Module: Sustainability / ESG Tracking v1.4.0
Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) metrics tracking, KPI management, and sustainability reporting for BIXCRM
Screen-by-screen guides (each tab explained)
Click a menu item below for step-by-step instructions on that Sustainability / ESG Tracking screen:
- ESG Dashboard
- ESG Metrics
- Metric Data Entries
- Metric Categories
- Carbon Dashboard
- Carbon Entries
- Carbon Sources
- Emission Factors
- Sustainability Goals
- ESG Reports
- Supplier ESG Assessments
- Integrations
- API Keys
- Webhooks
- Settings
How to use in BIXCRM (daily operations)
- Sign in to the admin area with a role that includes Sustainability / ESG Tracking permissions.
- Open Esg (sidebar) or search for Sustainability / ESG Tracking in the admin menu.
- Start on the Dashboard (if available) to see open tasks, pending approvals, and KPIs.
- Review Settings after upgrades — new options may need defaults for your company.
- Create or import master data first; most modules block transactions until masters exist.
- Run the main business flow (create → submit → approve → post/complete) using the screens listed in Admin menu below.
- Use Reports / Analytics screens to reconcile stock, finance, compliance, or SLA metrics.
- For integrations (API, EDI, gateways, tax), confirm credentials in Settings and monitor logs or webhook delivery screens.
- Train staff with role-based access — give approvers approve permissions only, operators create/edit on their area.
- If something fails overnight, check BIXCRM cron ran and open the module log / failed queue screen if present.
Admin menu — where to work
Open the Sustainability / ESG Tracking section in the admin sidebar. Screens your staff may use (depending on role):
- API Keys
- Carbon Dashboard
- Carbon Entries
- Carbon Sources
- Emission Factors
- ESG
- ESG Dashboard
- ESG Metrics
- ESG Reports
- Integrations
- Metric Categories
- Metric Data Entries
- Settings
- Supplier ESG Assessments
- Sustainability Goals
- Webhooks
Detailed guide — features, workflows, API & FAQ
Phase 1 Features
- ESG Dashboard with pillar breakdown, target tracking, and charts
- Metric Categories (Environmental, Social, Governance pillars)
- ESG Metrics / KPIs with targets, units, and reporting frequency
- Metric Data Entries with evidence file attachments
- Entry verification workflow (optional)
- Dashboard widget
Phase 2 Features — Carbon Accounting
- Carbon Dashboard — total emissions, scope breakdown, monthly trend, YoY comparison
- Carbon Sources — Scope 1/2/3 emission sources (fuel, electricity, transport, waste, etc.)
- Emission Factors — kg CO2e conversion factors with IPCC/DEFRA/GHG Protocol references
- Carbon Entries — activity data → auto-calculated CO2e (kg & tonnes)
- Transport Integration — read-only fleet fuel summary when Transport Management module is active
- Pre-seeded 11 sources + 11 emission factors on upgrade
Phase 3 Features — Sustainability Goals
- Sustainability Goals — long-term targets with UN SDG alignment (SDG 1–17)
- Goal Milestones — intermediate checkpoints with due dates and completion tracking
- Metric Linking — connect goals to ESG metrics with weighted auto-progress calculation
- Progress Tracking — visual progress bars with on track / at risk / off track status
- Dashboard Integration — goal stats and progress overview on ESG dashboard
- Cron Notifications — in-app alerts for due/overdue milestones and off-track goals
Phase 4 Features — ESG Reports & Disclosure
- ESG Reports — GRI, SASB, TCFD, and custom report templates
- Report Builder — select metrics, reporting period, and narrative sections
- PDF Export — formatted sustainability disclosure reports
- Data Validation — ensures required metrics have verified entries
- Workflow — draft → review → published with version history
- Client Portal — optional sharing of published reports with customers
Phase 5 Features — Supplier ESG & Integrations
- Supplier ESG Assessments — E/S/G scoring with questionnaires, linked to Purchase Management suppliers
