BASDA voices its support for Access Accounting’s accounting for carbon emissions tool
Press Release - Friday, May 09, 2008
The Business Application Software Developers Association (BASDA) has voiced its support for Access Accounting’s new accounting for carbon emissions tool, following a call for all software houses to develop measurement and reporting solutions.
Access Accounting launched the tool to enable organisations to measure their carbon footprint within normal day-to-day working practices, without adding cost or complexity.
Jairo Rojas, Director General of BASDA, said he was delighted that Access Accounting had taken the initiative to show that software companies can help businesses measure their impact on the environment.
Jairo commented, “BASDA is strongly supporting green initiatives for both our members themselves being more responsible, but also in their position as providers of solutions that can help measure, report and therefore plan to reduce the impact of business activities on the environment. Access Accounting is an active member of BASDA and I am pleased to see they will be supporting BASDA’s newly launched Green Special Interest Group, which will meet Thursday 15th May.
“It is vital that businesses understand the impact that their activities have on the environment, but it has always been difficult to measure this impact. Yet technology exists that allows measures to be taken and then accounted for in business systems which is where BASDA members come in – they are the developers of software that will allow environmental impact change to happen as they provide the analysis tools.
“We look forward to more of our members emulating what Access Accounting has achieved in incorporating emissions and other CSR measures into their business software.”
Access Accounting’s solution was developed within industry guidelines using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standards (Corporate Standard)1. Defra’s conversion factors2 for each emission type have been incorporated into the system, providing a consistent framework from which to measure carbon emissions.
Kevin Misselbrook, Customer Services Director for Access Accounting, commented, “This tool sits within the very heart of the Access Dimensions ledgers. Organisations are already collating a great deal of the information to account for carbon emissions, for example electricity and fuel bills. By entering just a few extra pieces of data such as the amount of energy consumed, the system will auto-calculate the carbon footprint. The sheer simplicity of this is what makes it such a powerful tool, without the need for a separate application.”
Pre-defined standard units of measurement for each Emission Group allow the quantity to be entered in any number of formats, whether miles travelled or litres of fuel consumed. The system then automatically converts the emission quantity into equivalent carbon units.
Kevin concluded, “It is also easy for organisations to budget and pull off Crystal reports on their carbon emissions. With around 30 pre-defined reports included as standard, organisations can measure everything from actual YTD vs Budget to breakdown by department, division and emission group.”
For more information on Accounting for Carbon Emissions and the Access Dimensions solution, contact Mike Redmon on 0845 3453300 or visit www.access-accounts.com/carbon-emissions. For more information on BASDA please call 01494 868030 or visit www.basda.org.
1. Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standards (Corporate Standard) provide standards and guidance for companies and other organizations preparing a GHG emissions inventory. In effect it provides methodologies for business and other organizations to inventory and report all of the GHG emissions they produce. “Corporate,” in this context, refers to both private and public sector organizations. More information can be gained from: http://www.ghgprotocol.org/standards
2. Guidelines to Defra's GHG conversion factors for company reporting: www.defra.gov.uk
Access.080508.HC.CarbonBASDA
Notes to Editors:
Access Accounting is the UK’s leading business software house serving the mid-market. Its solutions have been chosen by over 10,000 UK companies - helping them to achieve business success.
A subsidiary of Access Technology Group Ltd, Access Accounting was the first UK vendor to recognise the potential of Windows and create a mid-range accounting platform based on this technology. Today it offers four scalable, web-enabled systems including its flagship solution, Access Dimensions. The company also offers Access Payroll, a combined payroll/personnel suite, which is fully compliant with the latest CIS regulations.
Access Accounting is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and a member of the Business Application Software Developers Association (BASDA). It has also received accreditation from major authorities including the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the HM Revenue & Customs’ rigorous Payroll Standards Scheme. In 2007, the company won ’Financial Software Provider of the Year’ in the Real FD/CBI FDs’ Excellence Awards and ’Mid-range accounting Software Provider of the Year’ in the Sift Media Business Software Satisfaction Awards – both voted for by customers.
Media information:
Helen Carpenter
Head of Group PR
Access Accounting Ltd
T: 01206 322575 / 07833 936311
F: 01206 322956
E: helen.carpenter@access-accounts.com
W: www.access-accounts.com
