The Requirements

As part of the global effort to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, our client is supporting businesses and governments in developing strategies to meet this target. In their efforts to do so, they engaged Srijan to develop a web-tool that enables emission measurement and reduction strategies. The key requirements of this project were to:

• Build a web based tool with a rich visual interface that is connected to the client’s calculation engine. This tool should  enable the client's sustainability team to upload data, run the calculations, derive outputs of the calculations, and use that output to build and compare different decarbonization strategies over a visual user-friendly interface.

• Create a user-friendly interface for executives to manage these strategies effectively

• Ensure GHG Protocol compliance for precise emission identification

• Build visualization techniques for comparing abatement potential and cost curves across value chain pathways

Challenges

The challenges included:

• Their existing Excel-based models were cumbersome and error-prone due to manual data entry and complex formulas

• The absence of a centralized cost and emission database hindered easy access and management of crucial technological data.

• Lack of visualizations, like charts or graphs, made it difficult for their customers' to effectively interpret complex data 

• Lack of centralized tools for developing decarbonization strategies across different industries, sectors and segments, as well as at a regional level/geographic level.

The Solutions

To understand the long-term objectives of analysts, Srijan conducted a discovery and studied their existing Excel-based carbon emission measurement tools. At the same time, we carried out an in-depth study of the sustainability data as well as calculation engines for different sectors & processes. This helped in creating a strong, scalable architecture and experience design foundation for the web-based assessment tools that help measure current carbon footprint and identify decarbonisation pathways based on data-backed decisions. As part of the solution, we: 

• Developed user-friendly tools for seamless business activity uploads, with automatic baseline emissions calculation
• Integrated the tools with analytics for a better understanding of the end-to-end customer journey, enhancing user experience
• To secure sensitive data, implemented authorization based access control, which included two-factor authentication, login attempt limits and data encryption.

• To optimize the Decarbonization Activities database, we provided visualization tools to identify major carbon-emitting activities.
• Developed abatement pathways, decarbonization strategies, and MACC visualizations for cost comprehension
• Built a strong, scalable system for handling large datasets, complete with a functional Excel model for testing GHG calculation logic

Tech Stack

The technology stack we used for the project were:

• Frontend: React.js, jspreadsheet
• Backend: Node.js, Python
• Database: Postgres
• Cache: Redis
• Queue: SQS to queue the background jobs
• Infrastructure: Customized client's AWS based Digital Network Architecture
• CI/CD: Implemented using GitHub Actions, integrated into client’s defined GitHub pipeline and deployment workflows

Business Benefits

The platform, with 10,000+ datasets across five sectors, facilitated our client in securing over 25 clients within a brief nine-month period. Its tool library, featuring a visual comparison capability, assisted organizations in choosing the most effective decarbonization strategies. Furthermore, the platform played a pivotal role in enabling a leading chemicals and pharmaceuticals company to achieve a substantial reduction of over 4,500 kilotonnes of carbon equivalent emission reduction in their supply chains.