Calculated Risk

What Calculated Risk does

Carbon Calculated is a South African specialist carbon management and climate change consultancy founded in 2008 and headquartered in Cape Town with a secondary office in Johannesburg. The firm measures, reports, and advises on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for enterprise clients, with services spanning carbon footprint calculations and report writing across Scope 1, 2, and 3 categories, Interpretation Reports, CDP questionnaire submissions and quality checks (climate change, water security, forestry), carbon tax risk assessment and consultation, science-based target setting aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and implementation of Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations. Methodologies are grounded in established international frameworks including the GHG Protocol, CDP, SBTi, and TCFD.

The company's primary client base consists of large, listed South African enterprises, particularly JSE Top 100 companies with investor disclosure obligations, alongside globally positioned firms requiring international sustainability disclosures. Named clients include Vodacom (since 2010), Mediclinic Southern Africa (eight-plus years), Belgotex, Liberty, Curro, Remgro, Sanlam, Old Mutual, and The Foschini Group. Carbon Calculated also develops CarbonKnown, an in-house online environmental management software for data management and carbon footprint analytics, signaled by a 'Request a Demo' call-to-action on its website.

Revenue is generated through professional services engagements on a quote-based, scope-of-work pricing model with no publicly disclosed rates or self-serve tiers. The business is privately held by co-founders Alex Hetherington and Nici Palmer, with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or institutional investors. Marketing relies on content (blog, case studies, testimonials), LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, and the firm maintains strategic partnerships with the National Business Initiative, Green Building Council South Africa, and Credible Carbon. Headcount stands at approximately 11-12 team members including data analysts, verification specialists, and a science-based targets/TCFD specialist cadre.

Name

Calculated Risk

Legal name

Carbon Calculated

Website

https://carboncalculated.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carbon Calculated is a Cape Town-based carbon management consultancy founded in 2008 that helps JSE-listed enterprises measure, report, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3, deliver CDP submissions, set SBTi targets, and implement TCFD recommendations, supported by its CarbonKnown software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carbon Management Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG/Sustainability Reporting & Disclosure Platforms (EUABAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Supply Chain (Scope 3) Emissions & Supplier Engagement Platforms (EUABAEAE), Voluntary Carbon Credit Verification & Validation (VCS/Gold Standard/ACR/CAR) (EUABACAA), Methodology Development & Standard-Setting Support (Protocols, Tools, Updates) (EUABACAN), GHG Monitoring Plans & Sampling Design (Field Protocols, QA/QC) (EUABACAE)

Keywords

• Carbon footprint consulting
• GHG emissions reporting
• Sustainability advisory services
• Carbon management software
• Climate disclosure services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Carbon Footprint Calculations and Reporting: Core consulting service providing comprehensive carbon footprint calculations and report writing for companies. This involves collecting emissions data, performing calculations according to GHG Protocol standards, and producing detailed reports.
2. Interpretation Reports: Deeper analysis and understanding of carbon footprints and carbon landscape to provide strategic insights for clients.
3. CDP Submissions and Checks: Assistance with CDP questionnaire submissions for climate change, water security, and forestry disclosures, including quality checks.
4. Carbon Tax Consultation: Assessment of business carbon tax risk and identification of strategies to reduce carbon tax liability.
5. Science-Based Target Setting: Step-by-step guidance for businesses setting science-based emission reduction targets in accordance with SBTi framework.
6. TCFD Implementation: Consulting services to help organizations implement Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures recommendations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Carbon Calculated is a specialist carbon management and climate change consultancy that delivers carbon footprint calculations, Scope 1/2/3 emissions reporting, CDP submissions, carbon tax consultation, science-based target setting, and TCFD implementation for large enterprises. The company complements these advisory services with its proprietary CarbonKnown online software platform used for carbon footprint data management and analytics.

