Upcoming webinar: Accelerate Net Zero progress & streamline SBTi reporting with AI
Register today →

The 12 best ESG data management solutions for 2025

Review the top ESG data management solutions for 2025, comparing features, frameworks, and capabilities to help enterprises choose audit-ready, scalable platforms for compliance and strategy

Written by
Courtney Grace
Published on
September 8, 2025

ESG data management is a top priority for organizations in 2025, as new regulations demand audit-ready, decision-grade ESG data. Organizations must move beyond reporting to focus on how sustainability data is collected, calculated, and assured.

Accurate, auditable data is the foundation of successful ESG performance, as it enables enterprises to measure progress, ensure compliance, strengthen decision-making, and build trust with stakeholders.

In 2025, companies aren’t just looking for reporting tools. They need enterprise-grade ESG data software solutions that can integrate across finance, operations, supply chain, and HR to provide a single source of truth for environmental, social, and governance metrics.

If you’re in the market for ESG data management software that can improve your organization’s sustainability efforts with actionable insights, keep reading.

💡 See the ESG reporting timelines and deadlines you might be up against in 2025.

Top ESG data management software for 2025

1. Pulsora

Who are they? Pulsora is more than an ESG reporting tool — it’s a purpose-built data management platform designed to turn raw sustainability inputs into trusted, actionable intelligence.

From the moment data enters the system, Pulsora streamlines the process with integrations to over 230+ business applications, ensuring that finance, HR, supply chain, and operational data flow into a single source of truth. The platform automates data requests and validations, removing the endless spreadsheets, emails, and manual chases that typically bog down ESG teams.

Its capabilities extend well beyond data collection. Pulsora enables organizations to map their carbon footprint across all three scopes with precision, using established emissions factors (IEA, DEFRA, EPA) or customized calculations tailored to specific facilities and regions. Built-in dashboards make it simple to visualize emission trends, employee metrics, and energy data in real time, while predictive analytics help model different outcomes, set reduction targets, and track progress against decarbonization pathways.

Most importantly, Pulsora delivers audit-ready assurance and benchmarking capabilities. Companies can compare their performance against leading industry standards like CDP, SMSCI, and Sustainalytics, while governance workflows ensure every data point is validated, traceable, and ready for external review. The result is a platform that not only centralizes ESG data but also transforms it into decision-grade insights to guide strategy, investor relations, and compliance.

Features:

  • End-to-end carbon and ESG data management across Scopes 1, 2, and 3
  • AI-powered framework mapping and decarbonization modeling with PulsoraAI
  • Governance workflows that ensure data quality and audit-readiness for stakeholder engagement
  • Supplier engagement for activity-based and supplier-specific calculations
  • Visual dashboards and benchmarking tools to track enterprise-wide progress

Clients of note: Accenture, Workday, Cornerstone Building Brands, CLP, ANWR Group

💡 Looking into carbon accounting software? Here are our top picks for 2025.

2. Workiva

Who are they? Workiva provides a cloud-based platform that connects ESG data directly with financial and compliance systems, ensuring data accuracy across ESG disclosures and reporting.

Features:

  • ERP and finance system integrations
  • Audit trails and assurance workflows
  • Collaborative ESG and financial data collection

Clients of note: Crocs, Wendy’s, Lithia, Colgate-Palmolive

3. IBM Envizi ESG Suite

Who are they? IBM Envizi is an enterprise-scale ESG and carbon management solution, focused on integrated data governance.

Features:

  • Consolidation of ESG data from multiple systems
  • AI-driven insights and validations
  • Scalable data assurance for global enterprises

Clients of note: Melbourne Water, BanFast, Growth-Point Properties, Downer

4. Persefoni

Who are they? Persefoni specializes in calculating organizational and financed emissions with audit-grade transparency.

Features:

  • Carbon footprint calculations (Scope 1–3)
  • Scenario analysis for climate transition risks
  • Data normalization aligned to major ESG frameworks

Clients of note: Xerox, Weatherford, Shutterfly, Vans

5. Microsoft Sustainability Manager

Who are they? Microsoft offers an ESG data platform that brings together energy, carbon, water, and waste data into their centralized system.

Features:

  • AI-powered analytics and benchmarking
  • Cloud scalability and integrations with Microsoft ecosystem
  • Data assurance for compliance with global frameworks

Clients of note: OSTP, PWC, Södra, Cognite

6. SAP

Who are they? SAP connects ESG data with supply chain and procurement processes for companies with complex vendor networks.

Features:

  • Supplier sustainability data management
  • AI-enabled ESG metrics and reports
  • Automated compliance checks

Clients of note: San Pablo Farmacia, MSG Global, Blue Triton, Ambipar

7. Greenly

Who are they? Greenly simplifies ESG and carbon management for SMEs, while scaling their features for larger enterprises.

Features:

  • Automated Scope 1, 2, 3 calculations
  • Supplier and value-chain data integration
  • Regulatory compliance support

Clients of note: Nic, Huawei, Ubisoft, Qonto

8. Watershed

Who are they? Watershed is a climate platform specializing in data management for emissions reduction and assurance.

Features:

  • Real-time emissions tracking
  • Regulatory data alignment (CSRD, SEC, etc.)
  • Decarbonization planning and progress monitoring

Clients of note: elf, KKR, Carlyle, Dollar Tree

9. Sphera

Who are they? Sphera provides specialized ESG and EHS data management tools with precision carbon calculations.

Features:

  • Streamlined data collection
  • Real-time analytics
  • Audit-grade emissions tracking

Clients of note: CRE, Endress+Hauser, Röchling Automotive, Grundfos

10. Novisto

Who are they? Novisto is gaining traction as an enterprise ESG “system of record” with funding and client growth across North America and Europe.

