VerdaMetric Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

VerdaMetric is a sustainability intelligence platform developed by Tunley Environmental. It helps organisations collect, manage, measure and report sustainability performance through one structured and easy-to-use system.

The platform brings together activity data, evidence, emission factors, calculations, reporting activity, targets and actions to provide greater visibility and confidence throughout the reporting year.

VerdaMetric is designed for organisations that need to:

• Manage recurring sustainability and carbon reporting

• Coordinate data across multiple sites, teams or business units

• Improve confidence in sustainability data and calculations

• Maintain visibility between annual reporting periods

• Prepare for assurance, disclosures and compliance requirements

• Connect environmental performance with targets and practical action

It can support organisations at different stages of maturity, from those moving beyond spreadsheets to those managing established multi-site reporting challenges.

No. VerdaMetric is designed to strengthen sustainability management and make data and reporting processes more efficient; it does not replace expert judgement.

The platform licence includes technical support for software issues and bugs. Consultancy services, including Business Carbon Assessments, methodology reviews, data quality reviews, reporting, verification, reduction planning and strategy, are provided separately through Tunley Environmental projects or retainers.

VerdaMetric provides a consistent workspace for data, evidence, calculations, actions and reporting activity.

Where an organisation also works with Tunley on a carbon assessment, verification engagement or retainer, the platform can reduce the time spent locating and reorganising information. This creates more opportunity for discussions about findings, priorities and improvement.

The software has also been developed around the practical reporting and data challenges encountered by Tunley Environmental’s PhD scientists and sustainability specialists.

VerdaMetric can manage sustainability and carbon information including:

• Scope 1, 2 and 3 activity data

• Quantities, units and emission factor mappings

• Organisational entities, sites and business units

• Reporting years and historical assessments

• Supporting evidence such as invoices and meter readings

• Data-quality information

• Targets, reduction initiatives and roadmaps

• Supplier information and Scope 3 engagement data

• Tasks, data requests, comments and review activity

• Available capabilities will depend on the modules and package selected.

Yes. VerdaMetric supports structured data collection and calculations across Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3.

This includes:

• Location-based and market-based Scope 2 reporting

• Scope 3 relevance screening across the 15 GHG Protocol categories

• Fuel and energy Scope 3 calculations

• Supplier engagement and supplier-data collection

• Data organised by scope, category, site and reporting year

The platform is designed to support GHG Protocol-aligned accounting and the information required for ISO 14064-1 inventories.

Yes. Organisations can manage multiple sites, entities, business units, reporting years and users within one connected workspace.

Data can be organised according to the organisation’s structure, while permissions can be configured so users only see or edit the information relevant to their role.

Yes. Existing sustainability and carbon data can be imported using structured Excel templates.

Uploads are validated to identify missing or invalid information before data is accepted, helping to avoid partially imported or inconsistent datasets. The migration approach will depend on the format, volume and quality of the existing data.

Yes. Evidence such as invoices, meter readings, Environmental Product Declarations and other supporting files can be attached directly to the relevant activity record.

This keeps the evidence connected to the number it substantiates and makes review, reporting and verification preparation more straightforward.

VerdaMetric uses controlled and versioned emission-factor libraries, including reporting-year-specific factor sets.

The platform also includes:

• Unit compatibility and conversion checks

• Transparent calculation records

• Factor approval workflows

• Location-based and market-based factors

• An audit trail of factor and data changes

• Factor suggestions that remain subject to human approval

This helps ensure that completed reporting years are not silently changed when new factors become available.

The platform can provide ranked emission-factor suggestions based on the activity description, unit and category.

However, factors are not applied without review. A user must approve the appropriate factor, maintaining human oversight of the calculation process.

The platform includes several data-quality controls, such as:

• Structured validation

• Data quality scoring

• Warnings for missing information

• Exception flags

• Outlier and coverage checks

• Spend-based proxy warnings

• Evidence attachments

• Review comments

• A full record of changes and approvals

These tools help organisations identify weaknesses before they reach the final reporting or verification stage.

Depending on the selected modules, VerdaMetric can provide:

• Live sustainability and emissions dashboards

• Emissions breakdowns by scope and category

• Data-collection progress reporting

• Intensity metrics

• Prior-year comparisons and performance trends

• Branded PDF assessment reports

• Editable Word reports

• Verification audit packs

• Reduction roadmaps and scenario comparisons

• SECR reporting outputs

• PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plans

Platform functionality and outputs will vary according to the selected package and implementation scope.

