Seedling

Core Features

Seedling frames carbon accounting as an ongoing management process rather than a one-off footprint exercise. It combines activity-based emissions measurement with an advisory review enabling SMEs to meet client and regulatory expectations without deep in-house expertise. In essence, the platform is structured around measuring, analysing, reducing, investing, reporting and certifying climate action, supported by specialist guidance. Some of Seedling’s main features are:

• Full-scope, activity-based measurement - Seedling supports data collection across Scopes 1, 2 and 3, using spend as a starting point but prioritising activity data to build maximally accurate, GHG-aligned inventories.

• Automated analysis and hotspot dashboards - Once data is submitted, Seedling’s engine generates a GHG Protocol-compliant footprint that is checked by experts and segmented in dashboards by scope, category, location and intensity metrics.

• Reduction planning and impact modelling - Users can work with Seedling advisers to translate hotspot analysis into Net Zero pathways, using decarbonisation modelling tools to forecast the impact of planned changes.

• Reporting and compliance tooling - The platform generates reports aligned to frameworks such as SECR, PPN 06/21, B Corp Climate Transition Plans, EcoVadis and ISO 14064, including documentation of assumptions, exclusions and data sources, as well as shareable “impact pages” for tenders, clients and stakeholders.

• Verified climate-action investments - Seedling includes an integrated marketplace for funding climate projects verified under schemes such as the UN Clean Development Mechanism and Gold Standard.

• Certification and partner ecosystem - Businesses that measure a full-scope footprint, set science-aligned targets and publish a reduction plan can become “Seedling Certified”, supported by badges and impact pages.

Closing Insights

Seedling was founded in 2022 by co-founders Aimée and Blair in Bath, building a team of sustainability experts and software engineers focused on small and mid-sized businesses. The platform positions itself as an all-in-one carbon accounting and Net Zero planning tool that pairs activity-based, GHG Protocol-aligned measurement with one-to-one advisory support. Seedling offers fast onboarding and guided workflows for SMEs that need compliant reporting for regulations like SECR and PPN 06/21 without hiring in-house specialists, and for those facing growing data requests from larger customers under evolving disclosure regimes.

Case studies and testimonials highlight how Seedling supports manufacturing, software and marketing footprints as well as service-based operations. The platform has also collaborated with the British Fashion Council (BCF) providing a full scope carbon footprint for 50 UK fashion SMEs, as part of the BCF's Low Carbon Transition Programme. Against a backdrop where SMEs are often exempt from mandatory disclosure but increasingly asked for emissions data by corporate clients and supply-chain partners, Seedling’s SME-oriented model offers a practical way to respond to those requests. Seedling offers a free Starter tier and a paid Seedling plan currently at £80 per month, alongside Xero and Sage integrations for spend-based screening and ongoing expert support for measurement, planning and reporting across different sectors and geographies.