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Thank you for signing up for our webinar: How to build audit-ready climate disclosures.

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Webinar Q&A

• For California Bill 253, I have heard that reporting for the 2025 FY data will be in January 2026. Is this information accurate? If it is accurate, how can companies prepare their data to be reported in that short a time frame?
  • The necessary deadline/reporting month for SB 253 has not yet been definitively specified in the legislation. We are waiting for further regulations and guidance from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on those detailed timelines and submission dates.
• If the emissions factors change, will the history have to be restated?
  • There are two schools of thought, but the key is consistency and choosing what is best for your organization. First, of course, there is a restatement. Restatement enables apples-to-apples comparisons across years. Alternately, as with financial reporting, providing a footnote indicating that Emission Factors have changed is also acceptable.

• What items go into the GHG calculations? For example, company flights? Employee commutes to work/lunches? Energy use from office use? Energy from Data storage?
  • Yes, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol includes business travel, employee commuting, energy use from facilities, and energy from data storage facilities. The GHG Protocol Scope 3 Category 7 (Employee Commuting) typically includes daily commutes, such as driving, biking, walking, or using public transportation to get to and from work.
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    However, the GHG Protocol does not explicitly mention whether commutes for activities such as going out for lunch are included. Generally, commuting emissions are focused on regular travel patterns directly related to getting to and from work.

• How does the system handle the issue if the person uploading the data also needs to be the approver?
  • In this scenario, we recommend not turning the workflow on.
• Can key maker checker checks be automated post bulk upload to alleviate some of the manual checks done by the checker?
  • Our Anomaly Detection and Error Auto resolution provide post-upload validation for end-users, enabling them to quickly identify outliers and anomalies within their uploaded data and correct them where appropriate. This is the first step towards providing an eventual hands-off error correction experience.
• What source is the GWP factor for your software? Defrag OR?
  • We source our GWP sets from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• When does this approval go live?
  • The approval workflow is just recently live! For current customers, please reach out to your CSM who can help walk you through the steps to get it set up.
• Is the data reviewer another User of the company or Persefoni?
  • The Data Reviewer is another user within the company. In the initial version of this workflow solution it is all users with Administrator privileges; however, a user cannot review and approve their own upload.
• How does the workflow work for data coming directly from utility service providers?
  • Today when the workflow is turned on, Administrators will need to review and approve all Utility integration data before flowing into the ledger. In the future, we will be introducing functionality to approve the integration setup and then allow integration data to flow directly into the ledger
• What are auditors checking in this process? Are they just looking at Persefoni and our processes, or do they cross reference with invoices?
  • Yes, from my experience, auditors are checking Persefoni's data, the company's process and procedures, and sample data such as invoices.
• Do you have scope 3 calculations?some text
  • Yes, we provide scope 3 coverage across all 15 categories.
• Does the tool offer the ability to integrate with our financial accounting systems? This would allow us to ensure consistency between consumption or ESG metric base data and relevant financial information.
  • Persefoni does support integration with financial accounting systems through our OpenAPI interface.
• Auditors access - is it currently available?
  • Auditors can be set up as viewers in the Persefoni platform, where they can navigate and view footprint data to verify data entry.
• Suppose the customer does not have access to the specific data they need for reporting. Do you work with data partners and providers that can supply the necessary data to be uploaded on the platform?
  • Our customer success team partners closely with customers and their data providers to support and advise on the data collection process and where to source data from.
• How important is adding supplemental documentation to Persefoni for auditing?
  • Persefoni provides the ability for users to upload supporting documentation (such as a PDF) to a transaction. While useful, assurance providers do not require that this information be kept in the platform. Supporting documentation is required in the assurance process, but whether it is uploaded to the platform or kept in your traditional documentation location is not prescribed. 
• The audit logs look very technical and difficult to read. Are there any projects in the works to make it easier to digest and actionable?
  • We will eventually refactor the audit logs to a more human-readable format; in the interim, our CSM and Product Teams are happy to help dissect the information.
• Does the software cover all types of emissions and sectors?
  • Persefoni is an industry-agnostic solution; having codified the GHGP, we provide calculation support for all emission activities across scopes 1, 2, and 3, across a host of sectors.
• Is your expression of GHG on the local OR market base?
  • Persefoni supports reporting activities as both local and market-based.
• How did you begin working with your finance team to integrate and report on anticipated financial effects?
  • To start working with the finance team, sustainability professionals can form a cross-functional team to align sustainability metrics with financial goals. Set up a system for accurate data collection and integrate these metrics into financial reports, including assessing financial impacts like cost savings from climate risks (increased insurance premiums due to climate risks, potential fines for non-compliance with environmental regulations, and costs associated with supply chain disruptions from extreme weather events) and climate opportunities (energy efficiency, revenue growth from climate opportunities, such as sustainable products, reduced regulatory risks and fines, enhanced brand reputation leading to increased sales, lower operational costs from waste reduction, and cost savings from water conservation measures). Keep the collaboration ongoing to track and report the financial impacts of sustainability initiatives.
• Does assurance check for governance, procedures, policies, and so on?
  • Yes, GHG assurance does typically involve checking governance, procedures, and policies in order to ensure there is appropriate oversight and accountability over reported data. 
• What's the best way to get in contact with someone at Persefoni?
  • Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions, and we will direct you to the best resource: info@persefoni.com