- Multi-Plant Scoping — plant/facility filter on metric entries when Multi-Plant module is active
- Transport Integration — auto-import fleet emissions from TMS shipments
- Manufacturing Integration — auto-import production waste from manufacturing receipts
- REST API — metrics, entries, and reports endpoints with API key auth
- Webhooks —
entry.verifiedandreport.publishedevent notifications
Permissions
| Feature | Capabilities |
|---|---|
| --------- | ------------- |
| ESG Dashboard | view |
| Metric Categories | view, create, edit, delete |
| ESG Metrics | view, create, edit, delete |
| Metric Data Entries | view, create, edit, delete |
| Carbon Dashboard | view |
| Carbon Sources | view, create, edit, delete |
| Emission Factors | view, create, edit, delete |
| Carbon Entries | view, create, edit, delete |
| Sustainability Goals | view, create, edit, delete |
| ESG Reports | view, create, edit, delete |
| Supplier Assessments | view, create, edit, delete |
| Integrations | view, edit |
| API Keys | view, create, delete |
| Webhooks | view, create, edit, delete |
| Settings | view, edit |
Database Tables
Phase 1: esg_metric_categories, esg_metrics, esg_metric_entries, esg_activity_logs
Phase 2: esg_carbon_sources, esg_emission_factors, esg_carbon_entries
Phase 3: esg_sustainability_goals, esg_goal_milestones, esg_goal_metrics
Phase 4: esg_reports, esg_report_metrics
Phase 5: esg_supplier_assessments, esg_api_keys, esg_webhooks, esg_webhook_deliveries, esg_integration_logs
Roadmap
All 5 phases are complete. See [docs/ROADMAP.md](docs/ROADMAP.md) for full feature reference.
Design Principles
- Zero core changes — all code in
modules/esg/+ BIXCRM hooks - Incremental phases — each phase adds tables/features via migrations
- Framework alignment — GRI, SASB, TCFD, GHG Protocol references
- Optional integrations — Transport Management (Phase 2), Multi-Plant/Manufacturing (future)
Features
Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) metrics tracking, KPI management, and sustainability reporting for BIXCRM
- ESG Dashboard with pillar breakdown, target tracking, and charts
- Metric Categories (Environmental, Social, Governance pillars)
- ESG Metrics / KPIs with targets, units, and reporting frequency
- Metric Data Entries with evidence file attachments
- Entry verification workflow (optional)
- Dashboard widget
Permissions
Granular staff capabilities are registered on activation. Assign them under Setup → Staff → Roles for the Sustainability / ESG Tracking capability group.
Typical capabilities include view, create, edit, delete, plus module-specific actions (approve, export, settings, API access).
Cron Jobs
Background tasks (if enabled) run through BIXCRM's main cron. Example crontab (every 5 minutes):
* * * * * php /path/to/bixcrm/index.php cron/index > /dev/null 2>&1
Check module settings for scheduled jobs (alerts, sync, reports, retention).
After activation — configuration checklist
- Go to Setup → Modules and activate Sustainability / ESG Tracking.
- If prompted, click Upgrade Database or reload admin — migrations run automatically.
- Assign permissions under Setup → Staff → Roles.
- Open the module menu and configure settings.
- BIXCRM 3.0+
- PHP 7.4+ (8.1+ recommended)
- MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB 10.3+ (InnoDB)
- PHP extensions: mysqli, json, mbstring, curl, fileinfo
One-time setup (first time only)
- Setup → Modules → activate Sustainability / ESG Tracking.
- Setup → Staff → Roles → assign Sustainability / ESG Tracking permissions (view, create, edit, delete, approve, export, settings as needed).
- Open Sustainability / ESG Tracking → Settings and complete company defaults, prefixes, integrations, and notification options.
- Create master data (warehouses, products, templates, accounts, routes, etc.) before processing live transactions.
- Enable BIXCRM cron (
php /path/to/bixcrm/index.php cron/index) for sync, retries, alerts, and scheduled jobs. - Optionally enable REST API / webhooks in module settings if you integrate external systems.
BIXCRM Knowledge Base — usage guide generated from module README and documentation.