Carbon Accounting 101: From GRI Reporting Standards to AI-Enabled Automation

In today’s business landscape, carbon accounting is no longer a voluntary exercise, it has become a core part of corporate strategy. Investors, regulators, and customers increasingly demand proof of climate action, measured against GRI reporting standards and supported by robust tools such as an ESG reporting tool. For many businesses, however, the task of accurately measuring and reducing emissions across complex operations and supply chains remains a challenge. This is where carbon accounting, and its evolution from manual methods to AI-enabled automation, plays a transformative role.

Understanding Carbon Accounting

Carbon accounting is the process of measuring, tracking, and reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These are generally categorized as:

• Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources (e.g., company vehicles, onsite fuel use).

• Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased energy (e.g., electricity, steam).

• Scope 3: All other indirect emissions across the value chain, such as supplier emissions, logistics, or product end-use.

For many businesses, Scope 3 can represent 70–90% of their footprint, making comprehensive carbon accounting and robust carbon footprint reports essential to credibility and impact.

Photo by Ashraf Ali on Unsplash

The Role of Standards: From GRI Reporting Standards to BRSR Reporting

To ensure consistency and transparency, companies rely on international frameworks. The GRI reporting standards remain one of the most widely used, offering clear guidance on how to disclose emissions and sustainability performance in a way that is both transparent and comparable.

Alongside GRI, other frameworks such as the GHG Protocol and CDP disclosure ensure credibility. Increasingly, companies must also meet jurisdiction-specific requirements like BRSR reporting in India, SECR in the UK, or the EU’s CSRD. Aligning with these standards not only keeps companies compliant but also builds trust with stakeholders.

From Spreadsheets to AI-Powered ESG Reporting Tools

Traditionally, carbon accounting relied heavily on manual data collection, spreadsheets, and third-party audits. This method is slow, error-prone, and disconnected from decision-making. With global supply chains and rising compliance demands, businesses need scalable solutions.

This is where AI-powered platforms and ESG reporting tools are reshaping the field. Modern systems can:

• Automatically capture and centralize emissions data across operations.

• Generate carbon footprint reports aligned with GRI, BRSR, and CDP disclosure standards.

• Highlight emission hotspots in real time and suggest decarbonization solutions.

• Track ROI by linking sustainability efforts with operational cost savings.

AI brings speed, accuracy, and scalability to carbon accounting, turning a compliance task into a strategic advantage.

Why Carbon Accounting Matters

Carbon accounting is no longer about ticking boxes. It is a strategic enabler of efficiency, compliance, and brand reputation. By combining globally recognized frameworks like GRI with AI-driven carbon accounting software, businesses can achieve both audit readiness and measurable carbon reductions.

Fitsol’s Role

At Fitsol, we help businesses go beyond fragmented spreadsheets with our AI-powered carbon accounting platform and digital decarbonization solutions. Our tools enable real-time carbon emissions tracking, automated carbon footprint reports, and actionable insights. This allows organizations to stay compliant with BRSR reporting, GRI standards, and CDP disclosure requirements, while actively working toward their Net Zero goals.