limate change and the associated environmental problems have increased the focus on sustainable practices and emission reductions worldwide. The European Union has therefore launched the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). And as of October 31, the corresponding reporting will get serious: From then on, the switch is made from estimates to real data.
If you're looking for technical support from CBAM software, you've come to the right place. With our experience from over 400 ESG matchings for medium-sized companies and corporations, we provide you with our database and our know-how for the selection of a suitable CBAM software.
Are you already familiar with the topic and would like to go straight to our CBAM Match Assistant? Then you can go directly with one click
Promoting climate protection
Taxing CO2 emissions from imported goods creates an incentive for foreign manufacturers to produce in a more environmentally friendly way.
Securing competitiveness for European companies
By creating a level playing field, European companies will be protected from unfair competition from companies from countries with less stringent emissions regulations. Prevention of CO2 leakage
The CBAM reduces the risk that companies relocate production to countries with lower environmental standards in order to save costs.
CBAM focuses in particular on the following sectors with especially high CO2 emissions:
Steel and iron industry
Cement and lime industry
Aluminium industry
Fertilizer industry
Energy-intensive chemical industry
The CBAM is being implemented step by step. In the transition phase from 2023 to 2025, companies that import goods into the EU are obliged to report their CO2 emissions, but do not yet have to pay a CO2 tax. From 2026, these companies will have to purchase corresponding CO2 certificates to cover the emissions contained in their goods.
If your company belongs to one of the CO2-intensive industries mentioned, you should check whether you are subject to reporting requirements. On the CBAM information page of the European Commission you will find the exact requirements and examples of how reporting/measurement needs to be done.
Let’s have a look at the important topics surrounding CBAM software.
As part of the CBAM, you have to optimize your emissions and the supply chain, invest in sustainable technologies and use the results to create a CBAM-compliant report to be submitted quarterly.
In order to use your resources efficiently and document them in a legally compliant manner (the fines have already begun), we recommend using software that specializes in CBAM as part of your ESG tech stack.
The areas of application of specialized tools are e. g.:
Efficient processing of your emissions data
CBAM software records and analyzes all relevant CO2 and supplier data. Thanks to interfaces to systems such as ERP, management or supplier management, data collection is designed efficiently. Once set up, all essential information about production processes, suppliers and emissions can be combined into the respective reporting cycles with just one click.
Increasing the transparency of your emissions reporting and legal compliance
The CBAM software generates detailed, structured and CBAM-compliant reporting from the data and also ensures complete traceability of CO2 emissions along the supply chain. The software framework automatically assigns the information to the correct areas and documents everything precisely to avoid penalties due to missing or incorrect reports.
Up-to-date thanks to regular adaptation to changes in legislation
You can assume that any necessary adjustments to new legal requirements for imported goods will be regularly incorporated directly into the system by correctly selected software providers.
Risk reduction through precise monitoring of your emission values
If certain emission thresholds are exceeded, the software recognizes and reports this. In the long term, this also means a reduction in costs, as fines for excessive emission values are avoided.
CBAM scenario planning
The CBAM software can help you forecast future emissions and run through different scenarios to make informed strategic decisions.
In answering this question, we must first distinguish between two types of software providers. In Europe, there are over 50 providers that offer either a specialized CBAM reporting tool (stand-alone) or a corresponding CBAM module as part of an all-in-one ESG software solution (especially C02 accounting and supplier management tools).
At this point, we will leave out the module offers and focus on the stand-alone solutions in the budget orientation.
From our previous matchings (as of September 2024) for medium-sized companies and corporations, we determined average costs of around EUR 4,800 per year for CBAM software. However, there are some strong upward fluctuations depending on the number of product groups and suppliers, countries of origin and EORI numbers. The same applies to companies with a small number of imported groups of goods, where CBAM software can be used for as little as EUR 1,000 per year.
In addition to the software licenses, you should plan for and request optional consulting services. For example, if you have never worked with the EU portal before, a standardized short training course is recommended. Individual advice is recommended in any case for the upcoming compensation payments.
Our tip: To get a non-binding cost estimate based on your initial situation, use our CBAM software matching. Once you have all the relevant information, the providers can respond directly with a quote.
Whether an investment in software is worthwhile and whether you decide to choose an external partner depends on a few key aspects that you should discuss internally.
For example, it is possible to configure your CBAM reporting with Excel – this has been the most common practice for many SMEs to date. However, due to numerous changes in reporting, the switch from estimated to actual data and the overall increasing complexity of certificates, this will be a high-wire act. Due to the upcoming increases in fines, there is currently a strong demand for external software providers. The Excel scenario is currently being shelved by many.
CBAM is becoming increasingly complex and, particularly for companies with a high import quota, data collection and the underlying processes should be set up with maximum automation. Those who set the course for this now and create structures will achieve a significant ROI for the software budget invested all the more quickly.
At Matchilla, we have been intensively involved with the various ESG software solutions and continually screen the provider market for our platform users. Our database includes the most important CBAM software providers – backed by hard and soft factors such as functions, interfaces, product groups, consulting and industry competencies, pricing and much more.
You can now benefit from this market overview and our expertise in more than 400 ESG matchings for medium-sized companies and corporations: We will be happy to help you find the right CBAM software provider for you.
We use our matching process to shortlist the three tool providers that best suit your individual reporting obligations and import requirements.
The best thing: This comparison of software providers is non-binding for you, free of charge and anonymous to the providers.
Try it/us without obligation: We look forward to match!
The CBAM market for tech and consulting is growing immensely. A veritable jungle of software solutions has emerged. It is extremely confusing, but this is precisely where our core competence lies: for over two years, we have been successively screening all relevant ESG software providers for our platform users.
We have already successfully carried out the structured matching process that you go through with us for more than 400 companies (medium-sized companies and corporations). This means that we are familiar with virtually every constellation in the search for the right CBAM provider.
Thanks to daily personal discussions with relevant providers, we have probably the best maintained database of CBAM software solutions. This market overview and our personal expertise will save you weeks of research work.
Matchilla’s service is free of charge, non-binding and anonymous to the providers. The individual determination and the provision of extensive background information in order to select the best CBAM software for you is financed by the provider’s platform fees. In general, we are not in a paid contractual relationship with you and you can end the matching process at any time.
Simply start by filling out the Match-Assistant for a CBAM software. This will give us an initial insight into your requirements. We will contact you personally if further specifications are required. This allows us to refine the selection criteria and add further individual factors to the matching process in addition to the standard data. From the aggregated information, we create the matchboard on our platform with the three CBAM tool providers most relevant to you.
Our selection process is based on an efficient combination of data, algorithms and a great deal of personal experience. No matchboard is released without the input of one of our CBAM experts. Even companies that have already spoken to several providers are always surprised with even more suitable options.
See Matchilla as a neutral sparring partner in this selection process. We want your company to use the services of the Matchilla platform for many more searches for service providers in the future. We would like to carry out many more matchings with you in other areas and this drives us to ALWAYS present the best possible selection on each Matchboard.
Try it/us out without obligation: We look forward to the matching!
Ulli Theves is Head of CSRD and ESG Matchings at Matchilla and an expert in technical solutions in the field of sustainability. He shares his expertise in our MatchZINE and regularly publishes news and interesting facts about ESG.
In addition to the CBAM, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), for example, poses new challenges for many companies with its reporting obligation. If you need advice in the overall context of the “ESG tech stack”, you’ve come to the right place.
Send us a personal message and we’ll talk to you about the next steps we recommend.
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