Resources
Everything a supplier
needs to know about carbon.
Practical guides, regulatory breakdowns, and concrete methods to calculate your carbon footprint and answer your key accounts’ Scope 3 requests, without unnecessary jargon.
Every article is written for managers and CFOs, at SMEs and mid-sized companies alike, who have neither the time nor the budget to become CSR experts, but who need to answer a concrete requirement from their client. You’ll find explanations of the CSRD directive and its consequences for suppliers, step-by-step guides to calculating your emissions from your accounting data using the ADEME database, and field feedback by industry: automotive, mechanical engineering, plastics processing, food and agriculture.
Digital footprint
The carbon footprint of generative AI, finally built into your footprint.
ChatGPT, Copilot, image generation: generative AI has no official ADEME factor yet. Here’s how Oakbon estimates it, without skewing your Scope 3.
Read the article → · 12 min read
Voluntary approach
Corporate carbon footprint: why calculate it even without a client request.
Tenders, banks, investors, cost reduction: six reasons to calculate your carbon footprint proactively rather than under pressure, whatever your size or sector.
Read the article → · 7 min read
Understanding the basics
Scope 2: purchased energy, explained simply.
Purchased electricity, heat, and cooling: Scope 2 is often the smallest item in France, but two calculation methods (location-based, market-based) give very different results. Here’s which one to use.
Read the article → · 6 min read
Understanding the basics
Scope 1: direct emissions, explained simply.
Gas, fleet fuel, refrigerant gases: Scope 1 is the easiest scope to measure, because you are its direct source. What it covers, how to calculate it, and the mistakes to avoid.
Read the article → · 6 min read
Regulation
VSME and supplier SMEs: what your client will ask you for in 2026.
The VSME standard is becoming the legal ceiling on the data large accounts can require. Value chain cap, modules, data to prepare: everything you need to know to anticipate your client’s questionnaire.
Read the article → · 9 min read
Method
Calculating your Scope 3 emissions from your accounting data: the monetary method.
A step-by-step tutorial using PCG class 6 accounts and ADEME monetary ratios. A worked example for a 40-employee mechanical engineering SME, from accounting export to total in tCO₂e.
Read the article → · 10 min read
Regulation
Omnibus, December 2025: what changes for subcontracting SMEs.
CSRD thresholds rise to 1,000 employees. 80% of companies are exempted. But if you supply a large account, commercial pressure remains just as strong. Here’s why, and what to do about it.
Read the article → · 8 min read
Practical guide
Your client is asking for your carbon data. What to actually do.
RSE questionnaire, Scope 3, GHG Protocol, deadline… You’ve received the email from your key account. Here are the concrete steps to answer it without a consultant, without a dedicated budget, in under two hours with Oakbon.
Read the article → · 8 min read
Understanding the basics
Scope 3: what it actually means for a supplier SME.
Your client is asking for your « Scope 3 carbon footprint » with no instructions. This guide explains what Scope 3 covers, why it represents 70 to 90% of an industrial SME’s total emissions, and how to calculate it from your accounting data.
Read the article → · 7 min read
Automotive sector
Carbon footprint for automotive subcontractors: the operational guide.
Stellantis, Renault, Valeo, Forvia are asking for your carbon data. Automotive is the industry furthest ahead on supplier Scope 3 requirements — here’s the method to calculate your emissions with the ADEME database and produce a compliant report.
Read the article → · 8 min read
Food and agriculture sector
Carbon footprint for food and agriculture subcontractors: the operational guide.
Danone, Nestlé, Lactalis, Bonduelle require carbon data from their supplier SMEs. Specifics of Scope 3 in food and agriculture: raw materials, cold chain, refrigerated transport, with a worked example.
Read the article → · 9 min read
Method
ADEME Carbon Database: how to read and use emission factors.
A practical guide to the Base Empreinte for non-experts. Monetary ratio vs. physical factor, NAF codes, boundaries, and the 5 common pitfalls to avoid in your emissions calculations.
Read the article → · 8 min read