Recent discussions between The Payments Association’s ESG Working Group have frequently highlighted how firms are experiencing an uptick in clients, investors and potential customers enquiring about their sustainability credentials.
At a moment when the payments sector is flooded with new competitors, investment decisions can come down to details outside of revenue streams or product portfolios. Impressive, verified ESG ratings have become a competitive differentiator that can make the difference when winning over new investors or business.
Eric Zie, Founder of GoCodeGreen, reported “a marked shift from superficial sustainability claims to data-driven accountability. Increasingly, firms are demanding granular, lifecycle-based assessments that go beyond infrastructure or cloud impact alone.” Firms need to find ways to prove their commitment to sustainability or risk falling behind their competitors. Confirming the sustainability ratings of their products and services against robust frameworks is one way that firms are making their sustainability objectives another viable advantage.
“Firms are seeking to turn sustainability credentials into competitive advantage, using independently verified data to underpin procurement responses, investor disclosures, and customer trust.” – Eric Zie, Founder and CEO of GoCodeGreen
The Payments Association’s ESG Working Group have published two vital documents: the Carbon Emissions Framework: Measuring Emissions from Digital Payments and the Carbon Emissions Framework: Get Started Guide.
The Carbon Emissions Framework and Get Started Guide, intended to be used in tandem, offer a practical, maturity-based approach for measuring carbon emissions within the digital payments value chain. The Framework includes Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, taking into account embodied emissions, and is in line with global standards like ISO 21031 and the GHG Protocol ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Sector Guidance (GHGP-ICTSG).
The Framework provides a robust, standards-based approach to carbon measurement, enabling sustainability at scale across digital payments. It empowers payment providers to integrate sustainability into core operations while supporting broader enterprise strategies and advancing the adoption of net-zero targets across the financial services sector.
These documents were a collaborative effort from The Payments Association’s ESG Working Group and ESG expert Eric Zie. Eric is an independent advisor and visiting professor in digital sustainability, he is also the Founder of GoCodeGreen, a recognised ClimateTech leader specialising in measuring the carbon impact of digital products and services. GoCodeGreen are a 2 times Earthshot prize nominee, Certified B Corporation and partner of the ITU, the United Nations specialised agency for Information and Communication Technology.
Eric commented that such frameworks are “critical because they bring structure, consistency, and credibility to what has historically been a fragmented and misunderstood area. By leveraging a common framework, based on sector-specific guidance and lifecycle thinking, organisations can assess their digital emissions in a way that is repeatable, comparable, and actionable.”
G+D Netcetera is a pioneering Swiss software company known for delivering forward-thinking digital solutions across industries like banking, payments, mobility, healthcare, and publishing. As a leader in software development, the company is driven by a mission to drive positive change through technology while prioritising environmental, social and economic responsibility and sustainability.
G+D Netcetera’s sustainability strategy is built around three key pillars: Environment, People, and Governance. This structured approach aligns with the widely recognised Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework, ensuring that their efforts are comprehensive, systematic, and in line with global best practices.
G+D Netcetera have set themselves the ambitious target of achieving net-zero global emissions by 2040. To support this goal, they are committed to designing software solutions that minimise environmental impact through energy-efficient practices.
“By adopting the software practices of the future, we are dedicated to developing transformational solutions that create a positive impact at scale, benefiting millions of people worldwide. Our commitment is to help clients achieve their ESG goals through responsible technology practices, ensuring trust, compliance, and value for millions of end-users worldwide.”- Maja Trajanoska, Principal Consultant, Strategy and Group Development, G+D Netcetera
As part of this commitment, G+D Netcetera partnered with GoCodeGreen to conduct a digital product lifecycle assessment (LCA) for their Click to Pay SRCI product. The aim was to better understand and reduce the carbon impact of their digital products and services, responding to the growing customers’ demand for transparency about the environmental footprint. GoCodeGreen’s deep expertise, combined with their knowledge of key industry protocols and standards, made them the ideal partner for this initiative.
The Payments Association’s Carbon Emissions Framework complemented G+D Netcetera’s goal by providing a structured, data-driven approach tailored specifically to the payment sector.
“GoCodeGreen applied the Carbon Emissions Framework as part of a rigorous, standards-aligned methodology to assess G+D Netcetera’s digital product. The framework provided a consistent structure to quantify emissions across the software lifecycle, from development and deployment to operation. Using our proprietary platform, built on the GHG Protocol ICT Sector Guidance and ISO-aligned methodologies, we translated the framework into detailed emissions data, isolating both Build and Operate phase inefficiencies.” – Eric Zie, Founder and CEO of GoCodeGreen
The collaboration began with a comprehensive analysis of the Click to Pay SRCI product and the underlying processes. After an initial evaluation, both teams agreed that GoCodeGreen’s CEDAR tool was the right fit for assessing the product’s sustainability.
The assessment covered the product’s full lifecycle: development, deployment, and usage. Thanks to the use of cloud infrastructure, G+D Netcetera were able to easily collect detailed operational metrics, including instance types, processor specifications, memory and storage usage, and the duration of cloud operations.
“Our product team also participated in a self-assessment to evaluate their understanding and application of sustainable software engineering principles. The resulting sustainability rating provided valuable insights and helped identify concrete actions for further improvements.” -Maja Trajanoska
GoCodeGreen’s assessment rated the Click to Pay SRCI product as having exceptional environmental performance, placing it among the 20% of highly ranked sustainable payment solutions.
For G+D Netcetera, the Framework serves as a powerful tool for understanding the carbon impact of payment processing and for improving transparency, accountability, and collaboration across the ecosystem.
The collaboration between G+D Netcetera and GoCodeGreen is a testament to the importance of embedding environmental sustainability into every stage of the product lifecycle. By combining G+D Netcetera’s expertise in innovative digital solutions with GoCodeGreen’s commitment to ethical governance, the partnership delivers tangible outcomes, from reducing carbon footprints to enhancing supply chain transparency. With the insights gained through the Carbon Emissions Framework and the collaboration with GoCodeGreen, G+D Netcetera continues to strengthen its ESG framework, setting a precedent for industry-wide transformation, proving that unified action is essential to building a resilient, equitable, and sustainable future.
“Our journey towards sustainability is a co-creative transformation and an evolving partnership between our teams, partners, and customers, where every step forward is guided by curiosity, responsibility, and shared commitment. By weaving together innovative solutions, transparent goals, and hands-on engagement, we contribute to crafting a future where business success and positive impact go hand in hand.” – Maja Trajanoska
If your firm would like to collaborate on the Carbon Emissions Framework or get involved with the ESG Working Group, there has never been a better time for your firm or the climate.
Reach out to [email protected] to find out more.
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