Carbon Footprint Statement vs Carbon Reduction Plan vs Evidence Pack
For a standard CRP, start with your Carbon Reduction Plan and supporting Evidence Pack. A separate Carbon Footprint Statement is available if you want a concise self-declared summary; it is optional. A .carbonverify project file keeps the editable work so you can reopen it later.
The Carbon Reduction Plan combines your footprint, commitment, targets, measures and approval. The Evidence Pack records the calculation trail. The optional separate Carbon Footprint Statement summarises the footprint with its own internal sign-off. It is not the declaration within the CRP: that declaration remains part of the plan where required.
At-a-glance comparison
| Output | What it answers | Status | Typical audience | Sharing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optional Carbon Footprint Statement | What emissions did we calculate, for which period and boundary, and who signed off the snapshot? | An optional Carbon Verify self-assessed output. It is not the prescribed PPN 006 document or a statutory SECR filing. | Management, customers, consultants or other reviewers needing a concise footprint summary. | Usually private or shared selectively. It is not needed just to produce the CRP. |
| Carbon Reduction Plan | Where are we now, what is our net-zero commitment, and how do we intend to reduce emissions? | Formally defined by PPN 006 where an applicable procurement requires it. It can also be prepared voluntarily or for a private buyer. | Management, procurement buyers, customers and the public. | Where PPN 006 applies, the current approved plan must be published or clearly signposted on the supplier’s UK website. |
| Carbon Verify Evidence Pack | How were the totals assembled, and which inputs, applicable factors or supplied calculation methods, references, assumptions and checks sit behind them? | A Carbon Verify supporting workbook. It is not a government template, assurance opinion or certification. | Internal reviewers, consultants, assurers or a buyer requesting supporting detail. | Normally kept private because it may contain commercially sensitive operational detail. Review and redact before sharing. |
All three begin with the underlying footprint
Bills and operational records are converted into emissions using the applicable methodology and factors. A suitable separate calculation can supply a gross emissions figure for a source not entered elsewhere; the app records that method rather than applying another factor. The documents then present different views of the same underlying work.
The PPN 006 technical standard describes the Carbon Reduction Plan as a high-level summary; producing the plan does not remove the need to calculate and retain the organisational footprint behind it.
What is the Carbon Footprint Statement?
The optional Carbon Verify Carbon Footprint Statement is a Word document summarising the organisation, reporting period, boundary, emissions by scope, activity breakdown, evidence references and internal sign-off. It includes planning information only where you have supplied a complete, checked and appropriately approved plan; it does not create a net-zero commitment, target or baseline for you. Otherwise it reports the footprint without inventing planning information. Optional intensity measures and Extended-only disclosures appear when using Extended footprint. Separately reported biogenic CO₂ and non-Kyoto gas components can appear in either mode when relevant sources are entered; they are outside the CRP's greenhouse-gas total.
It is useful when management, a customer or a consultant wants a concise record of the self-assessed footprint without the fuller reduction-plan narrative. “Carbon Footprint Statement” is the product name for this output; it is not a prescribed standalone PPN 006 document and it is not the same as an SECR disclosure made through an eligible company’s annual report.
What is a Carbon Reduction Plan?
A Carbon Reduction Plan combines emissions figures with a commitment and a route forward. The official PPN 006 structure includes the net-zero commitment, baseline and current emissions, five-year target, completed and planned reduction projects, declaration and senior approval.
Where PPN 006 applies, the plan must follow the applicable reporting standard, be current, appropriately approved and published. The rule does not apply to every tender, and NHS or private-buyer requirements can differ. Always check the current procurement documents rather than relying on the document title alone.
Carbon Verify prepares Word and HTML versions structured around the information requested by the PPN template. Preview a clearly marked working draft for the chosen purpose before management approval. The draft shows outstanding checks and does not claim conformity or approval. Final documents need the appropriate coverage, review and actual sign-off; a voluntary or professional-review route is not a procurement-compliance conclusion.
Carbon Verify starts in Standard CRP · PPN 006, focused on supported Scope 1 and Scope 2 sources and the five required Scope 3 categories. Turn on Extended footprint for selected additional sources and disclosures; it is not a complete Scope 3 inventory. The selected mode determines which inputs contribute to the totals and documents. Both include saved projects, personalised outputs and the Evidence Pack.
The main totals and targets use location-based electricity, reflecting the grid where it is consumed. In Extended, any supported market-based tariff result is disclosed separately with its evidence. That keeps the comparison basis visible rather than silently changing the total when a tariff option is selected.
