qualified reviewer checks every assessment before anything leaves the building.
You receive the draft certificate and assessment for review before final issue.
Your Supplier Emissions Certificate and Carbon Assessment are issued, dated and valid for 12 months.
Automation does the heavy lifting. It does not get the final say.
Every certificate is reviewed by our qualified team before issue. Our reviewers hold formal training in emissions assessment and climate-related financial risk, with backgrounds in licensed and regulated industries and specialist coursework specific to the AASB S2 reporting framework.
As our benchmarking dataset grows, assessments that sit outside expected ranges for their industry and size will always be escalated to a manual review. But the standing rule today is simple: nothing is issued without human eyes on it.
Plain words matter here, so we will be precise.
An independent assessment of your Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, calculated by Less Carbon from your source evidence using the government framework, in a standardised, auditable format.
Any required party (reporting entity, auditor or regulator) can use it as supplier-provided data for their Scope 3 reporting.
A pass or fail. There is no threshold to clear and no grade. The number is the number.
It reports your emissions; it does not judge them.
We do not describe our certificates as audited or formally assured, because that means something specific in financial reporting and we will not borrow language we have not earned. What we offer is something the market currently lacks: a standardised, evidence-based assessment that every party in the chain can read the same way.
Real businesses have messy records. Our process is built for that. If the quality gate finds missing or inconsistent data, we ask you for it, specifically and clearly. If the data genuinely cannot be obtained, we either mark the line as unavailable or use a documented estimate only where the methodology permits it.
Any estimate, proxy or industry-average input is disclosed on the certificate itself, flagged line by line. Nothing is filled in quietly. Your certificate states exactly what it is built on, which is precisely why it can be trusted.
Every certificate is dated and valid for 12 months from issue. Not pro-rated to a financial year, not tied to an arbitrary deadline. Your 12 months is your 12 months.
For reporting entities running supplier programs: suppliers can be scheduled through assessment in waves, and every one holds a certificate with full 12-month currency from their own issue date.
You upload commercially sensitive documents to us, so the rules are strict and simple:
When you put your supply chain through Less Carbon, every supplier follows the identical standardised process, so the data arrives consistent, comparable and audit-ready. You receive the individual assessments and certificates plus a supplier register: certificate numbers, status and currency across your whole program, in a format that drops into your Scope 3 workpapers.
And because there is no pass or fail, asking your suppliers to certify carries no relationship risk. You are asking them for a number, not a judgement.
Talk to us about supply chain programs"Less Carbon prepares standardised, evidence-based carbon assessments and supplier emissions certificates. They calculate Scope 1 and 2 using the GHG Protocol method and the government's published NGA factors, a qualified reviewer checks every certificate before issue, and any estimated data is disclosed on the certificate itself. It works like a tax assessment: real records in, standard method applied, auditable output."
That paragraph is yours to use. Partners receive plain-English talking points and ready-to-send client templates in the partner pack.
Become a partnerThe GHG Protocol Corporate Standard method, applied with the Australian Government's current published National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) factors, broken down by ANZSIC industry classification.
Yes. Every certificate is reviewed by our qualified team before issue, and you approve the draft before it is finalised.
Yes. Your certificate is an independent assessment based on your source evidence, in a standardised format designed to be used as supplier-provided data in Scope 3 reporting.
No. There is no threshold and no grade. The certificate reports your Scope 1 and 2 emissions; it does not judge them.
We will ask you for the specific items first. Where data genuinely cannot be obtained, the framework permits documented industry-average figures in initial reporting periods, and any use of them is disclosed on your certificate.
12 months from the date of issue.
You receive the full assessment and certificate. Third parties holding your certificate number can confirm only that it is current. Anything more requires your explicit approval, every time.
Our launch service assesses Scope 1 and Scope 2, which is commonly what reporting entities ask suppliers to provide as supplier-specific emissions evidence. Scope 3 commentary and reduction pathways are on our roadmap. New to the terminology? Read our plain-English AASB S2 guide.
From 1 January 2025, Australia's largest companies progressively entered mandatory climate reporting, and they need emissions data from their suppliers to comply. A Less Carbon assessment gets you a defensible, standardised answer, from $995, in days not months.
Start your assessmentThis page is the overview. For the full methodology pack and a sample Supplier Emissions Certificate, leave your email and we’ll send them straight over.
No spam. Just the methodology pack and a sample certificate.