With firms under increasing public and regulatory pressure to limit their environmental impact, those keen to measure their greenhouse gas emissions could soon see the process automated following the launch of a number of new software packages designed to help firms monitor and reduce their carbon footprint.

Expense and time management specialist Systems@Work has become the latest software vendor to address the growing demand for environmental reporting tools with the launch of a new module designed to help firms calculate the carbon emissions employees generate when travelling.

The new customisable module is available as an add on to the company's expense, time recording and billing systems and automatically calculates an employee's carbon emissions based on emission calculations and the expense information staff input for flights, car and rail journeys.

"The new module will give people an easy way of calculating their footprint, " explained Michael Sheehan, managing director at Systems@Work. "You don’t have to go through an extra stage of using an online carbon calculator; the carbon data is built into the process and is there in the employee's face."

Sheehan said the aim of the tool was to help modify staff behaviour. However, he added that firms were also interested in using the new module to bolster their environmental reporting metrics and provide them with carbon emission information they could then use to offset their employees' travel.

The new module comes hot-on-the-heels of the European launch of a new carbon emission reporting tool from software and services provider Supply Chain Consulting. Tony Carr, chief executive at the company, said the new CarbonView suite integrates with various supply chain management applications and provides firms with metrics on the carbon footprint of their extended supply chain, including information on emissions from manufacturing and agricultural processes as well as transport.

Carr added that the suite also features modeling capabilities that allow firms to work out which supplier or supply chain configuration boasts the lowest carbon emissions and best return on investment. "The aim is to help firms be proactive about reducing emissions," he said. "It goes beyond simple reporting. "

Carr predicted considerable interest in the new software. "Big companies know they are going to be forced into reporting on emissions at some stage and realise that early adopters [of reporting software] will enjoy the best returns, " he said.

Environmental reporting software is emerging as a key battlefield between software vendors keen to bolster their green credentials. IBM last month unveiled a new toolset for calculating the carbon footprint of firms' datacentres, while ERP specialist Lawson recently revealed plans for a new suite for managing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Peter Klein, vice-president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, at Supply Chain Consulting said the emergence of software packages designed to underpin firms' green business initiatives provided a major career opportunity for IT chiefs. "A lot of our customers are CIOs who are sidelined within their business to some extent," he said. "Those who are picking up [this environmental reporting toolset] are really moving into the limelight [in their business]. Because the environment is now such a concern we've even seen some of them pushed up to the board."