15 Jun 2026

The data dilemma in agri-food sustainability reporting

Stay compliant and precise with Agri-footprint 8

With tightening regulations like CSRD and evolving PEF standards, sustainability performance is moving from corporate marketing to audited, financial-grade reporting. Ideally, you would use primary data from your entire supply chain. But in complex, global networks, gathering data for thousands of ingredients takes time and resources. When those primary data gaps exist, using fragmented or non-representative data creates a vulnerability in the sustainability reporting.

For over a decade, Agri-footprint has been the trusted, transparent LCA database the agri-food sector relies on to fill those gaps with high-quality secondary data.

Coming soon: Agri-footprint 8

We are launching Agri-footprint 8 with a massive scope expansion and important methodological updates, giving you the foundation to use secondary data with confidence.

Stay tuned

The risk of non-representative data

To kickstart sustainability roadmaps, many sustainability specialists, LCA experts, and procurement teams have relied on fragmented or non-representative data. While this was sufficient for initial hotspot analyses, the regulatory and sustainability landscapes have shifted.

Today, relying on non-representative data isn't just a shortcut, it is a business risk:

Mistakes multiply

Because Scope 3 emissions make up the vast majority of an agri-food company’s footprint, a single data discrepancy or outdated assumption at the farm level has the potential to multiply, throwing off your final impact calculations.

Auditors look closely

Under frameworks like the CSRD, your metrics face strict third-party audits. Teams are checking data age, sources, and methodologies. Using mismatched or non-representative data leaves you risk failing your audit and facing greenwashing questions. See for instance this report of European Securities and Market Authority (ESMA), Final Report on Greenwashing, 2024.

Decision risks

Nowadays LCA data drives strategic choices, whether it is embedded in company software or used by procurement to select "low-carbon" suppliers. If the underlying data is inconsistent, you risk decisions affecting supply chains that don’t actually reduce emissions.

While primary data collected directly from your specific suppliers remains the gold standard for claiming actual carbon reductions, representative secondary data is still essential for LCA studies that cover complex supply chains. Minimize business risk, your background database cannot be a patchwork, it must be consistent, compliant, and comparable.

Introducing Agri-footprint 8

Closing your data gaps with confidence

We are excited to announce the upcoming release of Agri-footprint 8, the latest version of our globally trusted environmental footprint database for the agri-food sector.

Agri-footprint 8 will be published this summer, representing a major milestone in high-quality and consistent life cycle inventory data, expanding its scope from 4,800 to almost 10,000 datasets, with a focus on critical gaps in arable crop, fruit, and vegetable supply chains.

Whether you are an LCA specialist modelling complex agricultural supply chains, a Chief Sustainability Officer signing off on corporate disclosures, an R&D manager designing sustainable nutrition profiles, or a software developer integrating high-quality environmental data into an enterprise SaaS platform, Agri-footprint 8 is built to give you the confidence in your metrics when primary data isn't an option.

What you can expect in Agri-footprint 8

Doubled the data scope

Grown to almost 10,000 datasets, significantly expanding coverage in critical, high-demand areas like arable crops, fruits & vegetables.

Granular geographic data

Introduction of regionalized, state-level crop datasets for the USA and Australia to better reflect regional farming realities.

Compliancy & consistency

Every dataset is fully updated to align with the latest international footprint standards. Powered by our automated data generation pipeline, all connections and dependencies across thousands of datasets are methodologically aligned and reproducible.

Science-based & transparent

Access all background methodologies, data lineages, and sources directly through our publicly available methodology documentation.

Trusted & externally reviewed

The full updated database will be critically reviewed by an independent external reviewer for credibility and ensure the best possible data quality.

Stay tuned: Join the shift towards Agri-footprint 8

Over the coming weeks we will be sharing more details regarding the specific dataset updates, methodology documentation, and access options for Agri-footprint 8.

Want to be the first to know when Agri-footprint 8 goes live this summer?

Sign up for our Agri-footprint Update Newsletter to receive updates, technical deep dives, and invitations to our upcoming webinars.

Stay tuned as we continue to shape the future of sustainable food systems.

More information

Get in touch

Rory Malone

Commercial manager

Curious what Agri-footprint 8 can mean for your supply chain? Contact Rory to explore the opportunities of the expanded and updated Agri-footprint database.