Floodlight vs S&P Global Trucost
S&P Global's ESG data and carbon analytics platform, providing carbon emissions data for 15,000+ companies, Paris alignment analytics, carbon pricing risk, and environmental footprint scores for institutional investors.
Satellite-verified emissions data
Emissions figures derived from independent atmospheric satellite observations, not reported disclosures or emissions factors.
Trucost uses disclosed and imputed company data - no satellite measurement.
Asset-level monitoring
Emissions and risk scores tied to individual facilities, buildings, or assets - not rolled-up sector or company averages.
Trucost provides company-level data with some facility breakdowns; not independent asset-level measurement.
Independent third-party verification
Data produced without reliance on issuer self-disclosure; independently reproducible and auditable by third parties.
Trucost explicitly relies on self-disclosed data and sector-average imputation where disclosure is absent.
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.
Trucost covers 15,000+ companies globally - strong breadth for listed equities.
Scope 1 direct emissions
Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources including combustion, process emissions, and fugitive releases.
Trucost provides Scope 1 data but sourced from disclosures and imputed estimates, not measurement.
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.
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.
S&P has physical risk scores through its Climanomics product; Trucost itself is focused on carbon/environmental data.
Transition risk assessment
Exposure to regulatory carbon costs, stranded-asset risk, and technology disruption under decarbonisation scenarios.
Trucost Paris alignment and carbon-earnings-at-risk models are strong for transition risk.
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.
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.
Honest verdict
Where Floodlight wins
Trucost is a research and analytics dataset built on disclosed corporate emissions - it aggregates and models what companies report but does not independently verify it via satellite measurement. Floodlight's satellite observation layer provides the independent verification that Trucost data explicitly lacks. For asset managers concerned about greenwashing risk, Floodlight's independently observed figures are significantly more defensible than Trucost's modelled estimates, which rely heavily on sector-average imputation for companies that do not disclose. Floodlight also provides real-time monitoring, CBAM support, and purpose-built assurance documentation that Trucost does not offer.
Where S&P Global Trucost wins
Trucost has deep historical data going back to 2005, enabling long-term trend analysis and Paris alignment tracking that Floodlight cannot currently match. Its carbon-pricing risk models, natural-capital valuation, and integration with the broader S&P Global Market Intelligence platform give it a strong position for buy-side equity research and ESG screening. The breadth of company coverage across listed and unlisted entities is a significant advantage for portfolio screening at scale.
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.