Data Quality
Every input to the PEFCR calculation is flagged as either primary or secondary data.
Primary data
Data measured and reported by the actual factory for this specific batch:
- Energy consumption from meter readings
- Water usage from facility records
- Actual transport mode and distance
- Real material weights
Primary data produces more accurate and usually better scores, because it reflects the actual production process rather than industry averages.
Secondary data
Industry-average values used when primary data is unavailable:
- Ecoinvent 3.8 database averages
- PEFCR default assumptions
Secondary data typically produces worse scores because averages include the least efficient operators in the industry.
Why it matters
A factory that installs solar panels and measures their actual energy mix will score significantly better than one using default grid factors. This creates a direct incentive for factories to:
- Measure and report real data
- Invest in efficiency improvements
- Use the platform to demonstrate their actual performance
How to improve data quality
For brands:
- Encourage factories to fill all fields with actual measurements
- Look for “primary” badges on batch scores
- Factories with more primary data are more reliable suppliers
For factories:
- Install energy meters and track consumption per batch
- Record water usage per production run
- Document transport modes and distances
- Upload current certificates (GOTS, OEKO-TEX, etc.)