Release notes

Help and support New help module added to Diligent ESG. Select the ? icon to launch the module and access the following:

• Product updates Latest updates to the app.

• Announcements Other announcements not related to the app.

• Get help Links to help center, support team email, support and site status sites.

• Give feedback Form to provide feedback on the app.

Scope 1 Direct Emissions

ESG has added source categories and the associated emission factors for the following Scope 1 Direct Emissions:

• Stationary Combustion:

  • Stationary Fuel Use

    • CEM C02

      If you are using a Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS), you can also add the quantity of CO2 and units provided by CEMS to the Stationary Fuel Use activities by selecting Scope 1 Direct Emissions > Stationary Combustion > Stationary Fuel Use.

    • Stationary Fuel Use With Heating Values

      If you are adding a stationary fuel use data with heating values, you can add heating value energy and physical units and heating value quantities to the Stationary Fuel Use activities by selecting Scope 1 Direct Emissions > Stationary Combustion > Stationary Fuel Use.

  • Flaring

• Fugitive Emissions:

  • Natural Gas and Petroleum Systems

    • Equipment Leaks

    • Vented Emissions

• Natural Gas Distribution:

  • Equipment Leaks - Gas Distribution Mains

  • Equipment Leaks - Gas Distribution Services

  • Equipment Leaks - Gas Meters

  • Equipment Leaks – M&R

• Underground Natural Gas Storage:

  • Equipment Leaks – Underground Natural Gas Storage

• LNG Storage:

  • Equipment Leaks – LNG Storage

• Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline:

  • Equipment Leaks – Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline

API Additional source categories have been added to Diligent ESG API and an update to the existing business travel activity endpoint.

For further information about the source category updates, go to Diligent ESG API Changelog.

CDP Author template Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) report template for 2024 has been added to the Author module.

For further information, go to Authoring Author reports.

Support site Diligent ESG support site launched that replaces the old Accuvio support site. You can now submit a support ticket using the following page:

Diligent Connect - Submit a case

Emission factors Ministry for the Environment (New Zealand)

• Waste 2023, 2022, 2020

• Spend based data entry for Taxi under Business Travel 2023

CSRD Instant Reports A Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) report type has been added to the Instant Reports page. You can create a CSRD report for the following report sections:

• E1-5 — Energy consumption and mix

• E1-6 — Gross Scopes 1, 2, 3 and Total GHG emissions

• E3-4 — Water consumption

• E5-5 — Resource outflows

For further information, go to Creating a CSRD report.

Emission factors Refrigerant blends emission factors

For more information, go to Emission factors methodology document.

Help page The following updates are made to the Help page:

• Renaming of Help & Tutorials page to Help

• Removal and replacement of in-app manual with a link to the latest knowledge base help center

• Updates to links to the support team and ticket submission

For more information, go to Diligent ESG help page.

Emission factors Ministry for the Environment (New Zealand)

• Stationary Combustion 2023

For more information, go to Emission factors methodology document.

Emission factors methodology document The Emission factors methodology document consists of the standard emission factor sources utilized in Diligent ESG.

This report is updated annually and can be used alongside the Audit & Verification Report for data validation.

The document covers the following:

• An overview of market-based and location-based methodologies.

• Details on the Global Warming Potential (GWP) figures from the applicable IPCC Assessment Report.

• Explanation of the conversion sets applied.

• Reference to methodologies for each scope and category.

• Sample calculations for reference.

You can request the new Emission factor methodology document from the Support team.

Emission factors policy document The Emission Factors Policy document explains how the emission factors database is managed in Diligent ESG. It includes:

• Schedule of when emission factor updates take place annually.

• Manage Data Errors

• Scope coverage

• Support provided to clients during audits

• Default Emission Factor Sources

• Deployment of Emission Factors

You can request the latest version of the Emission factors policy document from the Support team.