Yes. The SECR functionality can bring together the principal information needed for Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting, including:

• Total energy consumption in kWh

• Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions

• Intensity metrics

• Prior-year comparisons

• Methodology information

• Energy-efficiency actions and narrative

Fuel quantities can also be converted to kWh using relevant DESNZ fuel-property data, with the calculation trail retained for review.

Yes. The PPN 006 workflow is designed to bring together organisational emissions, reduction commitments, targets and the required supporting narrative.

It can also highlight incomplete requirements before the Carbon Reduction Plan is finalised.

VerdaMetric supports preparation of the plan, but the organisation remains responsible for ensuring the final submission is accurate, appropriate and applicable to the relevant procurement opportunity.

No. VerdaMetric supports compliance preparation by structuring relevant data, calculations, evidence and reporting workflows.

It does not replace legal advice, professional judgement or independent verification, and it does not guarantee that an organisation will meet every applicable legal, regulatory or procurement requirement.

Yes. VerdaMetric can retain:

• Activity data

• Supporting evidence

• Emission-factor mappings

• Calculation trails

• Data-quality records

• Review comments

• Approval history

• A full audit log

A structured verification pack can also be generated to support third-party assurance and reduce the need to reconstruct evidence manually.

The platform includes role-based permissions and read-only access options that can support auditor or reviewer access.

The precise arrangement will depend on the organisation’s package, user setup and verification process.

Yes. The platform can support:

• Near-term and net-zero targets

• Absolute and intensity-based pathways

• Reduction initiatives

• Scenario comparisons

• Forward projections

• Target and roadmap tracking

• Supplier-engagement targets

• Science-based target monitoring

These tools help connect the reporting process with practical action and longer-term environmental performance.

Yes. Additional users can be invited and assigned access according to their responsibilities.

Available roles may include:

• Organisation administrator

• Data contributor

• Reviewer or auditor

• Read-only user

Permissions can also be configured by module or individual user.

VerdaMetric includes security controls such as:

• Role-based access permissions

• Two-factor authentication using authenticator applications

• Secure password-reset processes

• Session-security controls

• Trusted-device management

• A full audit log of activity and changes

Detailed security and information-governance documentation can be supplied for client procurement or information-security reviews.

Data ownership, retention and export arrangements will be clearly set out in the VerdaMetric contract and data-processing documentation.

Yes. Access can be tailored according to the user’s role and responsibilities.

For example, a contributor may be able to submit information for a particular site, while an administrator can manage the wider inventory and an auditor can be given read-only access.

Yes. The platform records relevant activity such as the creation, amendment and deletion of records, factor changes, approvals and exports.

The audit trail records who made the change and when, supporting internal review and verification preparation.

VerdaMetric holds very little personal data. The platform is built to measure an organisation’s greenhouse gas emissions, so almost everything in it relates to buildings, fuel, travel and spend rather than to individuals.

For each user account we store a name, a work email address, the organisation they belong to, and their permissions. Passwords are never stored in plain text but use a one-way cryptographic hash, which cannot be reversed to recover the original password. The technology behind this encryption is in line with current NCSC and OWASP guidance.

Your emissions data, uploaded evidence and reports are stored separately from your account details and are only accessible to users you have authorised.

VerdaMetric is built to support compliance with the UK GDPR and the EU GDPR, and we designed it around the principle of data minimisation. We collect only what the platform needs to do its job.

In practice that means:

• We hold minimal personal data, as set out above.

• Access is restricted to the users you authorise, and each organisation’s data is separated from every other organisation’s.

• Every change to your data is recorded in an audit trail showing who did what and when, so you can answer questions about how information has been handled.

• We publish a clear notice covering everything stored in your browser, and we do not use advertising or analytics cookies or track users across other websites.

• For the data you enter into VerdaMetric, your organisation is the data controller and Tunley Environmental acts as your data processor. We process it on your instructions and for no other purpose.

Access is limited to the small number of staff who need it to run and support the service, and every action they take is recorded in the same audit trail you can see.

Where your account is managed through a consultancy partner, that partner can see only the organisations they are responsible for. The platform enforces this separation in software.

Two-factor authentication means that knowing your password is not enough to get into your account, someone would also need the phone in your pocket.

When you first sign in, VerdaMetric shows you a QR code that you scan with a free authenticator app. From then on, each time you sign in you enter the six-digit code your app is showing. The code changes every 30 seconds and is generated on your device, so it is never sent by text message and cannot be intercepted from your phone number.

