Positive transactions (refunds, reimbursements, and credits) typically show no direct emissions in the expense module, but they can still reduce the emissions of related expenses through netting within the same accounting category.
How are emissions calculated for positive transactions?
On the Greenly platform, emissions are calculated based on your net expenses rather than each transaction taken in isolation.
When a transaction has a positive amount (such as a refund or reimbursement), it doesn’t generate emissions by itself. Instead, it reduces the emissions calculated from negative transactions within the same accounting category.
For example, if you purchase three computers for €3, 000 and later return one for €1, 000, the platform will calculate emissions based on a net expense of €2, 000. In this way, only the actual retained spend contributes to your carbon footprint.
Within each accounting category, positive amounts are automatically allocated against negative ones. This ensures that emissions reflect your true level of consumption as accurately and consistently as possible.
Example on the platform:
In this screenshot, you can see a transaction for which we’d expect 380, 988€ * 0.231 kgCO₂e/EUR = 88.01 tCO₂e
However, in the accounting category “test-furnitures”, there are 245, 000€ of total positive amounts and 880 988€ of total negative amounts.
This feature is about applying the following adjustment:
(1 - (245 000/880 988)) * 380 988* 0.231 = 63, 54 tCO₂e
As a result, total emissions are adjusted downward to reflect positive amounts (such as reimbursements or refunds), helping to avoid any overestimation. In practice, this means that for the accounting category as a whole, emissions are calculated on the net amount: €880, 988 − €245, 000.
Returning to the computer example, the emissions associated with each of the three purchases would be proportionally reduced to account for the returned item, spreading the impact of the refund across the initial expenses.
More generally, positive transactions (including refunds, reimbursements, or credits) are incorporated by reducing the emissions linked to debit transactions. The corresponding adjustment factor is reflected in the methodology associated with those negative transactions:
If you have any questions, please reach out to the support team at [email protected] or via the chat.