Best CBAM compliance tools for 2025 emissions reporting

The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a new European policy that puts a carbon price on certain imported goods based on their embedded emissions. While it aims to create a level playing field and reduce carbon leakage, it also creates new operational challenges for regulated companies.

• Many businesses struggle to collect primary, installation-level emissions data from suppliers, especially those based outside the EU.
• CBAM rules are technical and still evolving, with strict calculation methods, shifting deadlines, and detailed documentation requirements.
• Reporting must be integrated into existing systems and teams, requiring continuous coordination across compliance, procurement, sustainability, and finance.
  

To reduce friction, many importers are adopting CBAM compliance software. These tools help identify in-scope imports, automate supplier data collection, manage submission workflows, and generate audit-ready reports.

This guide compares the top CBAM compliance tools for 2025 and includes decision criteria to help businesses choose the right platform. The tools featured here are:

• Coolset
• Sphera
• Normative
• Sinai
• Assent

What is CBAM compliance software?

CBAM compliance software is a digital solution designed to help companies manage the full lifecycle of their CBAM obligations. Think scoping imports, gathering supplier emissions data, calculating embedded carbon, compiling reports, enabling audit traceability, and preparing for verification or CBAM certificate submissions.

Why does CBAM compliance software matter for your business?

CBAM compliance software helps companies meet EU reporting requirements efficiently, avoid penalties, and stay aligned with evolving regulations, without relying on error-prone manual processes.

1. It helps you meet stringent regulatory needs

The EU requires reporting of product-level embedded emissions, linked to the exact production facility, using approved MRR methodologies.

CBAM software structures this data correctly and automates calculations. This reduces the risk of delays, mistakes, or fines, ranging from €10–50 per excess tonne during the transitional phase, to €100 per tonne starting 2026.

2. It centralizes supplier-level emissions data

Importers must collect installation-level emissions data from non-EU suppliers, often unfamiliar with EU formats.

CBAM software platforms offer supplier-friendly templates and structured workflows.
This helps importers collect accurate data, stay on top of gaps, and reduce back-and-forth.

3. It keeps reporting on track and keeps teams aligned

CBAM requires quarterly reporting between 1 October 2023 and 31 December 2025, and annual declarations from January 2026, with the first due by 31 May 2027.

Because compliance involves multiple departments (procurement, sustainability, customs, and finance) CBAM software helps by centralizing reporting tasks, assigning clear ownership, and tracking deadlines, so nothing slips through the cracks.

4. It ensures audit traceability and pre-verification readiness

From January 2026, CBAM reports must be independently verified, making a well-documented emissions calculation trail crucial.

CBAM software helps by storing calculation logic, supplier records, and documentation in one place, so you’re always prepared for audits or pre-verification checks.

Best CBAM compliance tools compared

Now, let’s take a look at some of the best CBAM compliance tools currently out there:

1. Coolset

Coolset is a mid‑market ESG and supply chain compliance platform built around structured CBAM workflows. Its new CBAM module (coming soon) guides importers through the entire CBAM process, from scoping covered products and collecting supplier emissions data, to generating audit‑ready CBAM reports.

Website: www.coolset.com

Ideal use case:

Mid‑market companies and importers that want a turnkey, guided solution to meet CBAM requirements without heavy customization.

Standout features:

• Automated identification of in‑scope imports by CN code
• Structured supplier outreach: send CBAM‑aligned data requests, track responses
• Centralized dashboard for cross‑team coordination (sustainability, procurement, compliance)
• Automated calculator of total emission volumes and CBAM fees
• Audit‑ready reporting: all data points traceable to source for customs or third‑party review
• TÜV‑certified emissions methodology and compliance logic

Limitations:
Detailed cost structure requires direct inquiry

2. Sphera

Sphera provides enterprise-grade software and consulting for CBAM compliance, embedded within its broader supply chain transparency and sustainability platform. The solution supports every stage, from import scoping and supplier emissions gathering to automated CBAM calculations and regulatory-ready reporting

Website: www.sphera.com

Ideal use case:

Large organizations and regulated enterprises with complex global operations and multiple compliance streams needing robust CBAM support.

Standout features:

• Audit-ready platform
• Automated data collection
• Real‑time monitoring & reporting
• Consulting services
• Reduced compliance costs

Limitations:

Enterprise-scale system meaning potentially high cost and resource demands

3. Normative

Normative is a carbon accounting platform that offers CBAM-specific reporting and compliance planning features. It combines robust emissions modeling (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) with expert support to help importers meet CBAM requirements during transitional and definitive phases.

Website:  www.normative.io

Ideal use case:

Organizations needing advanced Scope 3 modeling, supplier engagement tools, and CBAM reporting guidance backed by consultancy expertise.

