What’s changing for supply chain leaders?
Auditors and customers increasingly demand verified, product-level emissions data, pushing consistency and transparency to the forefront of supply chain management. This higher bar challenges both suppliers and buyers to use tools that allow clear comparisons of carbon, cost and risk.
Through its Scope 3 Program, TfS is helping standardize how product carbon footprints (PCFs) are calculated and exchanged across the chemical industry. The new PCF Guideline 3.0 offers a harmonized approach that makes supplier and product comparisons more reliable and comparable.
Primary vs. secondary data: The difference
Using primary PCF data uncovers differences between suppliers that secondary data often masks – enabling smarter purchasing decisions and measurable emission reductions. As downstream sectors increasingly ask for verified, product-level data, TfS is driving cross-industry alignment and supporting the move toward claim-ready products that stand up to scrutiny.
While secondary data from industry averages and databases provides a useful starting point, it often hides meaningful differences between suppliers and products. In contrast, primary data – each material’s supplier-specific PCF, calculated to recognized standards – allows for more accurate bid comparisons, clearer audit trails and targeted emissions reductions based on real performance.
By requesting primary PCFs for key materials, procurement teams gain the transparency needed to make informed choices, demonstrate measurable progress and identify new opportunities for supplier improvement and collaboration.
How TfS supports procurement teams
Across the chemical industry, procurement teams are under growing pressure to turn sustainability commitments into verifiable results. TfS is helping them make that shift – from estimates to evidence –by providing the tools, standards and training needed to embed transparency throughout the supply chain.
At the heart of this effort is the PCF Guideline 3.0, a step-by-step methodology aligned with ISO, the GHG Protocol, Catena-X and the WBCSD Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT) framework. It ensures that two suppliers calculating the same product’s carbon footprint achieve credible results following a comparable calculation methodology. Supporting this, the PCF Exchange Solution offers a secure digital platform, powered by SiGREEN technology, for requesting and exchanging product-level emissions data – while keeping data sovereignty firmly with the providing company.
Confidence in reporting is further strengthened through the PCF Verification & Certification Framework, which establishes consistent quality checks for supplier data. The PCF Data Model then enables seamless integration of this information into sourcing and reporting systems, turning carbon transparency into a practical part of procurement workflows.
To help teams put these tools into action, the TfS Academy and Toolkits provide practical training and accessible learning resources. By supporting members and suppliers with the knowledge and guidance needed to drive meaningful progress, TfS is helping set a new benchmark for data-driven sustainability across the chemical supply chain.
Why this matters now
- Regulations are evolving: Reliable, auditable data is increasingly required.
- Reputation is at stake: Verified primary data helps companies demonstrate genuine progress, manage risk and avoid accusations of greenwashing.
- Performance counts: Carbon is becoming a key specification in procurement, alongside cost and quality.
Make primary PCFs part of your procurement process
As sustainability expectations continue to climb, procurement teams are uniquely positioned to lead the way – moving beyond compliance to deliver measurable impact, manage risk and realize competitive advantage.
By embracing primary carbon data and using TfS’s proven tools, companies can bring credibility and consistency to carbon reporting. Its harmonized tools, standards and training programs are empowering companies to make informed choices, track real progress and strengthen collaboration across the chemical value chain. In doing so, TfS is not just advancing sustainability goals – it’s shaping a more transparent and resilient future for the entire industry.
Visit the TfS website to begin your journey toward data-driven, credible sustainability: Scope 3 GHG emissions programme – TFS Initiative.
