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You can handle sustainability data management through various types of sustainability reporting software. But this diversity is exactly what makes the process of choosing the right solution tricky.
In this analysis of the best sustainability reporting tools, we're showing you how you can use each for smoother sustainability reporting. We’re also going to cover how you can choose the right platform for your needs and where every option on the market performs best.
What is sustainability reporting software?
Sustainability reporting software are solutions that allow companies to collect, analyze, and disclose sustainability performance data.
Simply put, they're making tracking ESG metrics such as energy usage, waste management, resource consumption, and social impact much easier—their ease and efficiency lie mostly in how the process can be automated while you ensure you're staying compliant with new regulations and directives.
Types of software for sustainability reporting
There's no single formula for what sustainability reporting software looks like. Its different types are meant to cater to specific sustainability management and reporting needs. Some tools are highly specialized while others offer all-in-one solutions that extend beyond reporting.
Let's explore some types of sustainability reporting tools:
1. Niche reporting software
CSRD software, for instance, is designed for the specific reporting requirements that the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive demands.
In general, niche reporting tools help companies comply with specific frameworks and directives. They include specialized features for data collection, mapping, analysis, and reporting to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements.
2. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions tracking software
GHG emissions tend to be the core of many directives (including the European Climate Law) so you'll find many tools that only focus on emissions, particularly measuring, managing, and reporting.
In general, carbon accounting software will only help with tracking emissions, calculating a company's carbon footprint reduction, and tracking progress on reduction goals.
3. Comprehensive sustainability reporting and management platforms
Some tools offer a more holistic approach, allowing organizations to track various criteria and factors such as energy use, waste management, emissions, social performance, and governance practices.
You can also use all-inclusive platforms like ESG Flo to stay compliant with a larger diversity of frameworks, laws, and directives, regardless of where you operate.
Comprehensive sustainability reporting platforms align with global regulatory standards, help organizations identify sustainability risks, track progress toward long-term goals, and streamline data aggregation, reporting, and audit trails for transparency and efficiency.
Below, we’re going to focus on diverse types of sustainability reporting software so you can see how other companies use each variant.
10 leaders in the sustainability reporting software market
We’ve shortlisted the top sustainability reporting software options that will meet the needs of just about any team, company size, and industry.
1) ESG Flo – Best-in-class AI-driven sustainability reporting software
ESG Flo is the leading sustainability reporting software that provides an all-inclusive, AI-supported solution for tracking and reporting on sustainability efforts.
The platform’s five-step process covers everything from selecting the appropriate reporting frameworks, such as CSRD, SEC, and GRI, to data centralization, transformation, and validation.
The tool's AI capabilities pull data from various internal and external sources and analyze it so you can use accurate information for your sustainability reporting. All reports can be customized to meet investor expectations and remain accessible to all stakeholders.
Here’s a deeper look into the way this is the best sustainability software:
- Automates data collection from internal and external data providers
- Helps you calculate Scope 1,2, 3 emissions and pulls them together within one intuitive dashboard
- Standardizes your sustainability data even if you have hundreds of sites around the world
- Turns your data into audit-ready metrics that you can easily turn into reports
- Can support you with multiple frameworks and disclosures
- Will work with just about any data you feed it, no need to manipulate your data to match product templates.
- Deanonymizes your supply chain and helps you make sure you choose the most reliable vendors
- Helps you gain all relevant information on products, sites, operations, etc.
On top of the product’s key features, you can get support with things like double materiality assessment, life cycle assessment, gap assessment, etc.
'We’ve automated a very manual process, saving time and resources for other projects. It’s been better tracking, a single source of truth, and much higher visibility,' says Samuel Shiroff, Senior Director of Global Sustainability at EnerSys.
💡 Relevant: How EnerSys uses GenAI to drive efficiency, ensure accuracy, and safeguard sustainability and ESG data
2) Greenly – Best for SMBs and startups to do carbon accounting
Greenly is a specialized sustainability platform that primarily focuses on carbon footprint reporting, CSRD reporting, and carbon offsetting.
Greenly stands out thanks to its dedicated tool for setting reduction goals and monitoring progress. Its Life Cycle Assessment (LCS) lets you evaluate and compare different products, communicate results to stakeholders, and integrate them into your GHG report.
However, some users note that while the tool is generally easy to use, it can take a lot of time to set it up and it’s costly.
‘Finalizing our carbon footprint and validating our data took quite a bit longer than we had anticipated,” said an ESG Director on Capterra while a Project Manager noted that “pricing on greenly is slightly steep for a small company which might require the assistance of the tool, as its pricing favors big companies.’
3) Novisto – Best for corporate-level sustainability reporting
While Novisto remains focused on ESG reporting, this corporate sustainability reporting software also offers valuable tools for organizations to manage and track broader sustainability initiatives, such as greenhouse gas emissions, food loss and waste, and supply chain sustainability.
Novisto excels at enhancing traceability and transparency across the supply chain. This supports companies with reporting and meeting the requirements of global sustainability frameworks and regulations. The platform also offers sustainability questionnaires tailored to specific sectors which organizations can use to mitigate risks and improve the way they communicate with stakeholders.
Like ESG Flo, this tool works for different industries, like real estate, manufacturing, energy, and finance. Several users though have noted the platform is still in its early days:
‘The platform is still maturing and may not have absolutely every type of functionality a client might want. Exporting data for example has been a bit clunky of a process and less tech-savvy users sometimes fund submitting data not totally intuitive.’
