Planet FWD is now PACT v3 conformant. Here's what that means for your data.

One of the most persistent friction points in Scope 3 reporting isn't the measurement itself. It's what happens to the data after it's measured. Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) data sits in one platform. Your procurement team needs it in another. Your retail partner or downstream customer has a third system. And none of them speak the same language.

That's the problem PACT was designed to solve. And it's why we're thrilled to share that Planet FWD is now officially PACT v3 conformant.

What this means in brief:
Planet FWD is now PACT v3 conformant, meaning Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) data generated on our platform can be shared automatically with any other PACT-conformant system via API. Conformance is independently validated by WBCSD. For sustainability, procurement, and supply chain teams, this means PCF data that was previously siloed can now move frictionlessly across retail, procurement, and reporting systems.

What is PACT and why does it matter for Scope 3?

PACT — the Partnership for Carbon Transparency — is a global standard maintained by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development for calculating and exchanging Product Carbon Footprint data across supply chains. Its purpose is straightforward: establish a shared standard so that data generated in one system can be read, trusted, and used in any other PACT-conformant system.

The analogy most people find useful is email. Gmail and Outlook don't share infrastructure, but they can exchange messages because they both implement the same underlying protocols. PACT does the same thing for Product Carbon Footprint data. It doesn't matter which platform calculated the PCF or which platform needs to receive it. If both are PACT conformant, the data transfers cleanly, with methodology intact.

This matters because Product Carbon Footprint data is increasingly being requested across the supply chain. Retailers are building supplier sustainability programs. Procurement teams are integrating emissions data into purchasing decisions. Corporate sustainability teams are trying to replace spend-based Scope 3 estimates with primary product-level data. Without a shared standard, every one of those exchanges requires manual work, format conversion, and methodology reconciliation. With PACT, it's a direct API call.

What changed in PACT v3?

Version 3, released in April 2025, is the most significant update to the standard since its launch. It tightens the methodology for cradle-to-gate boundaries, improves guidance on biogenic emissions, and refines the technical specifications for data exchange. Version 3 is not backwards compatible with v2, which gets deprecated in April 2026, making v3 conformance the current standard going forward.

What does PACT v3 conformance mean for Planet FWD customers?

Planet FWD's platform has always been built around generating high-quality, primary Product Carbon Footprint data. What PACT v3 conformance adds is portability.

The PCF data Planet FWD generates for your products can now move — directly, via API — to any other PACT-conformant system in your ecosystem. In practice that means:

Your retail partners requesting supplier-specific emissions data can receive it directly from Planet FWD without manual export or reformatting. Procurement platforms that have integrated PACT can pull product-level Product Carbon Footprint data on request. Corporate Scope 3 inventory tools can replace spend-based estimates with actual product-level data from Planet FWD. Reporting frameworks and disclosure platforms that accept PACT-formatted data can receive your PCFs in a format they already recognize.

The value of a Product Carbon Footprint compounds when it can travel. A PCF that lives only in one platform helps you understand your emissions. A PCF that can be shared automatically across your ecosystem helps you — and the organizations you work with — act on them.

Who should care about PACT conformance?

PACT conformance is particularly relevant for teams working with Product Carbon Footprints specifically — not necessarily full cradle-to-grave life cycle assessments. If your priority right now is generating product-level emissions data that can be shared with retail partners, used in procurement conversations, or folded into your corporate Scope 3 inventory, this is the capability that makes that frictionless.

For brands already doing deeper LCA work with Planet FWD, PACT conformance means that data is now portable too — it can flow downstream to any system that needs it, in a format that's already recognized and trusted.

Why is PCF data interoperability becoming a business requirement?

Scope 3 reporting requirements are expanding. California's SB 253 requires large companies to disclose Scope 3 emissions starting in 2027. The EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive is already in effect for large European companies and expanding to cover their value chain partners. Retailers and procurement organizations with science-based targets are increasingly asking suppliers to provide product-level emissions data rather than accepting spend-based estimates.

In that environment, the ability to share verified, methodology-consistent Product Carbon Footprint data on request — without manual work or methodology translation — stops being a technical detail and starts being a competitive advantage. Brands that have it will move faster in procurement conversations and retail partnerships. Brands that don't will spend time on manual data preparation every time someone asks.

PACT conformance is how Planet FWD customers get that capability built in.

Frequently asked questions

What is a PACT-conformant solution? A PACT-conformant solution is a platform that has passed independent peer-reviewed testing moderated by WBCSD and can exchange Product Carbon Footprint data with any other PACT-conformant system via API, using a standardized data model and methodology.

What is the difference between PACT v2 and PACT v3? PACT v3, released in April 2025, is not backwards compatible with v2. It includes updates to cradle-to-gate boundary methodology, improved guidance on biogenic emissions, and refined technical specifications for data exchange. V2 will be deprecated in April 2026.

How does PACT conformance help with Scope 3 reporting? PACT conformance means Product Carbon Footprint data can be shared directly with procurement platforms, retail sustainability programs, and corporate Scope 3 inventory tools via API, without manual export or methodology translation. This reduces the operational burden of responding to supplier data requests.

Can Planet FWD share PCF data with procurement platforms? Yes. Planet FWD's PACT v3 conformant APIs allow Product Carbon Footprint data to be shared directly with any other PACT-conformant system, including procurement platforms that have integrated the PACT standard.

What does peer-reviewed PACT conformance testing involve? PACT conformance requires passing rigorous testing with independent partners, moderated by WBCSD. It is not self-declared. Solutions must demonstrate that their data model and exchange protocol meet the PACT Technical Specifications before being listed as conformant.

What's next

Our PACT v3 APIs are now live in production. If you're a Planet FWD customer and want to connect your Product Carbon Footprint data to other systems in your ecosystem, your customer success team can walk you through the integration options.

If you're evaluating Planet FWD and want to understand how PACT conformance fits into your data strategy, we're glad to talk through it.

Get in touch with our team →

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