Standout features:

• High-precision emissions engine
• Structured CBAM implementation planning
• Expert consultancy support
• Full-scope carbon tracking (Scopes 1–3)
  

Limitations:

• Primarily positioned as a carbon accounting platform. May require customization or configuration to fully align with CBAM.

4. Sinai

Sinai is an integrated ESG and decarbonization platform that supports compliance with key regulatory frameworks like CBAM. Offering automated carbon accounting, auditable reporting, and decarbonization pathways, it targets importers needing integration between CBAM readiness and broader corporate climate strategy.

Website: www.sinai.com

Ideal use case:

Importers and enterprises wanting a CBAM-capable platform that also supports strategic decarbonization, scenario modeling, and AI-powered insights.

Standout features:

• Automated CBAM reporting workflows
• Monitoring of EU CBAM regulatory updates
• AI-powered transition planning
• Granular Scope 1–3 accounting
  

Limitations:

Less focused on CN code integration or customs-level reporting mechanics

5. Assent

Assent has launched a purpose-built CBAM compliance solution for manufacturers and importers facing the EU’s embedded emissions reporting requirements. Their platform combines AI-driven supplier engagement, expert regulatory guidance, and an in-product carbon calculator to ensure CBAM readiness and data traceability.

Website: www.assent.com

Ideal use case:

Complex manufacturers and importers working across multi-tiered global supply chains who need to collect verified primary emissions data and align with CBAM methodology — without relying solely on spreadsheets.

Standout features:

• Built-in CBAM carbon calculator
• AI-powered supplier workflows
• Primary data mapping per CN code & part-level
• Audit-ready documentation
• Expert guidance & regulatory updates
  

Limitations:

The platform is particularly suited for larger manufacturers. Smaller importers may find the solution more expansive or costly than needed.

How to choose the right CBAM software for your business

To choose the right CBAM compliance software for your business, you need a tool that not only meets current EU requirements but also scales with evolving regulations. It also needs to support your supply chain complexity, and fit into your team’s existing workflows.

Here are some key decision criteria to look out for:

Scope 3 readiness and embedded emissions methodology

Make sure the platform can handle both direct, indirect, and in the future, indirect value chain emissions where relevant. It should use EU-aligned methods like activity-based or mass-balance approaches for accurate product-level emissions calculations.

Supplier data workflows and formats

Look for tools that streamline supplier outreach with structured templates, multilingual forms, and CSV/API integrations. Supplier-friendly features are must-haves when it comes to collecting verified installation-level data across borders.

Support for EU reporting logic

Your software should keep up to date with CBAM’s evolving requirements, like transitional phase allowances, default value limits, indirect emissions treatment, and the switch to verified annual declarations from 2026.

Multi-country, multi-subsidiary support

If your company operates across jurisdictions, you’ll need a tool that consolidates CBAM obligations across entities, while respecting country-level and entity-level differences in import flows, customs codes, and reporting structures.

Automation and UX across functions

Choose a platform that’s built for cross-functional use, with intuitive interfaces and automation for sustainability, compliance, procurement, and finance teams. Look for customizable dashboards, alerts, and audit-ready data trails.

Why do companies choose Coolset for CBAM?

Coolset’s new CBAM module (coming soon) helps compliance-first teams manage CBAM with structure, automation, and built-in logic, removing the manual burden of spreadsheets and scattered workflows.

Built for CBAM compliance, it helps businesses:

• Identify CBAM-covered imports: Upload import data and flag in-scope products, suppliers, and shipments.
• Collect emissions data from suppliers: Send CBAM-aligned requests, track responses, and fill data gaps.
• Coordinate across teams: Assign tasks and manage deadlines in one shared view.
• Generate audit-ready reports: Submit verifiable reports with every figure linked to its source.
• Stay up to date with evolving EU rules: Maintained by Coolset’s in-house regulatory team

Join the waitlist today to be first in line when it launches.

Final checklist: What to look for in CBAM compliance tools?

Before you lock in a CBAM software solution, make sure to ask these key questions to check it’s actually built for the job.

• Can it handle real primary data from suppliers?
  You’ll need installation-level emissions data, not just averages or estimates, especially once default values are phased out.
• Is it built for CBAM logic, not generic carbon data? 
  The tool should reflect EU-specific rules like embedded emissions per CN code, transitional phase reporting, and audit requirements.
• Does it help with cross-team collaboration?
  Look for software that supports workflows between procurement, sustainability, customs, and compliance, not just one department.
• Can you track progress and deadlines in one place?
  A good tool lets you monitor supplier response rates, reporting status, and upcoming submissions in one central dashboard.
• Does it scale with supply chain complexity?
  The software should work across multiple products, regions, and subsidiaries, with flexibility to grow as your compliance needs evolve.