CO₂ Ambition Ethical Charter
1. Preamble
WellTest Nordisk develops and distributes advanced software solutions for the analysis of hydrocarbon and aquifer well tests, as well as associated consulting and training services. Our expertise has historically been applied to the oil and gas exploration and production sector and, increasingly, to the analysis of aquifers and water resources.
Aware of the significant contribution of the oil and gas sector to global greenhouse gas emissions, we recognise that our activity lies at the heart of these issues. This charter aims to define our ambition regarding CO₂ emissions and our commitments to reduce our direct footprint, while steering our solutions towards better resource management and lower emissions for our clients.
This charter complements our other ethical commitments (confidentiality, data security, scientific quality) and applies to all of our activities.
2. Company carbon footprint profile
As a small organisation based in Norway, without industrial facilities, our direct carbon footprint (Scopes 1 and 2) arises mainly from:
Energy consumption in our offices and workstations
Use of IT infrastructure and cloud services for our software
Business travel (conferences, client engagements, training courses)
Our indirect footprint (Scope 3) is mainly linked to:
The use of our solutions by oil, gas and hydrogeological companies
The travel of our clients and partners for training or events
The digital services we outsource (hosting, third-party tools)
We acknowledge that the most significant CO₂ emissions associated with our activity stem from the fact that a substantial part of it sits within the upstream oil and gas value chain. It is precisely there that our ambition on CO₂ emissions and other effluents must be the most demanding.
3. Ethical principles on CO₂ emissions
Our decisions concerning CO₂ emissions are based on the following principles:
Extended responsibility
Although our direct operational footprint is limited, we accept an extended responsibility relating to the use of our solutions in high-carbon-intensity projects. We seek to orient our products and services to reduce these impacts as far as possible.Transparency and scientific integrity
Our claims (emissions reductions, efficiency gains, etc.) must be founded on robust methodological bases that are measurable and verifiable. We reject all forms of greenwashing.Continuous improvement
Our climate commitments will be reviewed regularly in light of the best technical knowledge, our clients’ expectations and regulatory requirements.
4. CO₂ ambition for our operations (Scopes 1 & 2)
4.1. Reducing our operational footprint
We are committed to:
Energy efficiency of offices and workstations
Favouring offices located in buildings with good energy performance
Optimising workstation consumption (standby settings, considered renewal of equipment with energy efficiency as a criterion)
Choosing responsible digital infrastructure
Selecting cloud providers and hosts that have clear CO₂ emissions objectives (renewable energy, decarbonisation plans, transparency)
Integrating criteria of digital frugality when developing our software (optimised computation, storage and data transfer)
Business travel
Limiting long-distance travel to assignments and events with high technical added value
Favouring remote meetings where this does not undermine scientific quality or client relationships
When travel is necessary, prioritising the least carbon-intensive modes of transport
5. CO₂ ambition linked to our products and services (Scope 3 – use phase)
We recognise that our software and our expertise are used in contexts that may:
Extend the life and production of hydrocarbon fields
Optimise the management of aquifers and groundwater
Improve the efficiency of well-testing operations
Our ambition is to maximise the contribution of our solutions to emissions reduction and better resource management, while being transparent about our limits.
5.1. Designing low-CO₂-emission solutions
We are committed to:
Focusing on efficiency and the reduction of project operational footprints
Developing and promoting features that reduce the number, duration and intensity of well tests required to reach a given level of confidence
Helping users to quantify uncertainties in order to avoid redundant operations or overly conservative programmes that are not strictly necessary
Strengthening “water / aquifers / resources” use cases
Continuing to develop and document modules dedicated to aquifers, further integrating the dimension of sustainable water management
Encouraging the use of our tools in projects related to drinking water, irrigation and the protection of groundwater bodies, where technically relevant
Moving towards transition-compatible applications
Exploring opportunities to apply our expertise and tools to lower-carbon-intensity projects (for example, subsurface storage, geothermal energy, water-reservoir management)
5.2. Dialogue with our clients
With our clients, we undertake to:
Provide clear documentation on how better data analysis can help reduce certain impacts (fewer tests, better planning)
Engage transparently on the limits of our solutions in terms of emissions reduction (not overselling environmental impact)
Where possible, co-develop simple indicators (for example, number of tests avoided, optimised scheduling) that can serve as a basis for climate-related reflection on the client side
6. Implementation, governance and review
Internal responsibility
Responsibility for implementing this charter lies with the management of WellTest Nordisk.
Technical aspects relating to emissions (carbon footprint assessment, indicators, methodologies) are monitored by those responsible for software development and consulting.
Integration into decision-making
CO₂ criteria will be integrated into decisions regarding:The product roadmap
The choice of digital infrastructure
The organisation of training courses and events
The selection of partners and suppliers
Communication and transparency
An annual or biannual summary of progress (carbon footprint, actions taken, difficulties encountered) will be published on our website.
Any quantified claims (e.g. operational reductions at a client) will always be accompanied by their methodology.
Review of the charter
This charter will be reviewed at least every three years, or more frequently if developments in our activity, regulation or scientific knowledge so require.
Each revision will take into account feedback from our clients, partners and stakeholders.
7. Conclusion
Through this charter, WellTest Nordisk affirms its determination to take its environmental responsibility seriously, in line with its activity as a scientific expert in well and aquifer testing. Our ambition is to:
Reduce our own CO₂ footprint
Steer our solutions to avoid unnecessary or oversized operations
Contribute, at our scale, to better management of subsurface resources in a world constrained by environmental considerations
This approach is evolutionary: we consider this charter as a starting point to be improved, refined and strengthened over time.