Product overview

Carbon Calculated is a specialist carbon management and climate change consultancy offering a software solution (CarbonKnown) alongside professional consulting services. The core offerings include carbon footprint calculations and reporting, CDP submissions, carbon tax consultation, science-based target setting, and TCFD recommendations. The company serves businesses globally across multiple sectors with carbon measurement, management, and climate change strategy services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CarbonKnown: The company's environmental management software solution used for data management and analytics for carbon footprint calculations

Products and services

• CarbonKnown CarbonKnown is Carbon Calculated's proprietary online software solution for environmental management and carbon footprint data management. It assists companies in tracking, calculating, and reporting their greenhouse gas emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3, and is offered via a "Request a Demo" call-to-action on the company's website.
• Carbon Footprint Calculations and Reporting Carbon Calculated's core focus and strength: end-to-end carbon footprint calculations and report writing for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3 for businesses globally.
• Interpretation Reports Deeper analysis reports that provide a deeper understanding of a client's carbon footprint and the broader carbon landscape, supporting strategic decision-making.
• CDP Submissions and Checks Assistance with CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) questionnaire submissions and quality checks for top listed global companies required to submit annual CDP reports covering climate change, water security, and forestry disclosures to the international investment community.
• Carbon Tax Consultation and Calculation Assessment of a business' potential carbon tax risk and identification of innovative ways to reduce carbon tax liability, including calculation under the South African Carbon Tax Act.
• Science-Based Target Setting Step-by-step expert guidance for businesses to set science-based emission reduction targets in accordance with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) framework, including on-site training for client teams.
• TCFD Recommendations Partner engagement to implement the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations within client organisations, enabling structured climate-related risk and opportunity reporting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mediclinic achieved an 'A' performance status for two of eight years on CDP Climate A-list
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Business Initiative (NBI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbon Calculated is listed as a partner of the National Business Initiative, a South African organization that works with businesses on climate action and sustainability initiatives.
• Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbon Calculated is a member of GBCSA, supporting sustainable building practices and environmental management in the built environment sector.
• Tonne ZerominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization supporting carbon reduction initiatives.
• MasiSportsminorOthersCarbon Calculated partners with MasiSports, a sports and life skills development initiative in Masiphumelele township, supporting youth development through sport.
• Credible CarboncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbon Calculated engages with Credible Carbon as a trusted partner, providing third-party verification services for their carbon offset projects. Credible Carbon operates a South African carbon registry enabling businesses to reduce climate impact while alleviating poverty through projects like Walkers Recycling and Spier farm soil carbon sequestration.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greenly: Greenly offers carbon accounting software and accompanying advisory services for SMEs and mid-market corporates, competing with the consulting-plus-software bundle that Carbon Calculated sells into South African enterprises.
• Persefoni: Persefoni is a climate management and accounting platform for enterprises and financial institutions, providing GHG inventories aligned to the GHG Protocol — directly comparable to Carbon Calculated's calculation, reporting and disclosure services.
• Sweep: Sweep is a carbon accounting and emissions management SaaS platform helping businesses measure Scope 1-3 footprints and run reduction programs; it competes most directly with Carbon Calculated's CarbonKnown offering while also serving the consulting-led reporting use case.
• Plan A: Plan A is a Berlin-based carbon management SaaS platform with advisory support, serving corporates on GHG accounting, SBTi target setting and CSRD/ESG reporting — overlapping with Carbon Calculated's full-stack carbon consulting and software model.
• Watershed: Watershed is an enterprise climate platform combining carbon accounting, reporting and reduction strategy for large corporates; it targets the same JSE/Fortune 500 enterprise disclosure buyers that Carbon Calculated serves with its CDP, SBTi and TCFD work.
• Normative: Normative delivers a carbon accounting and reduction platform with deep Scope 3 modeling capabilities, addressing the same enterprise buyer (often with sustainability consultancies as channel partners) that Carbon Calculated serves.
• Net0: Net0 provides a carbon management platform for measuring, reducing and reporting emissions, with a focus on enterprise-grade Scope 3 and value-chain engagement; comparable to Carbon Calculated's footprint, target-setting and reporting practice.

Broad incumbents

• Sphera: Sphera is an enterprise ESG, EHS and sustainability software vendor with broad portfolio coverage; its ESG/climate disclosure solutions target the same large corporates and overlap with Carbon Calculated's CDP, SBTi and TCFD advisory offerings.
• South Pole Group: South Pole is a large global climate solutions provider offering carbon advisory, project development and climate strategy services; as a much larger incumbent it competes for the same corporate climate strategy and carbon disclosure engagements Carbon Calculated pursues.

Regional players

• Climate Neutral Group: Climate Neutral Group is a European carbon consultancy and offset provider helping corporates with footprinting, reduction strategy and carbon credit sourcing; comparable service mix to Carbon Calculated, though focused on European rather than African clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CarbonCalc
• Facebookfacebook.com/carbon.calculated
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carbon-calculated

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Calculated Risk