🌳Related: 5 Novisto alternatives for carbon management and ESG reporting
4) Plan A – Sustainability reporting software to decarbonize your business
Plan A is another software for sustainability reporting that's more focused on the carbon emission side of things although they do provide sustainability ESG reporting capabilities.
This mix of GHG emission and niche software will help you automate and centralize several (albeit not all) of your sustainability efforts. In particular, you can use it for carbon accounting, ensuring compliance with the GHG protocol, and decarbonization efforts.
Just like Greenly, it can help you set and achieve reduction targets and explore various decarbonization pathways. You can also expect to become CSRD-ready with their double materiality assessment, gap analysis, and external assurance.
5) Coolset – Best for startups and SMEs to do sustainability reporting
Coolset is a sustainability management and compliance platform, but its primary functions lean more towards carbon management and particular directives such as the CSRD.
Coolset also helps you make sustainability auditing a lot easier and automates parts of CSRD reporting. What’s more, this tool comes with a unique feature to help you discover sustainable vendors for your supply chain. This way, if you find there’s a vendor in your network causing your sustainability numbers to go wrong, you can easily switch to another.
This product is relatively new to the sustainability space, so some of its features still need time to mature.
‘The values we use for calculating the footprint on Scope 1,2,3 are sometimes still a bit high and too generic,’ says a G2 and Coolset user.
6) Workiva – Best as a carbon accounting and financial reporting platform
On the sustainability side specifically, you can use Workiva for CSRD and standard ESG reporting. Its strengths mostly lie in the native financial reporting, regulatory reporting, controls management, and statutory reporting capabilities.
On G2, Bo G., Director SEC Reporting & Technical Accounting, said: ‘Workiva has a very intuitive financial reporting platform. I can easily make formatting changes and ensure my document is SEC compliant. Workiva also allows me to integrate data from various sources, automating data linking across reports, and improving accuracy.’
But it’s also important to consider the limitations that come along with this sustainability reporting software. Some users on G2 point out that the tool comes with its limitations when it comes to automation and customization:
'I would like to see more improvement with Workiva in terms of automation. I would like Workiva to have the capability to rollforward documents based on the company's information. Additionally, Workiva's formatting can be quite limiting when trying to portray certain graphs.’
🌳Related: 5 best Workiva alternatives to try for all things ESG management
7) Sweep – Best for carbon accounting and ESG data management
Sweep is carbon accounting and ESG data management software that's built around one core question all organizations should focus on: What are your sustainability goals? Targeting companies of different sizes and across different industries, this tool makes their sustainability journey easier and more organized.
This platform can help you track your carbon and ESG data, understand your value chain performance, meet disclosure requirements, get audit-ready reports, and drive better data-driven sustainability strategies and outcomes.
This tool’s functionality is largely similar to those of Plan A, Persefoni, Watershed, and a string of others.
8) Persefoni – Best for carbon accounting and climate management data
Persefoni is a climate management and carbon accounting platform that also makes sustainability reporting easier. It helps your business measure its carbon footprint, develop decarbonization strategies, and comply with all the latest regulations in the ESG space, like SEC, CSRD, SECR, and others.
This platform is somewhat limited as it primarily focuses on carbon footprint management compared to other sustainability reporting software that are all-inclusive.
A Persefoni user on G2 points out: 'I can't create a complete sustainability report in Persefoni, would be nice to extend GHG with further dates, photos, diagrams and text in Persefoni, so the requirements to a complete sustainability report could be generated from Persefoni.’
9) Watershed – Best for managing enterprise sustainability programs
On the same note on specialized tools, Watershed is an enterprise sustainability reporting platform that helps you build high-level sustainability programs based on overall company objectives.
Although it's not an all-in-one software for sustainability reporting and compliance, you can use it to gather, measure, report, and act on your climate impact. This is handy for staying compliant with the latest regulations and providing relevant disclosure materials.
The software can be used by companies across different industries, like consumer goods, apparel, retail, technology, financial services, and others. On the sustainability reporting side specifically, the tool will help you understand all frameworks and regulation requirements and pull all your data together for numbers to speak words.
🌳Related: 5 best Watershed alternatives for ESG reporting and carbon accounting + user reviews
10) Position Green – Good for a mix of ESG reporting and carbon management
Position Green is a carbon accounting and sustainability ESG reporting software that helps you evaluate your environmental impact, report on it, and look for ways to improve it. The tool is getting closer to an all-inclusive solution thanks to its extensive suite of sustainability features which reunite carbon accounting, sustainability reporting, supplier assessment, and more high-level planning capabilities.
Users point out that this tool is easy in use and the reporting experience is fairly intuitive within the tool. Still, take note of some cons before going for this solution:
‘The software does require a lot of manual data handling after exporting the data. I miss visualizations of relevant data that is included in other software.’ – Kristian S., Sustainability Manager via Capterra.
🌳Related: Top 7 Position Green alternatives of 2025 + user reviews
Next steps in sustainability reporting
If you've already made the case for investing in sustainability reporting software, here are a few key steps to take before selecting the best solution for your organization's needs:
- Start by compiling a list of leading sustainability reporting software options. You can use the ones mentioned in our guide to find which solutions align with your reporting goals.
- Consider what main challenges you want to solve so you can prioritize sustainability software that primarily addresses those pain points.
- Write down your must-haves, such as integration capabilities with existing systems, support for global sustainability frameworks, and ease of setup.
- Once you’ve narrowed down your options, choose one or two of your top picks to pilot.
ESG Flo is the best pick to try first, it is an all-in-one solution for measuring and managing sustainability and ESG data as well as calculating and acting on your carbon footprint. For a free tour around the platform, book your demo today!