Features:

  • Finance-grade sustainability data consolidation
  • AI-powered imports and normalization
  • Scalable compliance workflows

Clients of note: CAE, Kyndryl, Bell, Intact

11. ACMS (fka FigBytes)

Who are they? ACMS blends ESG data management with strategy alignment, helping organizations turn data into long-term value.

Features:

  • APIs and IoT integrations for real-time data
  • Strategy maps and custom dashboards
  • Climate, water, and social impact modules

Clients of note: Benedict Group, Garbage Gone, Big Star Transportation, Scholz

12. Key ESG

Who are they? Key ESG focuses on making ESG data management more collaborative and flexible for both companies and portfolio investors.

Features:

  • Data requests and collection workflows
  • Framework-aligned reporting exports
  • Portfolio-level ESG consolidation

Clients of note: Svante, Hycap, Sportcity, Royal Vaassen

ESG Data Management Platforms (2025): Core Capabilities
Platform Integrations
ERP/HRIS/Finance
Carbon
Scopes 1–3
Framework Mapping
CSRD/ISSB/SEC/CDP/GRI/SASB
Data Assurance
Audit & Workflow
Supplier Engagement
Scope 3
Scalability Automation Viz & Benchmarking Notes / Strengths
Pulsora Unified ESG + carbon system of record; robust workflows and supplier data collection.
Workiva Connected reporting & controls; carbon often via partners/integrations.
Persefoni Carbon-accounting specialist; strong audit readiness and scenario analysis.
IBM Envizi ESG Suite Modular enterprise ESG suite; broad data governance & analytics.
Microsoft Sustainability Manager Unified data across MSFT ecosystem; strong automation & extensibility.
SAP Sustainability Control Tower Tight supply-chain tie-ins; enterprise scale & compliance alignment.
Sphera Precision emissions factors, EHS + ESG depth, real-time analytics.
Greenly Accessible carbon platform; supplier questionnaires & dashboards.
Watershed End-to-end decarbonization; marketplace & new emissions data assets.
Novisto “System of record” for ESG; strong intake workflows & auditability.
AMCS ESG (formerly FigBytes) Strategy maps & dashboards; rebranded to AMCS ESG in 2025.
Key ESG Collaborative data collection; company & portfolio views; CSRD focus.

Legend: ✓ = strong native support · ○ = partial / via module or integration · — = limited/not a primary focus.

What is ESG data management?

While ESG reporting software can help with disclosure, ESG data collection and management are about the reporting processes and the functionality behind it all. This includes:

  • Collection from multiple data sources (finance, HR, supply chain, utilities)
  • Data calculation and normalization for greenhouse gas (GHG) carbon emissions, diversity, energy use, waste, and other environmental impact metrics
  • Data assurance with risk management via audit trails, accuracy checks, and alignment to regulatory frameworks
  • Scalability to optimize your ESG goals, manage global operations, and expand future regulatory alignment

Without reliable data, an ESG solution is incomplete — and compliance risks rise. That’s why companies are making the strategic decision to prioritize tools purpose-built for enterprise-grade ESG data quality.

Data features to look for in ESG management platforms

When evaluating ESG data management software, consider platforms that offer:

Seamless integrations

Your ESG platform for data management should connect directly with systems like ERP, HRIS, CRM, and other financial reporting tools. This ensures that sustainability data isn’t siloed and that your sustainability reporting is always based on the same trusted operational sources.

Carbon accounting across Scopes 1, 2, and 3

Comprehensive ESG tools need to track emissions across all scopes. This includes direct emissions (Scope 1), purchased energy (Scope 2), and the more complex, value-chain-driven Scope 3 — the latter often representing the largest share of a company’s footprint.

Regulatory framework mapping

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, or CSRD, and other key frameworks like ISSB, CDP, and GRI, are evolving rapidly and regularly updating their requirements. The right platform doesn’t just have reporting capabilities — it helps map data to multiple standards, reducing duplication, ensuring compliance wherever your business operates, and streamlining tasks for reporting frameworks that are often time-consuming with built-in templates for easy repetition.

Data assurance and governance

With assurance requirements tightening, platforms must provide audit trails, validation checks, and workflow governance. This ensures that reported ESG metrics are both reliable and defensible with external auditors.

Supplier engagement

Scope 3 emissions and ESG risks often originate in the supply chain. Leading ESG data platforms engage suppliers directly, enabling more accurate, activity-based calculations and improved transparency across the value chain.

Scalable architecture

As regulations expand and organizations grow, ESG data demands multiply. Scalable platforms can handle increased data volume, new entities, and future reporting requirements without forcing costly system overhauls.

Automation

Manual ESG data management is slow and error-prone. Platforms with automation can streamline data collection, standardize calculations, and flag anomalies — saving teams time and increasing accuracy.

Visualization and benchmarking

Numbers are only valuable if they can inform action. Look for software with dashboards and benchmarking tools that help you track performance, make informed decisions, compare against industry peers, and communicate progress to stakeholders.

Meet your sustainability goals with Pulsora’s ESG data management and reporting solutions

Choosing the right ESG data platform depends on your organization’s size, industry, and regulatory exposure.

  • Large enterprises should prioritize scalability, integrations, and audit-readiness.
  • SMEs should focus on ease-of-use and automation without over-engineering their approach.

In all cases, the right ESG tool is one that delivers high-quality, auditable data to power both compliance and business strategy. No matter your size, scale, or industry, Pulsora is the platform for global enterprises.

If you’re evaluating enterprise-grade ESG tools, explore Pulsora’s platform to see how leading organizations are achieving end-to-end sustainability data management, or get a free personalized demo to see how our ESG data management solutions will work for you.