Getting good quality data is usually the biggest challenge when it comes to tracking a company's GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions. That's why it's super important to set up strong data collection processes when you're designing your company's GHG inventory program. By focusing on collecting high-quality data, and validating it regularly, you'll be able to get a more accurate picture of your GHG emissions and use that information to make better decisions about how to reduce them. It's definitely worth the effort to get this right!

Establishing a clear data collection process 🪜

It's important to develop data collection procedures that allow the same data to be efficiently collected in future years. These procedures are often outlined in the inventory management plan (IMP).

There are several key considerations when developing data collection procedures that will allow the same data to be efficiently collected in future years:

1. Identify the data sources: Identify the sources of data that will be used to collect GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions data, such as energy bills, fuel consumption records, and material usage data.
2. Establish clear definitions: Establish clear definitions for the data that will be collected, including the units of measurement, the time period covered, and any assumptions or exclusions.
3. Develop a data collection process: Develop a clear and systematic process for collecting data from each of the identified sources. This might include designing a data collection form or template, establishing a schedule for data collection, and training staff on how to collect data accurately and consistently.
4. Implement quality assurance and quality control measures: Implement measures to ensure the quality and reliability of the data, such as cross-checking data with other sources, reviewing data for completeness and accuracy, and conducting audits or verifications.
5. Document the data collection process: Document the data collection process in detail, including the data sources, definitions, and procedures that are used. This will help to ensure that the process can be consistently applied in future years.

By following these steps, you can develop data collection procedures that allow the same data to be efficiently collected in future years, which is essential for tracking progress and making informed decisions about GHG emissions reduction.

Data validation (QA/QC) steps for activity data ✅

There are several steps that companies can take to validate and ensure the quality and reliability of activity data for GHG (greenhouse gas) calculations:

1. Compare current year data with historical trends: If data doesn't show relatively consistent changes from year to year, it might be worth investigating the causes. For example, changes of over 10% from one year to the next could be a sign that something unusual is going on and warrants further investigation.
2. Check data against multiple sources: Compare activity data from different sources, like government surveys or trade association data, with your company's data when possible. This can help to ensure that you're reporting consistent data to everyone.
3. Look at data collected for other purposes: If you have data that was collected for something other than preparing a GHG inventory, it's a good idea to check that it's relevant and accurate for inventory purposes. This includes making sure it's complete, consistent with definitions and emission factors, and covers everything it needs to.
4. Verify that boundary decisions have been applied correctly: Make sure that the decisions you've made about operational and organizational boundaries have been consistently applied when collecting activity data.
5. Check for biases: If there are known biases or other characteristics that could affect the quality of your data, it's important to take them into account. For example, if you're collecting data from smaller facilities, you might want to check that you're not unintentionally excluding any operations.
6. Use quality management measures: Make sure to apply quality management measures to any additional data (like sales or production data) that you use to estimate emission intensities or other ratios. This will help to ensure that your data is as accurate and reliable as possible.

Free activity data QA/QC checklist 🆓

By following the above steps, you can be confident that you have completely validated your data and can move forward to calculation. However, if you want to go step by step through each of the QC validations we use in our consulting projects, you can download this QA/QC checklist. It is divided into pre-calculation and post-calculation validations, so you can be sure you have a complete and accurate inventory!

Get the checklist here

This is an excerpt from The Comprehensive Guide to Measuring Business GHG Emissions 🚀

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