A new open-source partnership between Scott Logic and the Green Web Foundation is set to improve access to supply chain emissions data and enhance sustainability reporting across the ICT and technology sector.
With UK Government departments expected to face increased scrutiny over supply chain transparency later in 2025, the collaboration aims to ease reporting burdens while providing a standardised, accessible approach to tracking digital carbon emissions.
The system brings together the Green Web Foundation’s carbon.txt project, which designates a consistent location for publishing emissions data, and Scott Logic’s Technology Carbon Standard Schema, which provides the framework for structuring it.
Oliver Cronk, technology director and sustainable technology lead at Scott Logic, said: “This has been an entrenched and embedded problem for several years.
“The ICT sector now consumes approximately 4% of all global electricity, but most organisations have lacked clear methods to measure or share information about their digital carbon emissions.
“This has led to arduous and manual work being required to review multiple documents and identify the right data, which has dramatically slowed sustainability reporting.”
He added: “However, we now have a solution; carbon.txt solves the ‘where to find it’ element, whilst the Technology Carbon Standard Schema solves the ‘how to structure it’ issue.
“Together, they create a complete system for discovering and using digital emissions data. This means that, rather than relying on rough estimates based on financial spend, companies can now gather precise emissions data directly from suppliers’ published carbon.txt files, which dramatically streamlines the process and supports faster and more accurate reporting.”
The initiative is positioned as a scalable, immediately implementable solution to help companies meet anticipated targets in the forthcoming Government Digital Sustainability Strategy.
By reducing reliance on manual document review and promoting transparency, the new system is designed to accelerate climate action across the technology sector.
Hannah Smith, director of operations at Green Web Foundation, said: “The partnership creates real incentives for suppliers to proactively reduce their actual emissions rather than simply claiming they have, with the technology acting as infrastructure for accountability.
“Both Green Web Foundation and Scott Logic recognise that the ICT and technology sectors have the expertise to lead on climate transparency, and we believe that the combined solution provides the foundation for organisations to move beyond current limitations in digital emissions reporting.
“The entire system is open source and designed for immediate implementation. Companies can begin with whatever emissions data they currently possess, document their methodologies clearly, and publish information in a format that enables discovery and comparison across the industry.”
