Biocode

03/11/2025

Take control of your carbon footprint today!

"Our deepened cooperation with Biocode has helped us understand the bigger picture and plan more effectively as we’ve moved into group-level reporting. As the volume of data and requirements increase, we’ve been able to leverage the platform’s capabilities step by step to develop our long-term sustainability work." -Snellman Group’s Director of Communications and Sustainability

See how Biocode's users effectively measure, manage, and communicate greenhouse gas emissions from farm to shelf: https://biocode.io/snellman-builds-long-term-climate-work-in-partnership-with-biocode/

30/10/2025

Forest, Land, and Agriculture emissions (FLAG) are on everyone’s lips. 💋

Why?

💡 Because more and more companies are setting their science-based emissions reduction targets (SBTs). And companies operating in land-use related fields (pun intended) are required to report their FLAG emissions.

“Yikes… but we just learned how to calculate our Scope 1–3 GHG emissions!”

😌 Worries aside. We’ve built a solution that converts your Scope 1–3 calculations into FLAG results in ❗️ less than a minute ❗️
(The video below is 48 sec)

The solution is already live and kicking, though still under development. Our humblebrag right now is that we have a massive FLAG emission factor database, which we can’t fully release until some tiny tiny user experience improvements are done.

Anyways, now just a couple of months post-launch, we’ve already completed FLAG emission calculations with clients. Aaand more about these cases soon 👀

30/10/2025

Did you know that most of a food product’s climate impact doesn’t come from transport or packaging? It actually starts much earlier: in the fields. 🌾

Agriculture and land use can make up more than half (and sometimes up to 90%!) of a product’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

The good news? That’s also where the biggest opportunities for reduction lie. 💡

By understanding emissions from land use and farming activities, food companies can work together with their producers to find smarter, data-driven ways to cut emissions – and move closer to achieving their climate targets.🎯

21/01/2025

✨ New Year, New UI! ✨
We’re kicking off 2025 with a refreshed look for the Biocode carbon footprint calculator. 🎉

The redesigned interface is cleaner, smarter, and more user-friendly than ever before. Here’s what’s new:

💙 Intuitive navigation & a smoother experience
💙 Better list views
💙 Simpler data entry and settings management
💙 Improved guidance and help tools

Why the change?

We’ve listened to your feedback and designed a UI that helps you calculate and manage your carbon footprint with ease—whether for products, companies, or primary production. And this is just the beginning—exciting new features are rolling out later this year. Stay tuned!

Check out the sneak peek below and let us know what you think! 🚀

17/12/2024

New Year, New Leadership for Biocode!

After five years, Ernesto Hartikainen will step down as CEO at the end of 2024 to pursue new challenges. We are thrilled, however, that he will continue supporting us as an advisor to the Board!

Starting January 1, 2025, Vilja Hannula, our current COO, will step into the role of Acting CEO. With her strong experience in scaling startups and her passion for green transformation, Vilja is perfectly positioned to lead Biocode into the future.

Our Board Director, Harri Mäkivuokko, commented:
"On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Ernesto for his dedicated efforts in developing the company. After five years of hard work, we now have a globally unique product portfolio and a growing business. Under Vilja’s leadership, Biocode will continue offering solutions in a rapidly evolving market. Ernesto’s ongoing role as an advisor to the Board will ensure continuity in the company’s development."

Thank you, Ernesto, for these incredible years together, and welcome, Vilja, to your new role! Together, we will continue supporting food companies in calculating their climate impacts and striving for a more sustainable future. 💚

https://biocode.io/biocodes-new-ceo-vilja-hannula/

11/12/2024

Excel vs Carbon Accounting Software: When Is It Time to Upgrade?

Many companies start their carbon footprint journey with Excel—it’s familiar, flexible, and, let’s face it, already installed on most computers. But as your reporting needs grow and stakeholders demand more detailed, reliable data, Excel can quickly turn into a headache.

For example, Excel lacks:

❌ Automated updates for calculation methodologies
❌ Transparency in data sources
❌ Built-in emission factor databases
❌ Standardized reporting features

These are exactly the things that make your carbon accounting smoother, faster, and more reliable for you and your team.

Curious about the key differences? Check out this quick comparison and see why switching to the right tools is an investment in credibility and efficiency 👇

Excel vs carbon accounting software: Find out why switching to dedicated tools can make tracking emissions easier, and more reliable.

02/12/2024

Food for Thought: Marketing Sustainability the Right Way in the Food Industry ✅

Both sharp-eyed consumers and upcoming legislation are reshaping the landscape of sustainability marketing.

👋 The days of vague "green" promises are over—today, the demand is for proof, transparency, and real impact.

The secret to standing out?
🥁 Focus on what truly matters.

Instead of spotlighting minor packaging tweaks, shine a light on the big moves:
✅ Reducing emissions across the entire supply chain (total product carbon footprint)
✅ Partnering with farmers to enhance biodiversity and lower GHG emissions
✅ Innovating to cut food waste

It’s time to move past greenwashing and make sure we’re delivering real impact!

Explore Bettera's Marika Siniaalto's expert take on sustainability marketing in the food industry. 👉

Discover how the food industry is navigating the new era of sustainability marketing under the EU's Green Claims Directive.

13/11/2024

How should you calculate emissions? Spend-Based or Activity-Based?

Understanding your company’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is essential for effective climate action. Two common approaches are spend-based and activity-based calculations, but when should you use each?

🛒 Spend-Based
Spend-based calculations estimate emissions based on your purchasing data. It’s a quick and easy method because it uses average emissions data from various industries. But it’s not very precise—it doesn’t capture details unique to specific suppliers or products. This method is ideal for an initial overview of your emissions or high-level reporting.

⚙️ Activity-Based
Activity-based calculations dig deeper into your specific operations. By measuring actual data—such as fuel usage, raw material quantities, or waste—you get a much clearer and more accurate view of your emissions. While this approach needs more data collection, it’s great for detailed and precise tracking that can inform meaningful change.

📝 Choosing the Right Approach
For many companies, a hybrid approach works best: start with spend-based calculations to get a rough overview, then use activity-based data where possible to improve accuracy. This blend helps you follow standards like the GHG Protocol and build a solid plan for reducing emissions.

11/11/2024

❓ True or False❓

“If a product is labeled Carbon Neutral, it’s good for the climate.”

The "Carbon Neutral" label suggests environmental responsibility, but it doesn’t tell us the whole story.

It means the product’s emissions have been calculated and offset, but it doesn’t reveal the size of the carbon footprint. A product could still have a significant impact, even with this label.

The real question is: how was neutrality achieved? Was it through meaningful emission reductions or just offsetting? And if by offsetting, how exactly? 🧐

➡ So, is a carbon-neutral product truly good for the climate? 𝗜𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀.

Let us know what you think! 💬👇

04/11/2024

True or false: Choosing locally produced food is more climate-friendly than imported food?

This is tricky, but the answer is: 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦.

👀 Why?
While local food can reduce transportation-related emissions (often referred to as "food miles"), transportation typically contributes less than 10% of a food product’s total carbon footprint.

Other factors, such as:
✔️ raw materials
✔️ energy use
✔️ fertilizer use
✔️ and land use emissions
can have a much larger impact on overall emissions than the distance the food has traveled.

For instance, importing food that is grown more efficiently in terms of resources like water or energy may have a lower overall carbon footprint than locally produced food.

Thus, it depends on the specific food, production practices, and transportation methods involved.