PCF reporting begins when your Swedish buyer activates the product in Systembolaget’s Supplier Portal (Leverantörsportalen) and you receive an invitation to the CarbonCloud platform.
Step 1 – Understand the data expected
The first step is to understand what data is typically reported by producers. This data reflects the activities that producers commonly manage, such as production processes, ingredients, packaging, and transportation that you arrange.
Overview of expected data
Below we have listed the data typically expected in your role. Following a step-by-step approach, you identify key data sources and later explore practical methods for managing allocation and data conversion to ensure compatibility with the CarbonCloud platform.
This will help you simplify and streamline PCF calculations:
Datasets CarbonCloud Producer
Step 2 – Join PCF training and webinars
You will have several opportunities to learn more about PCF reporting.
Both recorded and live webinars are offered, each focusing on different parts of the reporting process. These sessions will help you understand how PCF reporting works, what data is needed, and how to use the CarbonCloud platform.
See upcoming training sessions and register here:
Training and webinar schedule
Step 3 – Identify possible data sources
To report Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) data, you will usually need to collect information from several internal and external sources. Below are some common examples.
ERP Systems
Your ERP system may contain useful information such as volumes sold to the Swedish importer, purchased ingredients and packaging materials, product quantities and production volumes, and the origin and cost of materials.
This information can help you report production inputs and material flows.
PIM Systems
A Product Information Management (PIM) system stores product-related information in a structured way. It may include product specifications, packaging details, and product composition.
This information can support PCF reporting, particularly for packaging and product characteristics.
Logistics and transport reports
Transport and logistics partners may provide reports that include information such as distance travelled (km), fuel type (for example diesel or HVO), mode of transport (truck, rail, sea, etc.), and vehicle type or emissions class.
This information is useful when reporting transportation emissions.
Sustainability reports
Supplier sustainability reports usually do not contain a ready-made product carbon footprint. However, they often include valuable information that can support PCF calculations.
Examples include data about packaging materials, energy use in production, and manufacturing emissions.
To calculate a product-level carbon footprint, impacts from shared processes often need to be allocated between products.
Allocation means distributing the environmental impact of a shared activity—such as production, packaging, or transport—between several products that use the same process.
Read more about allocation principles.
Typical information from sustainability reports
|
Life -cycle stage |
Example metrics |
|
Agriculture |
kg CO₂e per /kg crop, fertilizer use |
|
Packaging |
kg CO₂e per /unit, recycled content |
|
Production |
energy use, Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions |
|
Transport |
emissions, distance, transport mode |
|
Energy mix |
energy use (kWh), renewable share |
Check data quality
When using information from reports or suppliers, it can be helpful to check the reporting standards used, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, ISO 14064, and ISO 14067. It is also helpful to check whether the information has been verified by a third party, as well as other useful indicators such as the year of the data and the geographic scope, meaning where the data applies.
Speak directly with suppliers
Direct dialogue with suppliers is often one of the most reliable ways to obtain accurate PCF data.
When discussing data with suppliers, it can be helpful to clarify the type of data, including whether the information is primary data, measured directly from operations, or based on averages or industry estimates. It is also important to understand the system boundaries, meaning which activities the data covers, for example farming, production, packaging, or transport.
You may also need to clarify allocation methods, including how emissions are distributed between products when processes are shared, such as in the case of co-products, shared production facilities, or transport activities. In addition, it can be useful to understand the level of detail in the energy data, for example heat (gas) versus electricity, and on-site energy versus purchased energy.
Step 4 – Prepare your data for the CarbonCloud platform
The CarbonCloud platform is designed for many product categories, not only beverages. Because of this, some information may need to be converted or adapted before reporting.
Converting liters to kilograms
CarbonCloud uses kilograms ( kg) as the functional unit for products.
A functional unit is the standard unit used to measure the climate impact of a product. In this case, emissions are calculated per kilogram of product.
For beverages, this may require converting volume data (liters) into weight (kilograms) before entering it into the platform.
See calculation example: Converting Volume Units to Kilograms
Converting energy units
Energy use in the CarbonCloud platform must be reported in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
However, some energy data may be available in other units, such as liters of fuel. In those cases, conversion factors can be used to convert the data into kWh before reporting.
See conversion table: Energy Conversion Factors
Allocate data to a product-level PCF
In many cases, energy use or ingredient inputs are reported at site level. To calculate a product-level PCF, these impacts need to be distributed between the products produced at that site.
This process is called allocation.
Examples and calculation templates are available here:
Would you like access to calculation examples with adjustable values? Please email us.
Available examples:
- Allocate total site energy between different beverage types
- Allocate ingredients and energy between direct-consumption and barrel-aged wine
Transport data
Transport data may require calculations depending on transport mode, fuel type, and distance.
See example:
Transport Scenario different modes and fules
If exact transport distances are not available, estimation tools such as NTM can be used.
Move on to the next section: Reporting and follow up