Enabling faster, more effective climate action
In today’s fragmented reporting landscape, suppliers are often asked to provide emissions and deforestation data in multiple formats, using varying methodologies, for different retailers—creating inefficiencies, duplication, and confusion. This lack of standardisation not only places a burden on suppliers, but also limits the quality and usefulness of the data that’s collected.
To address this challenge, a Retail Taskforce has developed the Common Data Framework (CDF), which will now be managed and supported by the Coalition. This new framework is designed to drive harmonisation and clarity in emissions and deforestation data across varying maturity levels, promoting greater alignment in the collection and reporting of data across global value chains.
The CDF focuses on the most critical areas for climate and nature impact: Scope 3 Category 1 emissions and deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) sourcing. It provides a practical roadmap for retailers and suppliers alike, outlining:
The most common use cases for emissions and deforestation data
The appropriate granularity of data required to support each use case
How to validate the data collected
The key internal KPIs that drive progress
How to select the right data platform partners to support implementation
The framework is designed to evolve with the maturity of data practices, supporting retailers and suppliers as they progress through three levels of engagement:
Foundational – aligning greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting activities with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP)
Expanded – collecting suppliers’ operational emissions data (Scopes 1 & 2)
Granular – collecting product carbon footprints (PCFs)
Supporting deliverables from the Coalition and its members will continue to inform and guide the evolution of the Common Data Framework, ensuring it remains practical, scalable, and impactful.
The Common Data Framework is designed to be a practical guide—not a prescription. Retailers can use it to simplify and align their data requests with suppliers, focusing on the most critical climate and nature use cases: Scope 3 Category 1 emissions and deforestation- and conversion-free sourcing.
Rather than creating a new system or duplicating existing efforts, the Framework supports alignment with voluntary commitments, evolving regulations, and commercial needs. It’s a starting point for smarter, more consistent data practices—not a one-size-fits-all solution.
This is the first version of the Framework, developed with industry input, and it will continue to evolve as adoption grows. Retailers are encouraged to treat it as a living guide—one that reduces complexity, not adds to it, and supports better data, not more of it.
Download the Common Data Framework Principles to find out more about the correct day to use it.
Advanced emissions reporting—such as Scope 3 Category 1 and Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) data—requires scalable, reliable data partners. Choosing the right partner is key to improving data quality, supplier engagement, and traceability.
The Climate Transition Coalition, with the DDVC Industry Solutions Team, has defined four selection criteria:
By aligning around these principles, retailers can implement the Common Data Framework more effectively, reduce supplier burden, and accelerate industry-wide progress.
Practical examples of how members can leverage the CDF to steer their data reporting journey
