How Ectracc Works

Complete guide to tracking your carbon footprint through barcode scanning, trip planning, and lifestyle monitoring. Start reducing your environmental impact today.

Getting Started in 5 Easy Steps

Create Your Free Account

Sign up in 30 seconds with just your email address. No credit card required, no subscription fees. ECTRACC is completely free to use for individuals across Ireland, UK, and Europe.

Grant Camera Permission

Allow ECTRACC to access your camera for barcode scanning. This lets you instantly scan product barcodes to discover their carbon footprint. Your privacy is protected—we only use the camera when you're actively scanning.

Scan Your First Product

Point your phone at any product barcode and ECTRACC will recognize it instantly. See the carbon footprint in kg CO2e, compare with alternatives, and add to your footprint tracker. Works with most food products, groceries, and consumer goods.

Explore Your Dashboard

View beautiful charts showing your carbon footprint over time. See daily, weekly, and monthly trends. Understand which products and activities contribute most to your environmental impact.

Set Reduction Goals

Define personal targets for reducing your carbon footprint. Choose from pre-set goals (reduce by 10%, 25%, 50%) or create custom objectives. Track your progress and celebrate milestones.

Core Features Explained

Product Barcode Scanning

How to scan products and track their carbon footprint

  1. Open ECTRACC and tap the "Scan" button
  2. Point your camera at the product barcode (EAN-13, UPC-A supported)
  3. Wait for automatic recognition (1-2 seconds)
  4. View carbon footprint, eco-score, and product details
  5. Add to your footprint tracker or compare alternatives
  6. Review your scanned items in the History tab
Trip Planning & Travel Carbon

Calculate and compare carbon emissions for your journeys

  1. Go to Trip Planner and enter your origin and destination
  2. See multiple route options with different transport modes
  3. Compare carbon emissions: train vs bus vs car vs flying
  4. View estimated travel time and carbon per passenger
  5. Choose the greenest option for your journey
  6. Save favorite routes for quick access
Dashboard & Analytics

Understand your carbon footprint trends and patterns

  1. Access your Dashboard to see total carbon footprint
  2. View charts showing trends over days, weeks, months
  3. Filter by category: food, travel, products, lifestyle
  4. Compare current vs previous periods
  5. Get personalized insights and recommendations
  6. Export data for personal records or reporting

Real-World Use Cases

Weekly Grocery Shopping

Sarah wants to make sustainable food choices at the supermarket

How it works:
  1. Sarah opens ECTRACC while shopping
  2. Scans products she's considering buying
  3. Compares carbon footprints of similar items (local vs imported tomatoes)
  4. Chooses lower-emission alternatives when available
  5. Tracks her weekly food carbon footprint
  6. Sees 25% reduction after 3 months of conscious choices
Daily Commute Planning

John commutes from Dublin suburbs to city center

How it works:
  1. John enters his commute route in Trip Planner
  2. Compares car (8.5 kg CO2), bus (2.4 kg CO2), train (1.8 kg CO2)
  3. Switches to Irish Rail for daily commute
  4. Saves 1,800 kg CO2 annually (equivalent to 3 flights to London)
  5. Tracks monthly commute emissions
  6. Sets goal to cycle when weather permits
Household Carbon Reduction

The Murphy family wants to reduce their environmental impact

How it works:
  1. Family creates shared ECTRACC account
  2. Everyone scans products they buy throughout the week
  3. Dashboard shows total family footprint: 45 kg CO2/week
  4. Identify biggest contributors: imported beef and car trips
  5. Set goal to reduce by 20% in 3 months
  6. Replace high-emission items with alternatives
  7. Achieve 22% reduction, saving 470 kg CO2 quarterly

Tips for Maximum Impact

📱 Make It a Habit

Scan products while shopping, not after. This helps you make informed decisions in real-time and choose lower-emission alternatives on the spot.

🎯 Start Small

Don't try to be perfect. Start by tracking one category (like food or commute) and expand gradually. Small consistent changes are more sustainable than drastic overhauls.

📊 Review Weekly

Spend 5 minutes each week reviewing your dashboard. Identify patterns, celebrate progress, and adjust your habits based on data-driven insights.

🌍 Focus on High-Impact Areas

The dashboard shows where your biggest emissions come from. Focus your efforts there first. For most people, it's food (especially meat/dairy) and transportation.

Ready to Start Your Sustainability Journey?

Join thousands across Ireland, UK, and Europe using Ectracc to track and reduce their carbon footprint. Completely free, no credit card required.