As a pioneer in environmentally friendly gardening products, Neudorff has always prioritized sustainability – a commitment that extends consistently to carbon accounting. Together with Tanso, the company has now completed its third Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) and made significant progress over the years. Improvements were particularly notable in Scope 3, especially in upstream emissions (Scope 3.1), where data collection and process structures were substantially enhanced. Looking ahead, Neudorff plans to calculate the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) for selected products to map climate impact even more precisely along the entire value chain. A certification of the CCF is also planned to validate data quality and increase the external visibility of its carbon footprint.

About Neudorff

Founded in 1854, W. Neudorff GmbH KG is a medium-sized, family-owned company that develops and produces environmentally friendly products for amateur gardeners, professionals, and farmers. As a sustainability-driven company, Neudorff ensures responsible resource use in all areas – supported by its own hydroelectric plant and several photovoltaic systems. This way, the company actively contributes to the UN 2030 Agenda. For its long-standing commitment to sustainability, Neudorff has received multiple awards – including the German Sustainability Award 2021, recognition as a "Marke des Jahrhunderts" (English: Brand of the Century) and an excellence level rating in the ESG Transparency Awards 2024.

Initial situation and measures in the area of sustainability

Neudorff aims not only to minimize environmental impacts but to make them measurable. As early as 2012, the company implemented environmental and energy management systems.In order to gain a better understanding of its own emissions, the company commissioned an initial external carbon footprint assessment. This served as a basis for understanding which data is included in the carbon accounting and what a systematic survey could look like.

Neudorff then procured an internal calculation tool and started pragmatically with available data - particularly from Scope 1 and Scope 2. The initial focus was on easily accessible key figures such as energy consumption. In the years that followed, sustainability activities were continuously expanded. However, the structured collection of Scope 3 data remained a key challenge.

Challenges

• Scope 1 and 2 insufficient: Focusing solely on direct emissions is not enough – particularly when the majority of emissions occur in Scope 3. Omitting these is not credible in the long term and doesn’t reflect a future-ready strategy.
• Challenge with collecting Scope 3 data: Requests to suppliers and customers for carbon-related information on the raw materials used were often unsuccessful - reliable data was not available.
• Complexity in mapping materials used: As a producer of specialty products with a high proportion of recycled materials, using standard emissions databases was only partially feasible. Many materials were either missing or available only in non-comparable formats, requiring significant manual effort to review emission factors.
• Implementation of the PCF calculation: Planned PCF calculations for key products repeatedly failed due to a lack of capacity and unclear objectives. There was a lack of internal understanding of how the data obtained could be used strategically.
• Lack of resources and clear responsibilities: Limited personnel capacity and missing expertise hindered structured development.

Why Neudorff chose Tanso as its sustainability software

Neudorff was looking for an interactive solution that went beyond the capabilities of conventional CO₂ calculators – a tool that not only calculates emissions but also organizes and operationalizes relevant information. Tanso stood out for its user-friendliness, efficiency, and the integrated combination of automation, analytics, and database functions that enable consistent and traceable emissions accounting. The extension of Tanso’s comprehensive database with the EcoInvent dataset allows accurate mapping of specialized products and complex materials. For a company like Neudorff, with diverse raw material needs, this combination of standardized Tanso emission factors and specialized EcoInvent values is particularly valuable – providing the flexibility and level of detail necessary for robust carbon accounting. Additionally, the comprehensive service and consulting support proved particularly helpful during the initial phase, offering valuable guidance in both technical and methodological aspects.

“Together with the executive management, we decided to use a tool for carbon accounting in order to map Scope 1 to 3 in a structured and comprehensible way. We chose Tanso - particularly because of its combination of automation, analysis functions, integrated database and high level of user-friendliness.”

Silke Conrad

Director Sustainability & Integrated Management

Results achieved by using the Tanso software

By using Tanso’s software, Neudorff built a comprehensive understanding of carbon accounting across all scopes – especially Scope 3. The ability to systematically capture indirect emissions marked a key milestone and led to improvements in internal processes – from data collection to integration into existing workflows. Furthermore, the systematic recording of procurement volumes provided detailed insights into the most significant emission source within the value chain.

The software not only created transparency around which data is needed, in what format, and where gaps still exist, but also enabled automation of key process steps. This significantly reduced manual workloads and greatly increased reporting efficiency. Many workflows are now largely automated – resulting in a time savings of around 30% for the full CCF calculation.

Further key achievements:

Over 50% time savings in Scope 3.1 data collection: Structured data processes, automated calculations, and intelligent matching of emission factors to specific raw materials helped identify weak points and implement solutions. As a result, the effort required for collecting upstream emissions (Scope 3.1) was significantly reduced compared to the first assessment.

Ongoing efficiency gains through a learning process: The combination of insights gained across multiple reporting cycles and targeted tool-based analyses drives continuous improvement and significantly reduces the effort for future reporting cycles.

Targeted and more efficient data requests: Tanso facilitates collaboration with internal departments and external suppliers by enabling clearly structured and needs-based data requests.

“It was clear to us that carbon accounting should not be done in Excel. With Tanso, we benefit from the automated assignment of emission factors, significantly reduce the maintenance effort and save valuable time. At the same time, the technical support offers us sound guidance throughout the entire process.“

Silke Conrad

Director Sustainability & Integrated Management

Outlook

In the coming reporting years, Neudorff plans to analyze key figures again to evaluate their relevance and impact. The Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) is also set to be certified by TÜV to further enhance transparency and credibility.

In parallel, the company is working to identify realistic reduction scenarios – aiming to reduce Scope 1 emissions, expand PCF calculations, and improve data quality in Scope 3 by enhancing supplier data. The focus is on a strategy that combines efficiency and economic viability in a sustainable way.

• Neudorff Tip

  1. Actively involve the supply chain: Sustainability is a joint effort. Engaging suppliers and partners is essential for capturing emissions along the value chain and implementing effective measures.

  2. Approach carbon accounting as a learning process: It is an iterative development process that deepens understanding with every cycle. The goal is not to achieve perfection on the first try but to continuously build and refine a reliable data foundation. Even small adjustments can help align systems and processes more closely with carbon calculations.

  3. Use test reports for orientation: Initial internal reports are useful for getting started. They promote transparency, strengthen internal understanding, and provide a foundation for targeted improvements.

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