Key information for THESIS data collection
Data collection can be a challenge for organizations of all sizes. The THESIS process is an opportunity to build your organization's supply chain and facility engagement so we encourage using this time to build and improve your data collection tools and processes. THESIS retailers value THESIS engagement and it's important to complete THESIS assessments even if your data is incomplete and/or you can't respond to every KPI. THESIS is an opportunity to understand and benchmark your starting place. Your THESIS Scorecard will provide you with tailored action recommendations and allow you to measure year over year improvements.
START WHERE YOU ARE: THESIS retailers value THESIS engagement and it's important to complete THESIS assessments even if your data is incomplete and/or you can't respond to every KPI.
Scope in the context of THESIS assessments defines the boundaries for data collection. Completing a KPI can involve collecting data from multiple sites and multiple organizations.
The value you get from your THESIS assessment process depends on the quality of the data you use to complete your THESIS assessments.
THESIS has 3 Types of KPIs defined by the types of information you will need to collect in order to answer them.
Data collection timeframe
Unless otherwise stated, all KPI responses should be calculated using data from a 12 month period. This 12 month period must have ended less than 12 months from the date you're completing the assessment.
The end date of the period does not need to be the same as the date you complete a particular KPI.
The production of the final product should be the primary point of reference for defining the 12-month assessment period. There may be cases where a certain material, ingredient, or component was produced outside the allowed period but was used in the production of final products within the allowed period. It is acceptable to include data for these materials in the calculation.
Your THESIS Wrap Up assessment includes a question to provide the "Reporting Start Date" and "Reporting End Date" for the data used to complete your THESIS assessments.
Primary and regional data
KPIs that ask for quantitative responses in physical units usually require the use of primary data—data that is directly related to the activities in question and specific to your supply chain, as opposed to data based on industry or regional averages. Primary data should always be used unless the Calculation & Scope guidance states otherwise.
Example of a calculation that requires primary data: Calculate B1 as the average of the most recent irrigation water use intensity estimates from the growing operations that produced your crop supply, weighted by the mass supplied by each growing operation.
In some agricultural supply chains, where the collection of primary data has been estimated to be too difficult or costly, the KPI guidance allows the use of regional estimates. However, your calculation should not combine regional and primary data. Rather, calculate your response using the primary data you have and only use regional data if you have no primary data available. Because regional data is not equivalent to primary data, the percentage associated with a specific metric is always entered as 0%.
A statement like the one below will be included in the Calculation & Scope if regional data may be used:
Data Collection FAQ
Do I provide responses only for the facilities my company owns?
You provide response for all facilities that perform the activities described in the KPI, regardless of ownership. For example, if you use contract manufacturing and the KPIs concerns greenhouse gas emissions during manufacturing, you need to calculate your response for both your facilities and those that you contract. Data from contracted facilities may be more difficult to obtain and this should be reflected in the percent completeness response options.
Should the quantitative data being collected (e.g., GHG emissions, water use, accident data) be used to compare suppliers’ performance?
TSC scores these KPIs based on the completeness of data collected rather than the value of the outcome metric itself. However, the quantitative outcome data can be used to evaluate year-over-year performance for a single supplier or identify outliers across common suppliers.
Do questions regarding supply chains apply to my company since our organization is vertically integrated?
Yes, a vertically integrated organization still needs to understand the impacts of the different divisions that interact to create a product.
How do I aggregate data from multiple facilities for an assessment?
Read our supplier guide: Optimizing Your Sustainability Performance Assessment Process for tips on gathering and organizing data from multiple facilities or suppliers. Also, download the Excel-based KPI Calculation Tools TSC built for a selection of KPIs, which can help you calculate your KPI responses. These are accessible from the Cover Page and KPI Menu of each assessment where you can also download your assessment in Excel to ease data collection across multiple facilities and suppliers.
We collected data from our factories or suppliers within the last twelve months, but the data reported actually reflects an earlier window of time outside of the twelve-month window. Can we still answer the KPI legitimately?
The guidance for each KPI will specify the acceptable data reporting period. Typically, the data needs to have been reported to you within the last twelve months for a prior twelve-month period that itself did not end more than twelve months ago (i.e., any twelve-month period wholly contained within the last two years).
How would a new company that may not have the data/history respond to this assessment?
Not all companies have the systems in place to collect the data necessary to respond to the KPIs. Addressing sustainability requires measurement and monitoring and this is reflected in the design of the KPIs. Putting data collection systems in place will allow you to respond to the KPIs in the future. Until then, you may have to select “Unable to determine at this time.” for any KPIs that you truly cannot complete.