CarbonTrail

What CarbonTrail does

CarbonTrail Limited is a New Zealand-based SaaS company founded in April 2022 in Christchurch by Tom Hallam that builds AI-powered carbon accounting software primarily for small and medium-sized enterprises. The core platform connects to accounting systems—Xero (deep native integration including sign-in, expense categorisation, and invoice sync), MYOB, or CSV upload—and applies a hybrid carbon accounting methodology that combines spend-based transaction data with activity data (electricity bills, flight records, waste invoices) to produce emissions estimates. Proprietary AI models classify transactions across 220+ emissions categories using the latest NZ-based emissions factors; predictions below 90% confidence are routed to human review, vision AI extracts structured fields from invoices and bills, and generative AI suggests reduction initiatives. The platform has been audited by McHugh and Shaw for alignment to ISO 14064-1 and the GHG Protocol, and supports data supply to Toitū and EKOS certification programmes as a premium feature.

The revenue model is subscription-based with monthly and annual billing, a 7-day free trial, and a six-month minimum term on monthly plans. CarbonTrail monetises through three channels: direct self-serve and sponsored subscriptions via the Xero App Store (where third parties such as financial institutions can pay on behalf of SME users), the CarbonTrail Cohorts programme (a 4-6 week bundled subscription covering 8-12 businesses with workshops and community), and premium certification add-ons. Pricing is denominated in NZD and is not publicly disclosed. The Cohorts product extends the offering beyond pure software into guided human-plus-platform delivery, while CarbonAPI is offered as a separate API product for programmatic access.

The company operates with a 1-10 person team led by Tom Hallam (Founder & CEO) with Tim Trewinnard (Commercial Director) and Kevin Hodder (Senior Software Developer), supported by three advisors including a vCFO and an AI/foresight advisor. CarbonTrail has raised approximately NZD $406,055 from Angel Investors Marlborough (August 2024) as its first disclosed external funding round. The company is geographically focused on New Zealand—its Terms of Service restrict use outside NZ—with AWS infrastructure hosted in Sydney, Australia as the only disclosed element of a potential international footprint.

Name

CarbonTrail

Legal name

CarbonTrail Limited

Website

https://carbontrail.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CarbonTrail is a New Zealand-based SaaS company using AI to automate carbon accounting for SMEs. It connects to Xero and MYOB to classify transactions across 220+ emissions categories and produce ISO 14064-1-aligned reports, monetising via subscriptions, the Xero App Store, and a guided Cohorts programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carbon Accounting Software

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise Carbon Accounting & GHG Inventory Platforms (EUABAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

ESG/Sustainability Reporting & Disclosure Platforms (EUABAEAB), Supply Chain (Scope 3) Emissions & Supplier Engagement Platforms (EUABAEAE), Emissions Factors, LCA & Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) Platforms (EUABAEAD)

Keywords

• Carbon accounting software
• Emissions measurement platform
• GHG reporting tools
• Sustainability SaaS
• Scope 3 tracking

Headquarters

HQ city

Christchurch

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Standard Subscription: Monthly or annual subscription for individual businesses to access CarbonTrail's emissions measurement and reporting software. Users can self-serve or be sponsored by a third party (e.g., a financial institution or supply chain leader) who pays on their behalf.
2. Premium Subscription: Higher-tier subscription offering premium features such as data supply to certification programmes (Toitū, EKOS) for verification and accreditation. Users can upgrade from a Sponsored Subscription at any time.
3. CarbonTrail Cohorts Programme: Cohort-based group programme (4-6 weeks, 8-12 businesses per cohort) offering full access to CarbonTrail software, guided workshops, expert-led sessions, and peer community. Structured as a bundled subscription with group pricing.
4. Certification Support (Premium Feature): Premium feature available as an add-on for verified emissions data to support Carbon Neutral certification with Toitū and other bodies. Users pay additional fees beyond the base subscription.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CarbonTrail is an AI-powered carbon accounting SaaS platform that connects to a business's accounting software (Xero or MYOB) to automatically categorise financial transactions across 200+ emissions categories and produce Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions estimates aligned with ISO 14064-1 and the GHG Protocol. The platform combines spend-based accounting data with activity-based inputs (flight records, electricity bills, waste invoices) using hybrid carbon accounting methodology, and uses Vision AI for invoice/document extraction and Generative AI to recommend reduction initiatives.

Product overview

CarbonTrail offers a unified carbon accounting platform centered on its core CarbonTrail software, which uses AI to automate emissions measurement by connecting to accounting tools. The platform includes CarbonTrail Cohorts, a structured 4-6 week guided programme that combines software access with expert workshops and peer learning. CarbonTrail Cohorts extends the core product with human guidance and community support, helping businesses not only measure emissions but also take practical reduction actions. CarbonAPI provides programmatic access to carbon accounting capabilities for developers and partners. Together, these products serve SMEs, sustainability teams, and organisations looking to understand, report on, and reduce their carbon footprint.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CarbonAPI: API service mentioned in the Privacy Policy alongside CarbonTrail website and services.