HighBond to Diligent One Platform HighBond has been rebranded as Diligent One Platform and all mentions of HighBond in the user interface have been updated as a result. The following areas have been updated:

• Manage Settings > Application Settings > Configure Diligent One Platform integration

• User Management > Create new user > ESGBoardsIntegrationAdministrator

• User Management > User details > ESGBoardsIntegrationAdministrator

• Diligent One Platform SSO Sign in

CSRD ESRS 2 Author template This template consists of the guidelines that enable you to tag the relevant sections in your sustainability reports created in Author, ensuring they meet the ESRS 2 general requirements and the Minimum Disclosure Requirements (MDR) for setting targets, policies, and actions. Additionally, you can use it as a checklist to ensure no requirements are missed.

For further information, go to Reporting in Diligent ESG.

Emission factors Ministry for the Environment (New Zealand)

• Purchased and Used Electricity 2023, 2022, 2020

• Water Supply and Treatment 2023, 2022, 2020

• Hotel Stay 2023, 2022

• Passenger Distance - Air 2023, 2022, 2020

For more information, go to Emission factors methodology document.

Data completeness and Anomaly tests Use the Data completeness test and Anomaly test features to identify and address anomalies or incomplete entries in your data and take corrective measures to prevent it.

Use the Anomaly test to scan your activity data for irregularities, including duplicate entries, date overlaps, and year-on-year comparisons. You can customize and schedule these tests to run at various intervals for single or multiple activities.

Additionally, you can set up email reminders to keep you informed about these tests. The current anomaly tests include:

• Duplicate entries: This enables you to identify duplicate data based on matching units, amounts, and dates.

• Date overlaps: This enables you to detect overlapping start and end dates within activities or meters.

• Year-on-year comparisons: This enables you to identify significant discrepancies in the input quantities between periods, highlights anomalies if the percentage changes exceed predefined thresholds.

For further information about the data completeness feature, go to Managing data completeness tests.

For further information about the data anomalies feature, see Managing data anomaly tests.

Emission factors United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)

• Purchased Goods and Services 2023

For more information, go to Emission factors methodology document.

API The Diligent ESG API serves as the developer interface for the Diligent ESG platform, which you can use to automate the import of activity data from your internal systems directly into the Diligent ESG platform.

Using the Diligent ESG API is beneficial for data entry in the following ways:

• Eliminate or significantly reduce human errors, ensuring data accuracy.

• Minimize the time and effort required for data entry.

• Provide a streamlined and efficient alternative for data import into Diligent ESG.

Perform these initial steps of collecting and transforming data as mentioned below:

• Data collection: Gather usage data from your internal systems, for example, SAP or Workday.

• Data transformation and structuring: Transform and structure the activity usage data to comply with the Diligent ESG API schema.

Use the Diligent ESG API endpoints to collect essential identifiers, such as building IDs, activity IDs, and other necessary elements. These identifiers are essential for formatting your data correctly, ensuring a successful upload for all supported source categories and activities.

The process of submitting data includes:

• Data submission: Send the structured usage data to the Diligent ESG platform using the API.

You can view the scope categories, data types, and endpoints added in each version here:

• Versioning

In the Developer Portal, you can now find guidelines for integrating your systems with the Diligent ESG API and utilizing its features through:

• Diligent ESG API

We have also published guidelines on the Diligent ESG knowledge base site. For further information, go to Managing integrations and API.

Service Level Agreement (SLA) document The Service Level Agreement (SLA) document has been updated for 2023 and includes the new status website for Diligent and specifically Diligent ESG:

https://status.diligent.com/

Emission factors Australian National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA)

• Mobile Combustion 2023

• B12 Biodiesel/Diesel Fuel Blend

• LPG under mobile combustion

• Purchased and Used Electricity 2023

For more information, go to Emission factors methodology document.

Emission factors The Diligent ESG Emission factor library has been updated with:

• 2023 Emission factors for supported sources

• The Global Warming Potential (GWP) figures from IPCC’s AR5

For more information, go to Emission factors methodology document and Emission factors policy document.