FMI – The Food Industry Association has released a new industry resource designed to help food retailers and suppliers strengthen the quality and consistency of Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions measurement, announced as global leaders gather for COP31.
The Scope 3 Data Consistency and Quality Guide, developed by FMI’s Carbon Footprint Task Force in partnership with Pure Strategies, offers practical recommendations to improve emissions data, build greater consistency in measurement and reporting, strengthen supplier engagement and support more informed sustainability decisions.
“Progress on Scope 3 measurement requires more than individual companies working in isolation. It requires dialogue across the value chain, greater consensus around common approaches and practical action,” said Julie Savoie, senior director of workforce, talent and sustainability for FMI. “By bringing retailers and suppliers to the same table, FMI is helping our industry identify shared challenges and develop solutions that can make emissions data more consistent, useful and actionable.”
The guide focuses on applying principles of completeness, consistency, accuracy, transparency and timeliness to strengthen emissions inventories; moving from spend-based estimates toward more specific activity-based data; assessing the maturity of companies’ Scope 3 data; strengthening supplier engagement while minimizing duplicative data requests in shared supply chains; and establishing consistent methodologies, documenting assumptions and managing changes to emissions inventories over time.
The Carbon Footprint Task Force is a multi-year effort, and FMI said it will continue working with retailers, suppliers and other members in 2027 to address additional Scope 3 measurement challenges and identify opportunities for greater industry alignment.
Related: FMI Joins 473 Organizations Urging Congress To Extend WOTC