Carbon reporting: 4 mistakes to avoid when starting out
It's impossible to miss out on carbon reporting today: all the practices used to measure, track and publish an organization's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a structured and regular way.
Unlike a simple one-off GHG assessment, this is an ongoing process designed to integrate carbon data into the company's strategy, in line with regulatory requirements (such as the CSRD) and climate commitments.
This reporting is based on recognized carbon accounting methods (ISO 14064, GHG Protocol, Ademe) and covers all emission scopes: direct, indirect and extended (Scope 1, 2, 3).
Driven by CSRD, CSR strategy and ESG criteria, more and more companies are committed to clearly defining their carbon reporting. But starting without a precise method can lead to dead ends. Here are the 4 main mistakes to avoid, so that your report is not just a stylistic exercise, but a strategic lever for reducing emissions.
Contents
Mistake 1: Confusing carbon reporting with a simple GHG balance sheet
Organizations often equate carbon reporting with a simple annual GHG balance sheet. However, producing a figure once a year is not enough. What is known as a BEGES (greenhouse gas emissions balance sheet) is in fact a snapshot of a company's GHG emissions. For it to be fully meaningful, this snapshot needs to be part of a monitoring dynamic, regularly updated, and linked to the company's strategy, so that it becomes a genuine basis for management.
Carbon reporting complements the GHG balance sheet: the latter is an essential first step, providing a snapshot of emissions at a given point in time. But
To ensure the sustainability of this approach, carbon reporting takes over. It enables structured monitoring, measuring changes over time and guiding operational decisions.
Where a balance sheet takes stock, reporting provides a dynamic for progress, a regular management tool adapted to the objectives and realities of the business sector.
To help companies go beyond a simple inventory, GCI has designed Decarbo'Solution®, an integrated offering that extends the BEGES to include an operational management approach. This 3-in-1 solution combines :
- Decarbo'Target® to build a credible transition plan based on the existing balance sheet, simulate reduction trajectories and engage internal and external stakeholders;
- Decarbo'Supply® to mobilize suppliers via a portal for calculating the "carbon weight®" of their products or services (ISO 14067 / FEMPP ADEME compliant),
- Decarbo'Tender® to integrate these environmental data (PCF) into calls for tender, and guide purchasing decisions.
In other words: the BEGES provides an accurate picture of the company's carbon footprint; Decarbo'Solution® provides concrete, measurable levers for action.
How to sustain and strengthen your business through a successful low-carbon trajectory.
Error 2: Focusing solely on scopes 1 and 2
Another common pitfall is limiting ourselves to direct emissions linked to fixed installations or energy consumption (Scope 1 and 2). Yet it is in Scope 3 - in other words, indirect emissions linked to purchasing, transport, product use and digital technology - that the majority of a company's carbon footprint lies. In some sectors, this can represent between 70% and 90% of the total.
Reducing the scope of your analysis means missing out on the real sources of emissions, and missing out on major levers. A key advantage of GCI is the free access it offers suppliers to its portal for calculating the carbon weight® of their products or services. Their commitment represents a real challenge for any low-carbon strategy. In this case, free access ensures maximum commitment: the Schmidt Group has succeeded in enrolling 80% of its suppliers (in terms of financial volume) in its approach.
The Decarbo'Supply® tool has enabled us to track emissions very precisely, with cross-referencing by supplier, product and material. This granularity, combined with the
reporting, facilitated the development of a more visual, targeted and effective action plan. Suppliers, for their part, were able to visualize the carbon impact of their products in concrete terms - and understand precisely where it was coming from.
Used intelligently, GCI has become a decision-making tool for Schmidt, helping to establish a long-term carbon culture.
Mistake 3: Not involving teams from the outset
Having the right method isn't enough. You also need to be able to collect all the necessary data. Relevant carbon reporting is never the work of a single person: it must be based on the mobilization of the entire organization and its employees.
Delegating the process to a small group not only risks missing out on key information, but also deprives the company of a real collective dynamic. At GCI, support is designed to facilitate internal involvement. The tool makes it easy to appoint referents in each department: production, purchasing, logistics, finance or digital. Everyone knows what they have to provide, can call on support at any time, and can view progress thanks to shared dashboards.
This dynamic makes data more reliable and turns carbon reporting into a real collective organizational project for the ecological transition. Everyone becomes aware of their impact, and reducing emissions becomes everyone's business - not just that of management or the CSR department. The process becomes more fluid, actions are better targeted, and the company progresses towards a more sustainable model, within a clear, shared framework.
Error 4: Forgetting to connect reporting and action plans
Good carbon reporting is only useful if it is used to trigger concrete action. It must become a real steering tool, aligned with greenhouse gas emission reduction objectives adapted to the company's activity. Once the roadmap has been defined, the next step is to ensure its operational implementation: which actions to start with, who to mobilize, what resources to allocate, and how to monitor progress?
This is precisely where carbon reporting becomes a strategic ally. By structuring data and providing a clear view of the most emissive items, it enables commitments to be translated into concrete, prioritized actions. That's why GCI doesn't stop
not GHG accounting: with the Decarbo'Solution® offer, our experts can help you move from an assessment to an action plan. Co-construct your climate roadmap, prioritize high-impact levers, and implement actions aligned with the reality of your sector and the expectations of your stakeholders, in France and abroad.
To meet the challenges of climate change, companies need to go beyond simple calculations: carbon reporting is becoming a lever for action in its own right, and all the more strategic in the age of CSRD. Integrating this approach into a structured CSR framework makes it possible to meet stakeholder expectations while controlling energy consumption. Carbon reporting bridges the gap between global challenges and operational realities, by translating regulatory requirements into concrete actions that are consistent with each company's activity.
In short, embarking on a Carbon Footprint® is the first step. But if it is to make a real contribution to sustainable development, you need to avoid the classic pitfalls: limiting the scope, neglecting internal commitment, and dissociating reporting and management. By relying on a proven method and a tool like GCI, you can give carbon a real place in your corporate strategy - at the service of both performance and the environment. By rigorously structuring your carbon reporting, you maximize the impact of your decisions and ensure effective management of your carbon footprint.
