Ellis Richmond

Discover how Ellis Richmond's innovative software, Sumday, is empowering clients to measure and reduce carbon emissions, revolutionising accounting services for sustainability.

2023 Telstra Best of Business Awards Tasmania Embracing Innovation & Outstanding Growth Winner

Accounting for sustainability

With an understanding that both business and community expectations were changing, Ellis Richmond wanted to use their accounting skills to empower their clients to measure and reduce their carbon emissions, bringing accountants to the forefront of sustainability.

Ellis Richmond launched just under two years ago in regional Tasmania as a management and sustainability consulting firm. The team realised their clients needed a way to understand their baseline carbon emissions if they were to do something about them. Not only did large organisations with regulatory obligations want to understand their numbers, so did small businesses who were trying their best to make a positive impact but lacked accurate data.

Reviewing software options in the market, they quickly realised those solutions didn’t meet the needs of accountants who expected to deliver fully auditable and transparent accounting services. Nor were they affordable for many SMBs, and if they were, the calculations were too high level with limited accounting features.

Supporting small business and the planet

Seeing the opportunity to support Australia’s growing small business sector, and the planet, through an innovative carbon accounting solution, the business developed its leading software product with accountants front of mind, Local Carbon (and now Sumday).

Designed to help other accounting firms become carbon accounting powerhouses, the platform uses technology and advisors to help organisations, their suppliers and customers measure emissions for the purposes of emission reduction.

Ellis Richmond now uses Sumday to bring a human approach to carbon accounting, bucking the trend of DIY online calculators or high-level estimations. This approach is helping to build a community of businesses measuring and sharing their emissions data, so each one can make informed decisions about sustainability.

It’s no surprise that the business was recognised at the 2023 Telstra Best of Business Awards, taking home the Embracing Innovation and Outstanding Growth Awards at the Tasmanian State Awards.

Commenting on the Awards process, Jessica Richmond, then Partner and Founder of Ellis Richmond said, “The Awards journey is a really great experience, it forces you to think hard about your business to a degree that ultimately benefits everyone in your team, including the leaders."

For us, going through the process of applying and putting some thought into the questions has had a positive impact on how we think about the firm and how we are looking to the future.