The Altruistiq API allows your organisation to connect Altruistiq directly to your existing business systems, automating the flow of sustainability data and reducing manual work. This article explains what the API makes possible and how to get started.
What is an API?
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a way for different software systems to communicate with each other automatically. Instead of manually downloading data from one system and uploading it to another, an API connection lets those systems exchange information directly.
Think of it like setting up an automatic bank transfer instead of manually moving money each month. Once configured, the process happens reliably in the background without requiring your attention.
What can you automate with the Altruistiq API?
The Altruistiq API supports two main types of integration:
Bringing data into Altruistiq
The API lets you automatically send data from your business systems into Altruistiq. This is useful for:
Facility entity management: Keep your Facility data up to date every day, week or month. Including open / close dates, boundary indicators, employee counts and more.
Product entity management: Keep your product list up to date with latest Bill of Materials (Product Structures) being automatically updated
Activity Input Data
Connect your energy management system, utility billing platform, or building management system to automatically upload consumption data. Instead of collecting spreadsheets from site managers each month, the data flows directly into Altruistiq.
Link your ERP or procurement system to send supplier transactions automatically. This can significantly reduce the time spent on Scope 3 data collection.
Connect manufacturing or production systems to send production volumes and other Input Data for Product Carbon Footprint calculations.
Sharing data from Altruistiq
The PACT API lets you share Product Carbon Footprint data with your customers and partners in a standardised format. PACT (Partnership for Carbon Transparency) is a global standard for exchanging product-level emissions data between organisations. Altruistiq is one of approximately ten PACT-conformant solutions globally.
The Export API lets your export your Corporate Footprint in monthly granularity to import back into your data lake. This can be useful for snapshotting point in time measurements or integrating emissions data into other tools.
Benefits of API integration
Manual process | With API integration |
Collecting spreadsheets from multiple teams each reporting period | Data flows automatically from source systems |
Copying and pasting between systems | Eliminates manual data entry errors |
Delayed reporting due to data collection bottlenecks | Near real-time data availability |
Staff time spent on repetitive data tasks | Team can focus on analysis and action |
Is API integration right for your organisation?
API integration is most valuable when you have:
Regular, repeating data flows — If you upload the same types of data monthly or quarterly from the same sources, automation saves significant time.
Data already in digital systems — If your source data lives in an ERP, energy management platform, or other business system, there's likely a way to connect it.
IT resources to support the setup — Initial configuration requires technical involvement, though once set up, the process runs automatically.
Volume that justifies the investment — Organisations with many Facilities, Products, or data sources see the greatest benefit from automation.
If you're still collecting data primarily through spreadsheets and email, you may want to first establish consistent data formats before pursuing API integration.
How to start the conversation with your IT team
Your IT team will handle the technical implementation, but you'll need to provide context about what you're trying to achieve. Here's how to frame the conversation:
What to share with your IT team
The business goal: "We want to automate the flow of [energy data / procurement data / production data] from [source system] into our sustainability platform to reduce manual data collection."
The technical basics: "Altruistiq uses OAuth 2.0 authentication and has a REST API. Full documentation is available at docs.altruistiq.com."
The data requirements: Share what data needs to flow, how often, and from which systems. Your IT team can then assess whether those source systems have APIs or export capabilities.
Questions your IT team may ask
Question | How to answer |
What authentication does it use? | OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials flow |
Where's the API documentation? | docs.altruistiq.com |
What format does the data need to be in? | CSV or JSON files with bulk ingestion |
How often should data sync? | Depends on your reporting cadence — typically monthly or weekly |
Who creates the API credentials? | Someone with the Manage API Keys permission in Altruistiq (see "Manage OAuth integrations") |
Security and access control
API integrations use OAuth 2.0, an industry-standard security protocol used by major platforms including Google, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Each integration has its own credentials (Client ID and Client Secret), and secrets can be rotated at any time without disrupting other integrations.
Only users with the Manage API Keys permission can create or manage API integrations. This permission is held by Sustainability Administrator, Platform Administrator, Measurement & Reporting Professional, and Supply Chain Engagement Professional roles.
Next steps
Identify your highest-value automation opportunity — Which data flow takes the most time or causes the most delays?
Check your source systems — Does that system have an API or automated export capability?
Engage your IT team — Share this article and discuss feasibility
Create OAuth credentials — Once IT is ready, someone with the Manage API Keys permission can create the integration credentials (see "Manage OAuth integrations")
Learn more
For technical implementation details, your IT team can refer to the full API documentation at docs.altruistiq.com.
To create and manage OAuth integration credentials, see "Manage OAuth integrations".