FAQs

• Why is Neoni^® better?
  Neoni^® is the first software to implement the E-Liability Method for carbon accounting. This method improves upon the standards of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. It applies proven cost accounting methodologies to more accurately calculate carbon emissions across supply chains. The method was developed and refined by Prof Karthik Ramanna (University of Oxford) and Prof Robert Kaplan (Harvard University). Prof Kaplan was a lead architect of Activity Based Costing, which is used to assign costs such as shared overheads to individual product lines. In their words: “The E-Liability Method is a common-sense approach to carbon accounting... the GHG Protocol standards are flawed in concept because they are unreliable, costly to implement, and lead to multiple-counting. Furthermore, the symmetric treatment of upstream and downstream emissions by the GHG Protocol ignores that a company’s ability to influence is not symmetric between suppliers and customers”. The E-Liability Method calculates and allocates carbon emissions across a supply chain in a similar way to how value added tax (VAT) is calculated. They established the E-Liability Institute and have documented how the E-Liability Method improves upon the GHG Protocol.
• Is Neoni^® affiliated with the E-Liability Institute?
  We collaborate closely with the E-Liability Institute to promote the E-Liability Method. We are not formally affiliated but pleased the institute recognises Neoni^® as a way for implementing the E-Liability Method.
• I need to report my Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Can Neoni^® do this for me?
  Yes. Neoni^® supports this classification of emissions and can produce reports according to the categories of Scope 1, 2, and 3. However, for the reasons mentioned above, we prefer to simply distinguish between 'direct' and 'indirect' emissions. This is easier to understand and also more technically correct when applying a cost accounting approach.
• Does Neoni^® support all ESG data and new regulations such as the EU Supply Chain Law?
  We're working on it. Neoni^® was built to prove that our novel method can reduce effort and improve the accuracy of supply chain data for carbon emissions. In time we will extend the functionality to include all types of ESG and sustainability data.
• What data do I need to upload into Neoni^®?
  Transaction data from your purchase ledger. Your financial accounting software or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems can produce this. We support CSV file upload to ensure compatibility with all systems.
• Will my trade secrets and commercially sensitive information remain confidential?
  Yes, this was our priority from day 1. Only anonymised data is transferred to your customers. This is an aggregated emissions value, which is known as an intensity ratio. This describes an amount of emissions per unit of currency or product. At no time is your granular purchase ledger data shared – it remains confidential within Neoni^® just like your financial accounting and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. You can also revoke access at anytime to organisations that subscribe to your data feed.
• Does Neoni^® work for all organisations in all sectors?
  Yes. Neoni^®, and the E-Liability Method, works equally well across all industries, including both private and public sectors. The Scottish Government competition we won in 2021 focused on the manufacturing sector and proved that our innovation works.
• Does Neoni^® work for investors and banks?
  Yes, you can use Neoni^® to aggregate emissions data about organisations in your investment portfolios or loan books. We are refining these features to provide analysts with greater insights specifically tailored to the financial sector.
• Is Neoni^® compatible with existing standards and disclosure requirements?
  Yes, Neoni^® is backward compatible with existing standards like the GHG Protocol, CDP, TCFD, SBTi. We are currently building the features to automate these submissions where possible.
• How can I join the Neoni^® beta programme?
  If you are ambitious about your decarbonisation goals, then please register here for our beta testing programme. We will be happy to arrange a call with you.
• Can we install Neoni^® on our own servers or private cloud infrastructure?
  Neoni^® is currently only available via the cloud as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution. We are planning a standalone version because we know many organisations demand it.
• Can we partner with you?
  Yes. We would like to meet organisations who have ambitious decarbonisation goals and want a competitive advantage – we could be your technical partner for implementing the E-Liability Method across your supply chain.
• Does Neoni^® mean anything?
  Yes, 'neoni' is the Scottish gaelic word for 'zero'. We are a Scottish company. The name of our software is inspired by our origins and the goal of achieving net zero emissions.