Two-factor authentication is required on every sign-in for every user, and it cannot be switched off. We took that decision deliberately: stolen and reused passwords are the most common way business systems are broken into, and a code that changes every 30 seconds closes that route.

If you lose access to your authenticator app, an administrator can reset your enrolment so you can set it up again on a new device.

Passwords must be at least 10 characters and contain both letters and numbers, and are checked against that standard when they are set. We do not force regular password changes. Current NCSC guidance is that routine expiry makes passwords weaker, not stronger, because people pick predictable variations.

Because two-factor authentication is mandatory, a password on its own is never sufficient to reach your data.

Failed sign-in attempts are counted, and each further run of them costs more than the last: a 15-minute pause after five attempts, lengthening to 24 hours, and a lock on the account if attempts continue. The same applies to two-factor codes. Signing in successfully clears the count, and an administrator can lift a pause or a lock if needed. Failed attempts are recorded so unusual patterns can be spotted.

Sign-in pages never reveal whether an email address is registered, so the platform cannot be used to work out who holds an account.

No, and the platform actively checks for it. Licences are issued per named user, and VerdaMetric records the browser and general network each account signs in from. If one account is used from two different machines at the same time, that is flagged for review.

This exists for your protection as much as ours: a shared login means an audit trail that cannot tell you who actually changed a figure, and an account that stays open after someone leaves. If you need more people to have access, additional users can be added to your licence.

Yes. Every piece of information in VerdaMetric is tied to a specific organisation, and every request is checked against the organisations your account is permitted to see. A user cannot reach another organisation’s data.

All traffic between your browser and VerdaMetric is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS. The connection is enforced and browsers are instructed to refuse an unencrypted one for a full year after their first visit. Sign-in cookies are also marked so they can only ever be sent over an encrypted connection.

Your data remains yours. Reports and inventories can be exported at any time while your licence is active, so you can take a copy with you.

VerdaMetric keeps an audit trail of changes to your data: who made a change, what changed, and when. This is there so your emissions figures can be defended: if a number in a report is questioned months later, the history behind it can be shown.

Administrators at your organisation can view this history. It also means figures cannot be quietly altered after a report has been signed off.

The planned onboarding journey includes:

1. Discovery
Confirming reporting requirements, organisational structure, data sources, users and relevant modules.

2. Platform setup
Configuring the organisation, reporting years, sites, user permissions and modules.

3. Data migration
Transferring suitable existing data through structured templates and validated imports.

4. User training
Providing relevant users with guidance on data entry, requests, progress monitoring and the features included in their licence.

5. Ongoing use
Supporting teams in collecting information, attaching evidence and maintaining reporting readiness.

The precise process will depend on the selected package and the complexity of the organisation.

Implementation time will depend on factors including:

• The number of sites, entities and users

• The modules selected

• The quality and format of existing data

• The number of historic reporting years being transferred

• The complexity of the reporting boundary

• The availability of client stakeholders

A tailored implementation plan and expected timescale should be agreed following discovery.

Yes. Relevant users will receive onboarding guidance covering the features and responsibilities associated with their role.

Training may include an initial onboarding session, platform guidance and access to training resources or videos.

Yes. VerdaMetric has been designed to manage multiple reporting years and preserve completed historical assessments.

Historic data can be migrated where appropriate, subject to its format, quality and the agreed implementation scope.

Licence holders can raise support tickets to report software bugs or technical platform issues.

They can also request information about additional modules, functionality or add-ons.

Consultancy support—including carbon assessments, methodology reviews, data-quality reviews, reporting, verification, reduction planning and strategy—is purchased separately through Tunley Environmental projects or retainers.

Technical issues can be raised through the VerdaMetric support-ticketing system.

Tickets can include relevant project and user information, threaded messages and a priority level to help the technical team understand and address the issue.

Clients will be informed about relevant platform updates and new modules as they become available. Access may depend on the licence package and functionality selected.

Yes. Clients can submit feature requests and suggestions through the relevant support or account-management channel.

Requests will be considered alongside client demand, platform strategy, technical feasibility and the wider product roadmap. Submission of a request does not guarantee that the feature will be developed.

Reporting years and factor sets are managed separately to protect the integrity of completed assessments.

Changes to factors or functionality should not silently alter previously signed-off results. Where recalculation is required, this should take place through a controlled and transparent process.