This article provides additional guidance for certain questions that may require interpretation — including renewable energy, compressed air optimization, and primary data definitions.
Use this article when you’re unsure how to determine your degree of implementation for a specific question.
Does nuclear energy count as a “renewable source”?
Under EU regulation 2022/1214, nuclear energy is not considered renewable. However, the EU acknowledges that nuclear energy is a "transitional low-carbon" alternative. Since supplier+s focuses on carbon reduction, electricity purchased from a verified nuclear source can be included in your implementation degree for the question on renewable electricity.
You may therefore add:
wind
solar
hydro
nuclear (verified supply)
other low-carbon sources
This reflects your segment’s actual carbon reduction progress.
When can a compressed air system be considered “optimized”?
A compressed air system is considered optimized when the following four activities are implemented regularly and anchored in operational practices:
Leakage control
Regularly checking for leaks and fixing them promptly.Demand management
Avoiding pressure peaks, ensuring consistent utilization, and switching off systems during inactive periods.Pressure level minimization
Operating at the lowest possible system pressure and using decentralized boosting only where required.Regular maintenance
Maintaining compressors, air intake filters, and replacing outdated systems.
How to select the correct implementation degree
Choose the level that reflects how many activities are performed and how broadly they are applied.
Example:
If one of two locations performs all 4 activities → select 41–60% (medium share)
If all locations perform only 2 of the 4 activities → also 41–60% (medium share)
The goal is to represent the overall share of optimized systems across the Business Segment.
Do supplier+s responses count as primary data under CSRD / ESRS E1?
Yes — supplier+s responses qualify as primary data when they are based on:
supplier-specific quantities
metered energy consumption
directly reported emissions
documented methods, periods, and units
The GHG Protocol defines primary data as “data from specific activities within a company’s value chain” (Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard, page 140) and lists, among others:
meter readings
purchase records
supplier-provided measurements
engineering models with supplier inputs
as acceptable methods (Scope 3 Frequently Asked Questions, Question 16).
This means supplier+s data can be used directly in CSRD/ESRS E1-compliant Scope 3 reporting.
What if I’m unsure how to choose an implementation degree?
If you’re uncertain:
Answer to the best of your knowledge, or
Consult colleagues with expertise in carbon reduction, facility management, ESG, or procurement
Use “Not applicable” if the question truly doesn’t apply to your operations
You can update answers anytime — just remember to click Submit to share updates with your customer.
I feel the questionnaire doesn’t fully reflect my carbon reduction efforts. What can I do?
We appreciate your commitment to reducing your carbon footprint — and it’s great to hear that you may have initiatives that go beyond the scope of the questionnaire.
A few important points:
The questionnaire focuses on the most material carbon hotspots in each industry and country.
To keep results comparable across thousands of suppliers, some non-material or specialized measures are intentionally not included.
This does not mean your efforts are not valuable — only that they may not fit into the standardized set of questions.
What you can do:
If a question does not apply to your business model, select “Not applicable.”
You can also use the Carbon Accounting Module to demonstrate reductions achieved through your own measures.
If you have initiatives you’re proud of that aren’t captured, you can share them:
directly with your client, and/or
with our support team ([email protected]) so they can be documented appropriately.
Your proactive work towards decarbonization still matters, even if certain actions do not appear directly in the questionnaire.
Still unsure? Contact [email protected].