SOMA

    Who can help my company report the emissions of ChatGPT and Copilot use in our sustainability report?

    For sustainability managers who must put ChatGPT, Copilot and similar tools into a report. Written by SOMA AI, which is one of the options below, so check each claim against the linked documentation. Checked on 12 November 2026.

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    Who can help my company report the emissions of ChatGPT and Copilot use in our sustainability report?

    Four kinds of help exist, and they answer different questions. Your cloud provider's carbon tool reports the services in your own cloud account. Open factor datasets and libraries give you the numbers to calculate it yourself. Carbon accounting platforms hold the inventory, usually pricing AI by spend. Sustainability consultants and specialist providers build the AI line from your usage exports and document it for a reviewer. For staff using ChatGPT or Microsoft 365 Copilot seats, the usual route is an estimate from admin exports, since we found no provider that reports emissions per customer seat. SOMA AI, the publisher of this page, offers the last two.

    How do the four kinds of help compare?

    Neutral summary from each publisher's own documentation, read on 12 November 2026. Examples are illustrative and not a ranking.
    Kind of helpBest whenExamplesLimit to know
    Provider carbon dashboardsThe AI runs in your own cloud accountGoogle Cloud Carbon Footprint lists Vertex AI and the Gemini API as covered services. Azure carbon optimization and the AWS sustainability tools report by cloud resource or service.They report your cloud account, not employees' seats. In the Azure and AWS documents we read, Azure OpenAI and Amazon Bedrock are not named, so ask the provider whether they are included. A community answer on Microsoft Q&A, not an official statement, says Copilot for Microsoft 365 is not shown as its own line.
    Open datasets and librariesYou have an analyst and the usage dataSOMA AI Emission Factors (SAEF) (CC BY 4.0, from SOMA AI). EcoLogits for API calls made through your code. CodeCarbon for code on your own hardware.You do the calculation and the documentation. CodeCarbon does not measure remote API or SaaS use, and its README points to EcoLogits for that.
    Carbon accounting platformsYou need the whole inventory in one systemMany platforms. Trace documents that AI subscriptions are priced with a spend-based software factor.Spend-based lines show cost, not use. In SOMA's method paper, spend-based figures for API purchases ran 1.7 to 12.3 times a token-based estimate.
    Consultants and specialist providersYou need a documented AI line and a method note for a reviewerProjet Celsius in France offers AI footprint diagnostics. Watershed has published a corporate AI emissions framework. SOMA AI offers a fixed-price report.Methods differ. Ask for the factor source, the version, the boundary and the uncertainty before you buy.

    What should I ask any provider before choosing?

    1. Which data does the estimate use, tokens, messages, seats or only invoices?
    2. Is the factor dataset public, dated and versioned, so a reviewer can rebuild the number?
    3. Does the result show a range, and what does it leave out, such as hardware, training or water?
    4. Is the figure location-based or market-based, and which grid year does it use?

    The tools comparison sets these out option by option, and the Scope 3 and CSRD guide shows where the AI line goes in an inventory.

    Where does SOMA AI fit?

    SOMA AI publishes the open SAEF factors, a free calculator and a paid report. The method paper was accepted for publication in Sustainable Production and Consumption in November 2026. The report builds the AI line from your admin exports and API usage, with the data tier, factor version, sources and uncertainty for each service. It starts from EUR 3,000 excluding VAT, at a fixed price scoped on a short call, and details are on the AI footprint product page. SOMA AI has an interest in you choosing it, so treat this section as a vendor description and compare it with the rows above. If your needs are met by a free tool, use that.

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