Products and services

• CarbonTrail AI-powered carbon emissions measurement and reporting SaaS for businesses. Connects to Xero or MYOB (or CSV upload) to automatically categorise transactions against 200+ emissions categories using proprietary AI, applies a hybrid spend-plus-activity carbon accounting methodology, and produces Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions estimates aligned with ISO 14064-1 and the GHG Protocol. Includes a real-time dashboard, AI-generated reduction initiatives, and reporting tools for stakeholders, auditors, and certification bodies (Toitū, EKOS as premium add-on).
• CarbonTrail Cohorts Structured 4-6 week cohort programme (8-12 businesses per cohort) bundling full CarbonTrail software access with expert-led workshops, action planning, practical resources, and peer community to help SMEs and sustainability teams turn emissions insights into reduction actions. Certification support is available as an add-on.
• CarbonAPI

Quantifiable outcome

• An accurate measure of carbon emissions can be created in as little as fifteen minutes by connecting accounting software to the platform.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationCarbonTrail has a deep integration with Xero, allowing users to sign in with Xero, automatically sync expenses and invoices, and use AI to categorise transactions across over 200 emissions categories. CarbonTrail is listed on the Xero App Store for New Zealand and can generate an initial carbon footprint estimate from Xero financial data in minutes.
• MYOBcoreTechnology or IntegrationCarbonTrail supports login through MYOB as an alternative to Xero, expanding accessibility to businesses using MYOB accounting software. Users can connect their MYOB account to access the same emissions measurement and reporting capabilities.
• CarbonZminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbonZ is a New Zealand carbon credit marketplace partner referenced by CarbonTrail for offsetting options. CarbonZ offers Native New Zealand Units at $100 per tonne of CO2 and Native CarbonCrop Units (CCUs) at $50 per tonne. CarbonTrail recommends CarbonZ for businesses that need to offset unavoidable emissions after measurement.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreTechnology or IntegrationCarbonTrail hosts all services in Amazon Web Services (AWS), using AWS Bedrock for natural language processing and AI capabilities. AWS holds ISO 27001, 27017, and 27018 certifications. CarbonTrail's own models are hosted in their own AWS cloud account.
• ToitūminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbonTrail can supply data to Toitū certification programmes as a premium feature, enabling customers to pursue Carbon Neutral certification. This partnership helps businesses progress from measurement to verified accreditation.
• CloudflarecoreTechnology or IntegrationCarbonTrail uses Cloudflare as a web-application firewall providing protection against common web threats and for encrypting all data transferred between users and the service. Cloudflare encryption is equivalent to that used for internet banking worldwide.
• Commerce Commission New ZealandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbonTrail references the New Zealand Commerce Commission's environmental claims guidelines (July 2020) to help customers avoid greenwashing and legal issues. CarbonTrail educates users on what claims they can and cannot make based on Commerce Commission guidance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Persefoni: Persefoni is an AI-enabled carbon and climate management accounting platform for enterprises. It is a direct peer in product category (carbon accounting SaaS) but operates at a much larger enterprise scale and globally, whereas CarbonTrail targets NZ SMEs with a hybrid accounting-data + activity-data approach.
• Watershed: Watershed is an enterprise carbon accounting and climate platform combining activity data, AI and audit-ready reporting. It is a direct functional peer to CarbonTrail in carbon accounting software, with overlap in AI-based emissions measurement and GHG Protocol alignment, but addresses larger enterprise customers primarily in the US and Europe.
• Sweep: Sweep is a carbon management and ESG platform for mid-market and enterprise companies with strong accounting-software integrations. It is a direct peer in carbon accounting SaaS and a competitor for the same sustainability team buyer personas that CarbonTrail targets via its sponsor and cohorts motions.
• Greenly: Greenly is a carbon accounting platform focused on SMBs and mid-market companies, using automated data ingestion and AI to produce GHG inventories. It is the closest direct peer to CarbonTrail in terms of SMB-first, AI-automated carbon accounting, though Greenly operates primarily in France and Europe rather than NZ/AU.
• Net0: Net0 is a carbon accounting and reduction platform that ingests financial and operational data to build emissions inventories. It is a direct functional peer to CarbonTrail, with overlap in AI-assisted categorisation, scope 1/2/3 measurement, and reduction initiative generation.
• Plan A: Plan A is a SaaS carbon accounting and ESG platform with a strong focus on data ingestion from accounting tools and supply chain emissions. It competes directly with CarbonTrail for the same SMB and mid-market sustainability buyer, particularly in European markets.

Emerging players

• Toitū Envirocare: Toitū Envirocare is a New Zealand-based carbon certification and measurement body (Toitū carbonreduce, carbonzero programmes) that is referenced by CarbonTrail as a verification partner. It is an emerging/adjacent player in NZ carbon measurement with partial overlap on the certification step of the customer journey that CarbonTrail's premium subscription feeds into.

Regional players

• CarbonClick: CarbonClick is a New Zealand-based carbon offsetting and emissions platform for businesses. It is a regional player in the same NZ carbon ecosystem, overlapping with CarbonTrail on customer base (NZ SMEs) and on offsetting functionality, but its primary product is offset procurement rather than AI-based measurement.

Broad incumbents

• Microsoft Sustainability Manager: Microsoft Sustainability Manager is part of Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability and offers enterprise-grade carbon accounting and ESG reporting. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with CarbonTrail's emissions measurement and reporting functionality but as one capability within a much wider enterprise cloud portfolio.
• Salesforce Net Zero Cloud: Salesforce Net Zero Cloud (formerly Salesforce Sustainability Cloud) is a carbon accounting and ESG data platform built on the Salesforce ecosystem. It is a broad incumbent that competes with CarbonTrail for the same sustainability team buyer, with stronger enterprise integration but heavier implementation footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/carbontrail
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@carbontrailcalculator
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carbontrail

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CarbonTrail