Carbon Reduction Plan template UK — what you need and how to generate one

The official CRP template is a .odt file published by the GCA as part of PPN 006. It defines the mandatory structure but does not help you calculate your emissions or fill in the data.

According to the GCA, the template contains placeholder sections for your company information, emissions data, Net Zero commitment, reduction targets, and sign-off. It is designed to be filled in manually, with the expectation that you have already calculated your Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions separately.

The .odt format is the first barrier — many users cannot open it in Microsoft Word without formatting issues. But the real problem is that the template assumes you already have all your emissions data ready.

According to a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce, 72% of small businesses found the CRP process confusing. The template assumes you already have:

• Calculated Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in tCO2e
• Applied the correct DEFRA conversion factors
• Established a baseline year
• Defined specific, quantified reduction targets
• Written environmental management measures in the correct format

For most small businesses, none of this data exists yet. The template tells you what to include but gives you no help actually calculating or generating it. For a full breakdown of the policy, see our PPN 006 explained guide.

A compliant CRP must include seven mandatory elements, from quantified emissions to board-level sign-off. Missing any one of these will result in your bid being rejected at the selection stage.

According to the GCA, regardless of whether you use the government template or generate your CRP another way, it must contain:

• Your company name, registered address, and Companies House number
• A commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050
• Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for your reporting period
• At least five Scope 3 emission categories
• A baseline year for comparison
• Specific reduction measures you are taking or plan to take
• Sign-off by a board-level director or equivalent

The CRP must be published on your website and the URL provided in your bid submission. You can read more about what a Carbon Reduction Plan must include in our full guide.

Here is what goes in each section of the annotated Word template above, so you can fill it in with confidence:

• Supplier details — your organisation's legal name, Companies House registration number, and the plan's publication date. Update the date every time you refresh the plan.
• Commitment to Net Zero — a single sentence naming your organisation and your Net Zero target year (no later than 2050).
• Baseline emissions footprint — your baseline year, the methodology (GHG Protocol plus current DEFRA factors), and the emissions table: Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 Categories 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9, each in tCO2e, with a total.
• Current emissions reporting — the same table for your latest reporting year, so the two can be compared. Refresh this annually.
• Emissions reduction targets — your interim and long-term targets and expected trajectory, ideally with a projection against the baseline.
• Carbon reduction projects — measures already completed (with the carbon saved, where you can quantify it) and measures planned for the future.
• Declaration and sign-off — the standard PPN 006 declaration, signed at board/director level, with a name, title and date.

If filling seven sections and building two emissions tables by hand sounds like a week of work, that is exactly why we built CarbonPass — it produces the completed version of this template from your bills. See the five mandatory Scope 3 categories for what the table rows mean.

CarbonPass replaces the entire manual process, from data extraction to emissions calculation to document generation. Most businesses complete it in under 20 minutes with no prior emissions knowledge.

You upload your utility bills, answer a few questions about your business, and the platform:

• Extracts your energy consumption data automatically
• Calculates Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions using DEFRA 2026 factors
• Generates a fully structured, PPN 006 compliant Carbon Reduction Plan
• Produces a downloadable PDF and DOCX ready to publish on your website
• Creates a public Carbon Passport page you can link to from your bids

No spreadsheets, no consultants, no fighting with .odt files. According to DEFRA, using their official conversion factors is mandatory for PPN 006 compliance — CarbonPass applies them automatically. If you are still weighing whether to hire an expert instead, our consultant vs software decision guide compares both routes honestly.

Is there an official gov.uk template?

Yes. The GCA publishes a CRP template on gov.uk as a .odt (Open Document Text) file. It outlines the required structure and fields, but many users find it difficult to open and fill in correctly.

Can I use a Word document instead of the .odt template?

Yes — there is no requirement to use the .odt file format specifically. Your CRP can be a PDF, web page, or Word document, as long as it contains all required sections and follows the GCA structure.

What must a UK CRP template include?

A compliant template covers your organisation details, the reporting boundary, a baseline year, Scope 1, 2 and defined Scope 3 emissions calculated with DEFRA factors, a commitment to net zero by 2050, reduction targets and actions, governance, and board-level sign-off.

Do small suppliers need the full template?

Your tender pack is the source of truth. PPN 006 formally applies to in-scope central-government procurements above 5 million pounds per year including VAT, but many buyers and lead contractors ask smaller suppliers for a CRP too. When they do, the same core sections apply — CarbonPass generates a complete, compliant plan from your bills regardless of your size.

Can I generate a compliant CRP without a consultant?

Yes. CarbonPass generates a fully PPN 006 compliant Carbon Reduction Plan from your utility bills in under 20 minutes. No consultant required — the platform handles the calculations, structure, and formatting.

How much does a consultant charge for a Carbon Reduction Plan?

Consultant fees for a Carbon Reduction Plan typically range from 1,500 to 6,500 pounds depending on the size of your business and the complexity of your operations. CarbonPass offers the same output for a fraction of that cost.

How do I publish my CRP on my website?

You can upload the PDF or DOCX to your website and link to it from a dedicated page. CarbonPass also generates a public Carbon Passport page you can link to directly from your bid submissions.