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Cloud Carbon Footprint (CCF)

Cloud Carbon Footprint (CCF)

by Cloud Carbon Footprint

Cloud Carbon Footprint – Open Source Cloud Emissions Monitoring Software

Updated by Maílis Carrilho on November 26th, 2025
Cloud Carbon Footprint (CCF) is an open source tool designed to help organisations quantify and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with cloud computing. Built on transparent methodologies and supported by a global developer community, CCF enables engineering, IT, and sustainability teams to understand the energy and emissions impacts of their cloud workloads and identify reduction opportunities.

Available Carbon Accounting Features

Carbon Footprint Calculation
Compliance Reporting
Cost Tracking
Customizable Dashboards
Customizable Reporting Templates
Data Import/Export
Emissions Factor Database
Emissions Forecasting
Goal Setting & Tracking
Scenario Analysis for Emissions Reduction

Missing Carbon Accounting Features

AI-Powered Insights for Optimization
Audit Support
Benchmarking & Peer Comparison
Carbon Credit Trading
Carbon Offset Tracking
Carbon Pricing
Integration with IoT Sensors
Lifecycle Assessment
Multi-Site Support
Real-Time Monitoring (non-energy)
Risk Assessment & Scoring
Scope 1 Emissions Tracking
Scope 2 Emissions Tracking
Scope 3 Emissions Tracking
Supply Chain Emissions Hotspot Identification
Target Setting & Tracking
Tax and Incentive Management

Pricing

Starting Price
No data available
Options
No data available

Available Since

2021

Deployment Options

No data available

Good Option For

No data available

Deep dive


Core Features

Cloud Carbon Footprint (CCF) provides a set of open-source tools that quantify the carbon emissions generated by cloud infrastructure. Its primary features include:

  • Multi-cloud emissions calculation across AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, applying transparent emissions factors and energy-use models.

  • Energy and carbon estimation for compute, storage, networking, managed services and embodied hardware.

  • Configurable dashboards that visualise emissions by region, service, workload and organisational unit.

  • Automated data ingestion using billing exports, API calls, and scheduled synchronisation tasks.

  • Forecasting and scenario modelling to assess potential emissions reductions from architectural changes, workload migrations or improved resource efficiency.

  • Carbon intensity benchmarking that compares cloud usage against best-practice configurations.

  • Exportable datasets and reports for use in ESG reporting, Scope 2 and Scope 3 assessments and internal sustainability tracking.

  • Customisable methodology allowing organisations to adapt emissions factors, hardware assumptions and calculations to their own policies or regulatory frameworks.

  • Self-hosted deployment for full data control and security, suitable for enterprise environments.

These features make CCF a practical tool for engineering, FinOps and sustainability teams who need reliable visibility into the environmental impact of cloud operations.

Plans & Pricing

Cloud Carbon Footprint is fully open source and free to use.
There are no paid plans, licences or subscription tiers.

Cost Considerations:

  • Organisations incur only internal hosting or infrastructure costs if they self-host the platform.

  • Consultancy services (e.g., implementation, customisation) may be available from Thoughtworks or third-party integrators, but pricing is not published.

In practice, this makes CCF one of the most cost-effective cloud carbon reporting options available, particularly for multi-cloud organisations seeking vendor-neutral models.

Integrations

Cloud Carbon Footprint integrates with a range of cloud and data systems.

Cloud Platform Integrations

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS): Cost and Usage Reports, CloudWatch, EC2, S3, Lambda

  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP): Billing Export, Cloud Monitoring, Compute Engine, Cloud SQL

  • Microsoft Azure: Consumption API, Azure Monitor, VM and Storage APIs

Data & Analytics Integrations

  • Data Warehouses: BigQuery, Redshift, Snowflake

  • Business Intelligence Tools: Tableau, PowerBI, Looker (via exported datasets)

  • CI/CD tooling: GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI for automated carbon checks

  • Custom API integrations for internal systems, dashboards or ESG reporting workflows

These integrations allow CCF to be embedded into existing cloud governance, DevOps and sustainability processes.

Certifications & Awards

Cloud Carbon Footprint does not hold product-specific certifications such as ISO standards or B Corp status.
However:

  • The project is maintained by Thoughtworks, a global tech consultancy known for strong security and engineering practices.

  • CCF’s methodology aligns with recognised standards, including the GHG Protocol and region-specific electricity carbon intensity datasets.

  • The platform has been highlighted in climate-tech and open-source sustainability showcases for its transparency and multi-cloud applicability.

Expert Voices & Reviews

Public commentary on Cloud Carbon Footprint consistently recognises the value of its transparency and multi-cloud approach:

  • “One of the most transparent ways to understand cloud emissions, especially compared to black-box proprietary models.”

  • “An essential tool for teams wanting to integrate sustainability into their DevOps and FinOps workflows.”

  • “Its open methodology is key for companies needing auditability for their ESG disclosures.”

These views reflect the software’s positioning as an evidence-based and engineering-friendly cloud sustainability tool.

Customers & Case Studies

Cloud Carbon Footprint is used by:

  • Enterprises with multi-cloud infrastructure

  • Technology companies

  • Financial institutions

  • Government and public sector organisations

  • Organisations preparing for Scope 3 digital infrastructure reporting

  • Engineering and FinOps teams are conducting optimisation projects

Example use cases include:

  • A technology company using CCF to identify inefficient compute workloads and reduce emissions by optimising region selection.

  • An enterprise integrating CCF into its FinOps pipeline to track carbon alongside cost.

  • A sustainability team incorporating CCF data into Scope 2 and Scope 3 reporting processes for digital operations.

Due to its open-source nature, many organisations deploy CCF internally without public case studies, but adoption has grown significantly across cloud-intensive sectors.

Closing Insights

Cloud Carbon Footprint stands out as one of the most transparent and adaptable tools for cloud emissions measurement. Its open-source foundation allows organisations to understand exactly how emissions are calculated, ensuring reliability for ESG reporting, regulatory compliance and internal sustainability metrics. The platform is particularly effective for engineering and operations teams who need granular, actionable insights.

Strengths include:

  • Transparent, auditable methodology

  • Strong multi-cloud coverage

  • Highly extensible and self-hostable

  • No licensing costs

  • Useful for engineering-led optimisation and ESG teams

Limitations:

  • Not a full ESG platform

  • No carbon credit marketplace or offset features

  • Limited Scope 1 capabilities

  • No IoT-based real-time monitoring

  • Requires some technical setup

Best for:
Organisations with substantial cloud usage, teams preparing for Scope 2/3 reporting, and companies seeking engineering-aligned carbon intelligence without proprietary constraints.

Resources


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