What is Carbon Brainprint?
Carbon Brainprint is an open-source carbon accounting tool designed specifically for intellectual services. It enables organisations to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions generated by consulting engagements, technology projects, and other knowledge-based activities, and to report those emissions as part of their Scope 3 footprint.
Beyond calculation, it allows procurement teams to compare service providers by carbon performance. For organisations under CSRD reporting obligations or working toward Science-Based Targets, that comparison turns environmental data into a decision-making input, alongside cost and quality.
Where it came from?
Carbon Brainprint was created at Mantu through the group's Impackathon, an internal programme designed to generate practical sustainability solutions from the ground up. The tool emerged from consultants working on real client problems, building something the market had yet to produce: a standardised, open, verifiable methodology for the carbon accounting of services.
Mantu is an independent consulting and technology company present in 60+ countries with 12,000 people and €1 billion in revenue. The group developed Carbon Brainprint as a direct response to a measurement gap it faced in its own reporting, and then turned it into a client-facing tool.
"We consider measurement as the starting point of transformation. Only by understanding emissions precisely can we prioritise actions, assign accountability, and deliver measurable progress."
What it measures and how it works?
Carbon Brainprint converts four types of data into carbon emissions expressed in tCO₂e (tonnes of CO₂ equivalent): energy consumption, mobility patterns, digital usage, and delivery models. Together, these cover the primary sources of emissions in an intellectual services engagement.
The tool handles both internal performance monitoring (tracking a firm's own Scope 3 emissions over time) and client-facing reporting (producing verified carbon footprint data for specific projects or provider comparisons). It draws on recognised international databases including ADEME, the UK Department for Environment, the European Environment Agency, and the International Energy Agency, and applies IPCC AR6 Global Warming Potential values for consistency.
The methodology prioritises activity-based measurements and primary data. Where primary data is absent, it uses recognised secondary sources with clear traceability. Every figure is auditable.
ISO 14067 verification: why it matters?
Since 2024, Carbon Brainprint has been verified annually under ISO 14067, the international standard for quantifying and communicating the carbon footprint of products and services. The verification covers Amaris Consulting's carbon calculator, Carbon Footprint (CFP) reports, and global client cases.
ISO 14067 verification means the methodology has been independently assessed for accuracy, completeness, and consistency. For clients using Carbon Brainprint data in their own sustainability reports or procurement decisions, that verification provides the level of assurance required under CSRD and GRI frameworks.
In 2025, Carbon Brainprint received the NAPTA "Prix des Sociétés de Services" Jury Prize, recognised as the first open-source, ISO-verified carbon accounting solution for intellectual services.
Why Mantu made it open-source?
Reducing Scope 3 emissions across a value chain requires consistent data from all service providers in that chain. When different providers use different methodologies, the data becomes incomparable, and comparisons lose meaning. Progress slows.
Mantu's decision to release Carbon Brainprint as open-source was grounded in that logic. By sharing the methodology freely, the group supports other service providers in producing reliable environmental data for their own clients, which strengthens transparency and methodological consistency across the market.
The open-source approach also invites co-creation. Other organisations can build on Carbon Brainprint, improve it, and contribute back. That collective development produces a better tool than any single organisation could build in isolation.
The tool is available at carbonbrainprint.com.
How clients use it in practice
Amaris Consulting's sustainability practice deploys Carbon Brainprint across client engagements as part of a broader offer covering carbon assessments, decarbonisation strategies, and compliance with CSRD, EU Taxonomy, and GRI frameworks. Carbon Brainprint sits at the measurement stage: producing the data that makes everything else possible.
At the supplier level, Mantu has run carbon accounting webinars helping its own supply chain understand the methodology, from product-level footprint calculations to broader SBTi commitments. The goal is consistent data upstream as well as downstream.
The reaction from clients reflects the gap the tool addresses:
Mantu has set an internal carbon price of €42/tCO₂e as of 2025, applied to its own operations to align financial and environmental decision-making. Carbon Brainprint provides the measurement layer that makes that kind of internal pricing operational.
What this means for sustainability expert?
If you work in sustainability, Carbon Brainprint represents a specific type of work: building tools that solve real measurement problems, deploying them on client engagements, and training clients to use them autonomously over time. The Amaris Consulting sustainability practice covers the full spectrum from initial carbon assessment through CSRD reporting, EU Taxonomy compliance, and long-term decarbonisation strategy.
Mantu's Accelerate 2030 plan includes a dedicated ESG workstream, chaired by one of the group's co-CEOs. Sustainability sits at the same table as financial performance.
Read Mantu's 2025 Transparency and Sustainability Report: Sustainability - Mantu
If you are interested, we are recruiting at Mantu, join us and discover all our open opportunities now.
Q&As
What is Carbon Brainprint?
Carbon Brainprint is an open-source carbon accounting tool built by Mantu that measures the greenhouse gas emissions from intellectual services and consulting engagements. It is designed for Scope 3 reporting and allows organisations to compare service providers by carbon performance.
What does Carbon Brainprint measure?
The tool converts four categories of data into carbon emissions: energy consumption, mobility, digital usage, and delivery models. It covers both internal tracking and client-facing carbon footprint reporting, with results expressed in tCO₂e.
Is Carbon Brainprint verified by an external body?
Yes. Since 2024, Carbon Brainprint has held annual ISO 14067 verification across Amaris Consulting, covering the carbon calculator, CFP reports, and global client cases. It won the NAPTA "Prix des Sociétés de Services" Jury Prize in 2025 as the first open-source, ISO-verified solution for intellectual services.
Why did Mantu make Carbon Brainprint open-source?
Scope 3 reduction across value chains requires consistent data from all providers. Keeping the methodology proprietary would limit that consistency. By releasing the tool openly, Mantu supports other service providers in producing comparable environmental data, which strengthens the whole market's ability to measure and reduce emissions.
Who can use Carbon Brainprint? Any organisation providing or procuring intellectual services. It is freely available at carbonbrainprint.com.
How does Carbon Brainprint connect to CSRD compliance?
CSRD requires organisations to report Scope 3 emissions across their value chain, including emissions from purchased services. Carbon Brainprint provides the methodology and verified data to populate that reporting accurately.
How does Amaris Consulting use it with clients? Carbon Brainprint is part of Amaris Consulting's broader sustainability offer, which covers carbon assessments, decarbonisation strategies, and compliance with CSRD, EU Taxonomy, and GRI standards. The tool handles the measurement layer; the consulting team works with clients to interpret results, set targets, and build reduction plans.
