klimaspor.dk — CO₂ Dashboard & GHG-Compliant Accounting Integration

Overview

klimaspor.dk is a data-driven CO₂ dashboard designed for Danish companies that want to understand and document their climate impact without manual data entry. The tool connects securely to the e-conomic accounting system via OAuth, automatically processes financial transactions and converts them into a GHG-compliant CO₂ balance. Results are visualized in a structured dashboard and can be exported as professional PDF reports for internal use, sustainability communication or early-stage compliance.

Challenge

The main challenge was translating raw accounting data into meaningful, standards-based climate insights. Financial transactions are not designed for emissions accounting, so the system had to intelligently distinguish relevant from irrelevant entries, assign correct scopes and categories, and remain transparent in its assumptions. At the same time, the solution needed to be trustworthy, auditable and simple enough to be used by non-experts—without compromising methodological correctness.

Goals

The project was driven by the following goals:

• Automate CO₂ accounting based on real bookkeeping data
• Ensure methodological alignment with the GHG Protocol (Corporate & Scope 3)
• Provide clear, visual insights instead of opaque calculations
• Enable export-ready sustainability reports without external tools
• Build a scalable foundation for future, activity-based CO₂ models

Solution

klimaspor.dk was implemented as a modern Next.js dashboard with a strong focus on data clarity and reliability. Authentication is handled via a secure OAuth flow with e-conomic, using HTTP-only cookies and protected routes to safeguard sensitive financial data.

Transactions are processed through a multi-layered categorization system that applies exclusion rules, account-specific mappings, scope detection and multilingual keyword matching. Emissions are calculated using spend-based methods derived from DEFRA, IEA and IPCC sources, fully aligned with GHG Protocol screening standards.

The dashboard visualizes total emissions, scope breakdowns and category distributions, while excluded transactions remain visible for transparency. A print-optimized PDF export allows companies to generate clean, A4-formatted sustainability reports directly from the browser.

Outcome

The result is a fully functional CO₂ tracking tool that turns bookkeeping data into actionable sustainability insights with minimal effort. Users gain immediate visibility into their emissions profile, separated by scope and category, without spreadsheets or manual calculations.

The system is robust enough for internal reporting and early compliance needs, yet simple enough to be adopted by small and medium-sized businesses. With its modular architecture and validated categorization logic, klimaspor.dk provides a solid base for future extensions such as activity-based emissions, benchmarking or supplier-specific data.

Learnings

This project highlighted how critical transparency and deterministic logic are in sustainability software. CO₂ calculations must be explainable, not just correct. Designing explicit categorization precedence rules and extensive test coverage proved essential for trust and maintainability.

Additionally, the project reinforced the value of progressive complexity: starting with a conservative, spend-based model creates immediate value, while leaving room for more precise, activity-based methods as data quality improves.