Floodlight vs Watershed
Enterprise sustainability AI platform serving large corporates with complex Scope 3 supply chains. Named a Verdantix Green Quadrant Leader in 2026. Starts at approximately $50,000/year.
Satellite-verified emissions data
Emissions figures derived from independent atmospheric satellite observations, not reported disclosures or emissions factors.
Watershed uses activity data and AI-assisted factor matching - no satellite measurement.
Asset-level monitoring
Emissions and risk scores tied to individual facilities, buildings, or assets - not rolled-up sector or company averages.
Watershed can track facility-level data when clients provide it; it does not independently observe it.
Independent third-party verification
Data produced without reliance on issuer self-disclosure; independently reproducible and auditable by third parties.
Continuous / near-real-time monitoring
Emissions tracked on an ongoing basis with alerts for anomalies; not a once-a-year snapshot.
Global asset coverage (190+ countries)
Coverage of industrial and commercial assets worldwide, not limited to North America or Western Europe.
Scope 1 direct emissions
Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources including combustion, process emissions, and fugitive releases.
Scope 2 market and location-based
Indirect emissions from purchased electricity, steam, and cooling - both market-based and location-based methods.
Scope 3 / PCAF financed emissions
Financed emissions across lending and investment portfolios aligned with PCAF data quality scores 1-3.
Watershed supports financed emissions for financial institutions but is stronger for corporate Scope 3 supply-chain categories.
Methane and fugitive emissions detection
Detection of methane leaks, venting, and flaring events often missed by factor-based inventories.
Multi-gas coverage (CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs)
Coverage beyond CO2 to include the full basket of Kyoto greenhouse gases on a CO2e basis.
CBAM embedded emissions reporting
Facility-level embedded emissions per CN code for EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism importer reporting.
Physical climate risk assessment
Asset-level exposure scores for flood, heat stress, wildfire, sea-level rise, water stress, hurricane, and other perils.
Watershed is focused on corporate carbon management; no physical climate risk analytics.
Transition risk assessment
Exposure to regulatory carbon costs, stranded-asset risk, and technology disruption under decarbonisation scenarios.
Watershed supports decarbonisation scenario planning but not financial transition VaR.
Climate Value-at-Risk (Climate VaR)
Probabilistic financial loss estimate under named climate scenarios, in the same units as market and credit VaR.
NGFS Phase V scenario alignment
Stress-testing across all six NGFS Phase V reference pathways (Net Zero 2050, Below 2C, Delayed Transition, etc.).
CSRD / ESRS E1 compliance
Data mapped to CSRD ESRS E1 data-point IDs including E1-5, E1-6, and E1-9 financial-effects table.
SFDR / Principal Adverse Impact (PAI)
PAI indicators for Article 8 and 9 funds including GHG intensity, biodiversity, water, and social metrics.
Full audit trail and data provenance
Every figure traceable to satellite overpass, model version, and confidence band - reproducible by external reviewers.
Watershed stores a full data lineage. Floodlight adds an independent satellite-measurement layer on top.
Limited assurance (ISAE 3410)
Methodology and documentation pack sufficient for limited assurance opinion without supplementary procedures.
REST API access
Programmatic access to all data via documented REST API with pre-trade and portfolio query modes.
Automated regulatory reporting
Pre-built report templates for CSRD, ISSB, SFDR, and PCAF that auto-populate from the data layer.
Honest verdict
Where Floodlight wins
Watershed is a powerful decarbonisation management platform but it depends entirely on activity data, emissions factors, and self-reported supply-chain data. Floodlight adds an independent satellite measurement layer that verifies what Watershed calculates - closing the gap between reported and actual emissions. For financial institutions in particular, Floodlight provides physical and transition risk analytics, Climate VaR in NGFS scenarios, and CBAM support that Watershed does not offer. Floodlight data also requires significantly less manual data collection from the client because the satellite layer observes emissions directly.
Where Watershed wins
Watershed leads on Scope 3 supplier engagement, with 60+ pre-built data integrations, an AI-assisted data collection workflow, and 500,000+ emissions factors. For large enterprises with complex internal operations and global supply chains where the priority is building a robust Scope 3 inventory, Watershed is one of the most complete tools on the market. Their reporting automation for CDP and GRI is particularly mature.
Ready to see Floodlight in action?
Schedule a demo to learn how Floodlight can help you monitor emissions and assess climate risk with satellite-verified data.