Where to find the document controls
Stage 6, Reduction plan, holds targets, measures and management approval; it does not generate a second set of documents. All generation is in stage 7, Check & download, alongside the final checks and Document appearance.
- Carbon Reduction Plan: review the checked final plan and download Word or website-ready HTML.
- Evidence Pack: download a working Excel record once basic numeric/date checks pass. Unresolved source or evidence entries remain labelled pending; invalid numbers or reversed dates still need correcting. It can support review before the footprint is complete or final CRP approval is recorded.
- Need a draft for review? open this initially closed section to preview the draft CRP or download draft Word. Missing checks and pending approval stay labelled; a draft is not for submission.
- Optional Carbon Footprint Statement: open this separate section only when that summary is useful. Its entry, coverage and internal-review checks and sign-off still apply; you do not need it for the CRP.
The guided demo uses locked fictional inputs with live review controls. Its completed sample CRP, Evidence Pack and optional Statement follow the chosen business, Standard or Extended coverage and document style. Review ticks do not rewrite those fixed samples or make them approved documents for your organisation.
What is the Carbon Verify Evidence Pack?
The Evidence Pack is an Excel workbook covering the summary, activity data and calculation chain, applicable factor references or supplied calculation methods, evidence log, Scope 3 assessment, Carbon Reduction Plan information, data quality and internal-review status. Extended includes the applicable purchases-method detail. Its active figures match the selected reporting mode. If you return to Standard with Extended-only entries saved, a Retained Additional Data worksheet identifies that inactive information separately; it is not counted as zero emissions. Supported additional sources within Standard's scope remain active.
For Extended purchases, the Purchases Method worksheet records each purchase's calculation route, factor source and data year, price basis and adjustment, assumptions, limitations and pending items. Guided purchases remain industry-average spending estimates, not measurements of a particular supplier or confirmation that all purchases have been covered. Retain the supporting invoices separately and review the purchases methodology and limitations alongside the figures.
It is designed to help someone reconstruct the working and identify questions. The workbook contains recorded values and the calculation trail; it is not an active formula-based replacement for the calculator. Evidence references point to invoices, meter data, logs, surveys or certificates retained elsewhere. They do not replace the original source records.
What is the editable project file?
Save project file creates a .carbonverify snapshot containing the organisation, period, inputs, references, review information and document appearance. Use Open project to resume it. It is not a report to publish, an Evidence Pack or a copy of the original bills. Browser autosave and downloaded files are separate; later edits do not update a downloaded copy.
Keep a separate file for each organisation. Read saving and opening projects for switching safely, moving devices and legacy-file compatibility.
Plain documents or your own branding
Reports are plain and editable by default. Select Appearance in Carbon Verify to add the active organisation's logo, a readable accent colour or optional support credits. A preparer credit does not replace management approval or imply independent assurance. Changes made in Word do not update the project: change the figures in Carbon Verify, review again and regenerate. See preparing branded, editable documents.
Which document should I send?
- For internal management: use the Evidence Pack for the working, with the CRP for targets and measures. Add the optional Statement if a separate footprint summary is useful.
- For a consultant or independent reviewer: share the relevant draft output, the Evidence Pack and the original source documents they request.
- For a central-government tender: provide the current, published and appropriately approved Carbon Reduction Plan requested by that tender. Share supporting material only if asked.
- For an NHS procurement: check the applicable value tier, date and current NHS instructions; requirements are not identical in every case.
- For a private customer: follow their wording. “Carbon statement”, “footprint report” and “reduction plan” may be used differently by different buyers.
Do I need all three?
No. The right set depends on the job:
- Add the optional Statement when you need a separate internally signed-off snapshot. The CRP's own declaration is not optional where required.
- Use the Reduction Plan when you need targets and actions, or when a buyer specifically requires the applicable format.
- Keep the Evidence Pack when you need the working record or expect internal or professional review.
A PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plan does not represent a full 15-category Scope 3 inventory, and its standard supplier self-certification does not amount to an audit. A buyer or another reporting scheme may ask for additional information or assurance.
Protect sensitive working data
A published Carbon Reduction Plan is intended for public access where the procurement rule applies. The Evidence Pack and editable project file are different: they can contain detailed activity values, supplier information, evidence references, assumptions and internal review notes. Keep them secure and share only with an appropriate recipient. Project files are not encrypted by Carbon Verify, and sharing one does not transfer a software licence.
See the real outputs before using your own data
The guided demo shows the CRP and Evidence Pack, with a separate optional Statement, using fictional information and matching sample documents.