How much does a Bilan Carbone® cost?
To achieve the Paris Agreement objective of limiting global warming to 2°C by 2100, and thus limit our impact on the climate, we need to become carbon neutral by 2050. This objective is part of the energy, ecological and social transition needed by countries and companies to combat climate change and its consequences, reduce our impact and footprint on the environment, and ensure a livable planet for all.
France is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. It's also a goal that many in the private sector have set themselves, for 2030 or 2050. Carbon neutrality means that emissions are fully absorbed by natural carbon sinks. In other words, there is no imbalance between emissions and absorptions, and the absorption capacity of natural carbon sinks is respected. These sinks include the oceans, the atmosphere, forests and peat.
To achieve this goal, make a success of your energy and ecological transition, and reduce your impact and footprint, you need to reduce your greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The first step is to quantify your emissions and their main components, by means of a greenhouse gas emissions assessment, or Bilan Carbone®. This exercise is designed for companies, governments and individuals alike. A popular question is its cost, particularly for companies. In this article, we explore the different costs, budgets and options for carrying out a GHG emissions assessment.
1. GHG emissions balance and methods
1.2. Scope of consolidation by method
1.3. GHG emissions and Bilan Carbone® balances
2. The price of the balance sheet depends on various criteria
2.2. Time and precision devoted to the balance sheet
3. How can I reduce the price of a balance sheet?
GHG emissions assessment and methods
☁️Une emissions assessment
A GHG inventory is a systematic assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by a company's activities over the course of a year. In particular, these emissions are generated by energy consumption, necessary for the smooth running of the company's business.
📏Perimeters by method
Before looking at the different methods available for carrying out a GHG emissions balance and their influence on the scope of the balance, it is necessary to return to the notion of scope. There are 2 relevant to this article:
- Organizational scope: all sites, facilities and skills taken into account during an organization's carbon accounting exercise.
- Operational perimeter: all sources of emissions taken into account during an organization's carbon accounting exercise.
Depending on what is taken into account in these perimeters when carrying out the assessment, the results change, as do the actions to be implemented. In particular, the operational perimeter differs according to the different existing methods for carrying out a greenhouse gas emissions balance.
The first operational scopes are defined by the GHG Protocol:
- Scope 1: the company's direct emissions
- Scope 2: the company's indirect emissions (notably linked to electricity consumption).
- Scope 3: indirect emissions that cannot be controlled by the company (in particular those linked to the development and use of the product or service).
Until July 2022, only Scope 1 and 2 were mandatory for regulatory reporting, even though Scope 3 accounts for the bulk of a company's emissions. A balance sheet produced before July 2022 is therefore less representative of a company's emissions than one produced after July 2022.
These scopes have been broken down into several categories by subsequent methodologies, notably ISO 14064-1, the regulatory method, and the Bilan Carbone® method. The ISO 14064-1 categories are, for example :
- Direct emissions
- Indirect energy emissions (electricity consumption).
- Indirect transport emissions
- Indirect emissions linked to purchased products
- Indirect emissions linked to products sold
- Other indirect GHG emissions
⚖️BilanGHG emissions and Bilan Carbone® (carbon balance)
A greenhouse gas emissions balance differs from a Bilan Carbone® in the operational perimeter taken into account, i.e. the categories of emissions accounted for in carbon accounting .
Unlike the Bilan Carbone®, the greenhouse gas emissions balance is also mandatory for companies with over 500 employees, and must be carried out every 4 years. The balance sheet, together with the transition strategy, must be published on the ADEME website.
All methods (Bilan Carbone®, GHG Protocol, ISO 14061-1...) aim toassess emissions, leading to actions to reduce them, and thus reduce the company's carbon footprint and its impact on the environment. In particular, a GHG emissions audit is an excellent way of integrating a more cross-functional CSR approach.
The price of a balance sheet depends on various criteria
📏Theperimeters considered
The first criterion for the price of a carbon footprint is the perimeter considered.
Let's start with the organizational perimeter: this will change according to the size of the company, and the sites to be taken into account. A large account, for example, will be more complex than an SME, with more sites to analyze, and a greater quantity of activity data to collect. More analysis time will therefore be required, which will mobilize more resources, both internal and external, if the company opts for a service provider. In all cases, the price increases with the size of the company.
Companies with over 500 employees are legally required to produce a GHG emissions report every 4 years and publish it, along with their transition strategy, on the ADEME website. Smaller companies (e.g. SMEs) are not yet concerned, but may be by 2026 with the CSRD, which requires more exhaustive extra-financial reporting, particularly on climate and CSR issues.
The operational scope, for its part, changes according to the method chosen and whether or not the balance sheet is mandatory. For example, a company that is not obliged to carry out a GHG emissions assessment may do so for scopes 1 and 2, but not for scope 3.
In any case, the larger the organizational and operational scope, the higher the total balance sheet cost.
⏱️Letime and precision devoted to the balance sheet
Costs vary according to the time spent on the assessment and its degree of precision.
A GHG emissions assessment can be carried out in 15 minutes using free simulators. However, the results obtained will only beapproximate at best, and will not enable a true, in-depth and precise analysis of the company's emissions, its main emission sources, or the implementation of an effective and relevant emissions reduction strategy.
On the contrary, an assessment carried out over several man-days, with personalized support and in-depth data collection, will enable us to take the time to analyze the data collected, draw the right conclusions and draw up a precise action plan.
As the time spent on the assessment (in man-days, in particular) and its degree of precision increase, so does the price.
👨💻Eninternally or externally
A company can choose to carry out its greenhouse gas emissions assessment in one of two ways: in-house, or using a service provider.
In-house, the financial cost will be limited to training one or more people to carry out the mission. However, training is time-consuming, and the person(s) concerned will not be experienced when the first assessments are carried out.
Calling in a service provider is more costly, but offers the advantage of a service carried out by experienced and efficient professionals.
↔️Lechoice of provider
In the case of an assessment carried out by a service provider, the choice of the latter will also influence the price.
Indeed, depending on the reputation, size, services offered andexperience of the service provider, the price changes. A new firm will tend to offer lower prices than a more established and experienced one.
The price can also vary depending on the type of provider: practice, or SaaS software.
Since all these criteria vary from one company to another, you'll need to draw up an estimate to obtain the final price suited to the situation of the company wishing to carry out its balance sheet. Usually, the minimum cost is a few thousand euros, rising to several tens of thousands of euros depending on the company and the service provider involved.
How can I reduce the price of a balance sheet?
💰Subsidiesfor SMEs and VSEs
Companies with fewer than 500 employees benefit from the Diag Décarbon'Action subsidy set up by BPI France and ADEME, provided this is their first assessment.
This grant provides funding of 40 to 60% of a €10,000 balance sheet, depending on the number of employees in the company. Funding is 40% for companies with 250 to 499 employees, and 60% for companies with fewer than 250 employees.
The program includes an assessment, co-construction of an emissions reduction strategy, and support in implementing the first measures, over 12 man-days.
🖥️Choisirsoftware
As we said earlier, the choice of service provider influences the final price of the online carbon footprint, and in particular the choice between a firm or SaaS software, such as GCI.
Software allows you to choose precisely what you buy, and a more à la carte offer. For example, GCI offers a €450 annual subscription to the platform. This subscription gives access to the platform and its support, but not to the services of a carbon engineer. Companies can therefore choose between simple access to the tool, or more personalized support. Other services are available, at the discretion of the company concerned.
Choosing SaaS software, and then selecting exactly what you need, reduces the cost of your carbon footprint.
