> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://kb.bravegen.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://kb.bravegen.com/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings.md).

# Reporting Settings

The organisation-level settings that govern how BraveGen Carbon reports your inventory — base year, boundary, materiality, GWP values, and Scope 2 method.

Reporting Settings are the organisation-level decisions that shape every figure BraveGen Carbon reports. They are set once, applied across all [Reporting Entities](/carbon/core-concepts/reporting-entities.md), and disclosed in your audit trail.

Only Administrators can change these settings. See [User Roles](/carbon/configuration/user-management/user-roles.md).

Go to **Settings → Carbon Configuration → Reporting**. The **Reporting Settings** panel lists each setting with its current value. Select the edit icon beside a setting to open its dialog.

***

### The settings

| Setting                                                                                                                | What it controls                                                                                               |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Base Year](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/base-year.md)                                                     | The comparison year your performance is measured against. Set separately for Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3.    |
| [Base Year Recalculation Policy](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/base-year/base-year-recalculation-policy.md) | The significance threshold that triggers a base year restatement, and the policy describing when you apply it. |
| [Reporting Boundaries](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/reporting-boundaries.md)                               | The GHG Protocol consolidation approach that determines which operations are in your inventory.                |
| [Materiality](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/materiality.md)                                                 | The percentage cut-off below which whole Scope 3 categories are excluded from reports.                         |
| [GWP Values](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/gwp-values.md)                                                   | The statement describing which global warming potential basis your calculations use.                           |
| [Scope 2 Methodology](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/scope-2-methodology.md)                                 | Which Scope 2 method — market-based or location-based — is your primary figure in reports and target setting.  |

Reporting frameworks are configured in the same screen, below Reporting Settings. See [Reporting Frameworks](/carbon/configuration/reporting-frameworks.md).

***

### How these settings behave

Every setting on this screen follows the same pattern, so once you have changed one you know what to expect from the rest.

**They are organisation-wide.** None of these settings can be varied per entity, per site, or per reporting period. Consistency is what makes the resulting disclosures defensible.

**They require a rationale.** Each dialog has a free-text field — *Rationale for selection*, *Recalculation Policy*, or *Why this method?* — with a minimum of 40 characters. This text is a disclosure, not an internal note: it is included in your [audit trail snapshots](/carbon/audit-trail/snapshots.md) and read by auditors and verifiers. Write it for that audience.

**They are logged.** Every dialog carries an **Activity Log** recording who changed the setting, when, and the rationale supplied at the time. Users can reply to an entry to add context, and pin an entry to keep it at the top. Keep the discussion in the log rather than in email, so an auditor reviewing a setting can see the reasoning alongside the value.

**They change reported figures.** Changing a setting on this screen changes what your reports say, sometimes retrospectively. Where a change is significant, check it against your [Base Year Recalculation Policy](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/base-year/base-year-recalculation-policy.md) before you save.

{% hint style="info" %}
Select **Save Changes** to apply a setting, or **Cancel** to discard it. The Base Year dialog is the exception — it saves with **Recalculate Base Year**, because applying a new base year restates your comparison figures.
{% endhint %}

***

### Set them in this order

When configuring a new organisation, work down the screen. Each setting depends on the ones above it.

1. [**Reporting Boundaries**](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/reporting-boundaries.md) — decide which operations are in your inventory before you measure anything.
2. [**Base Year**](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/base-year.md) — choose the comparison year, once you know what the boundary includes.
3. [**Base Year Recalculation Policy**](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/base-year/base-year-recalculation-policy.md) — define when you restate that comparison year.
4. [**Materiality**](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/materiality.md) — set the cut-off for excluding immaterial Scope 3 categories.
5. [**Scope 2 Methodology**](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/scope-2-methodology.md) — nominate your primary Scope 2 figure.
6. [**GWP Values**](/carbon/configuration/reporting-settings/gwp-values.md) — review the statement describing the GWP basis your factors use.

Reversing the order creates rework. Setting a base year before your boundary is settled, for example, means restating it as soon as the boundary changes.

***

### Key points

* Reporting Settings are organisation-wide and Administrator-only.
* Each setting carries a rationale of at least 40 characters, disclosed in your audit trail.
* Every change is recorded in the setting's Activity Log with the user, timestamp, and rationale.
* Set the boundary first, then the base year, then everything that depends on them.